International Women's Day 2023

This year for International Women’s Day, we're celebrating some of the incredible women we get to work with every day, all with unique journeys to get to where they are today.

For us, this isn't a once a year thing. We take belonging seriously. We're committed to building an inclusive place to work, one where everyone has an equal seat at the table. From our EmpowHer women's development programme, to our partnership with InnovateHer to inspire young girls into tech, we're working hard to challenge the barriers that women face in the workplace.

Read on to hear about Amanda's career change from chef to contact centre manager, and Emily, who's career has taken her from media, to AI, to loyalty!

Meet the team ??

Amanda Raymond, Multichannel Team Manager

Hey Amanda, tell us about yourself and what you do at IAG Loyalty?

Hey! I manage a team within the Contact Centre who handle all the Webchat contacts for the BA Executive Club, Vueling Club and AerClub. We also handle calls and chats for the BA Prepaid Mastercard as well as flight bookings for Aerclub customers too. Multichannel is definitely the best name for our team!

At home, I have a very understanding and long suffering husband called Alan (his words not mine!) and I am Mummy to a crazy, moody Cockapoo called Remy.

Aww, we love Remy! <3 What has been your career path up until now?

I came to IAGL after spending most of my working life within the catering industry. I always thought a role in travel would suit me but wasn’t sure how to cross over.?IAGL gave me the perfect opportunity when I joined the Multichannel team.

It wasn’t without its challenges at the beginning. Preparing a three course lunch for 100 people was a walk in the park for me but getting to grips with new systems and life within an office was a big change!

I had a great manager who coached and supported the best out of me. She also helped me to identify what I wanted out of my time with IAGL too.

Over the years I’ve had lots of chances to be part of the varied work within the Contact Centre. Last year I finished a secondment with the Loyalty Operations Team which took me away from the contact centre for the first time. It gave me a real insight into loyalty as a business. I loved my time there, it gave me a fresh perspective to what we are all about. I started my current role in November last year and like before, lots of learning to be done but I’m loving it!

Where was the last place you traveled with IAGL?

I traveled to Bahrain for Christmas using my amazing IAG travel perks. It was a fascinating place to visit and we had the best time.

What's your favourite thing about working at IAGL?

It’s the experiences and opportunities to be brave and challenge myself. I'm surrounded by truly lovely, passionate people who’ve given me the empowerment and support to make those challenges a success. The fantastic travel benefits have also opened a door on the world to me!

Emily Ochoa, Chief of Staff

Hi Emily, welcome to the club! Tell us more about you, how do you spend time when you're not at work?

Hey! It's great to be here. My partner, Andy and I bought our first place together last summer so we're still discovering our neighbourhood - lots of local exploring at the weekends. I'm also an absolutely voracious reader. Paperback, Kindle, audiobook - I devour books in all formats. Recently I've also gotten really interested in health and fitness, so I'm prioritising good sleep, time at the gym, and walking.

What was your career path that led you to IAGL?

I spent the first part of my career in media and advertising, both on the agency side (at WPP's GroupM) and in a management consultancy (McKinsey), working with both media owners and advertisers as clients. Most recently, I spent time in the AI world. I was at a company called Eigen Technologies - they've built AI software that can read and extract information from documents like financial contracts.

Such a varied and interesting background! Tell us, why did you want to join our club?

I discovered the Chief of Staff role at Eigen and fell in love with it.

I loved the focus on strategy and operations, getting to touch all parts of the business, and the emphasis on building systems for efficiency.

I knew I wanted to play that role on a larger scale, and a friend mentioned the opportunity at IAGL. I had never thought about a move to the loyalty sector before, but it all just clicked into place.

IAGL is a place where a love of travel connects us all. Tell us, what's some of the best places you've visited, and what's still on the bucket list?

The two best trips I've taken in my life have been to Uzbekistan and Malaysia. Uzbekistan is just magical - incredibly beautiful with amazing history, and it deserves to be so much better known. Malaysia had fantastic food, secluded islands, and a rainforest with more monkeys than I've ever seen in my life. And my?#1 bucket list country is Iran, without a doubt. Visiting Isfahan would be a dream.

Finally, who are the females in your life that inspire you, and why?

The women who inspire me are the ones who do things just because they want to. Society encourages us as women to define ourselves in terms of our relationships to our partners and our families, and too often this comes at the expense of getting to fulfil our deepest desires for our own lives.

I've been lucky to know many women who have taken their own road, starting with my best friend Jessica - we've known each other since age 10. She's a creator and a free spirit who's always trying something new. She balances out my analytical nature but we share that need to keep exploring.

Like what you've read? Join our club by checking out our latest vacancies today.