Meet Robyn, Senior Product Manager for Sustainability at Travelport

Created by VERCIDA for Travelport

 

Robyn Binks proved an old teacher wrong by going on a career journey that has taken her into the worlds of technology, sustainability and travel.

 

Robyn Binks, Senior Product Manager for Sustainability

 

I always wanted a career in technology, but when I was at school, technology was defined as just coding, as if that was the beginning and end of the subject. Coding was not my forte and a teacher even advised me not to pursue a career in technology, so to get to where I am today took a lot of determination and persistence.

My degree is in organisational psychology, but when I moved to London from South Africa in the late 1990s, I continued with my ambition to work in technology. While I furthered my studies, I did all sorts of jobs – working as a waitress, a nanny to three gorgeous kids, an administrator at a bank, and then I joined a global corporate as a junior in first line technical support. It was from that job that I spent 20 years building my career in tech.

 

My Career Journey

In my first role, I took the calls when someone in the company was having IT problems. It was a great way to learn and I was given several opportunities to take on more responsibility. As a team, our achievements were recognised and within five years, I was leading our technology business services for Europe. I won’t underestimate the importance of strong mentors and coaches for anyone wanting to follow their dreams. I worked with exceptional leaders.

It was quite the learning curve, but I am a lifelong learner, I am motivated by knowledge. I also love working with people – this is where I think my degree in organisational psychology has been useful and inspiring teams to achieve great things has been a passion of mine. After nine years with that company, there was a change in my personal circumstances, so I left the UK and returned to South Africa, where I joined another big company in a customer-facing programme management role, building technology solutions for our customers.

 

A new chapter with Travelport

After my children were born, my career pivoted to startups, bringing new products to market, including in the area of sustainability. Five years ago, we decided to return to Europe, this time to beautiful County Kerry in Ireland. Here, I worked in AI solutions for hospitality. Then I heard about an opening at Travelport – for three months now, I have been the senior product manager for sustainability. I get to work in technology, travel and sustainability – it’s fantastic.

My role is to create solutions for customers to help them make travel choices that are better for the planet. I work with an amazingly talented team of architects, designers, engineers and product leads. It’s an exciting journey to get more people to think about sustainability when they travel and support travellers to make responsible decisions. 

My onboarding experience at Travelport has been amazing – and I don’t say that lightly. I have been encouraged and supported by everyone I’ve met. In a large organisation, those first three months can really set the tone and perception you have. 

 

 

A welcoming hybrid work environment

Travelport is a keen advocate for women in tech. We are working in a remote/hybrid environment and we work across multiple time zones, so it is important to set boundaries and make sure you maintain that balance between work and personal life. My line manager was very upfront with me from the beginning, making sure I had everything I need to be successful in my role.

The focus here is on outputs rather than inputs, and on trusting people, especially in a remote working environment. I’ve heard horror stories about companies that are constantly monitoring remote workers, right down to tracking people’s mouse movements, but at Travelport, we are trusted to do our jobs. It makes such a difference for everyone. Here, the company will actively look for areas where they can help you maintain work/life balance. 

It is so exciting to focus on executing our vision of making sustainable travel mainstream and using technology to achieve that. If I was going to give anyone advice on choosing a career in technology, even if they have doubts, I’d say two things. One, getting into technology opens up multiple options, and two, it’s the perfect career if you want to keep learning.

 

 

About Travelport

Travelport is a worldwide travel retail platform. Our next-generation marketplace connects buyers and sellers that share our passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences. Unconflicted and independent, we are reinventing a simpler future for travel’s complex ecosystem. We are a truly global company, operating in over 180 countries. Our headquarters are in London, United Kingdom.

We’re a diverse and inclusive workforce, representative of the communities and customers we serve. We’re committed to eliminating inequality and unconscious bias, and to providing a work environment where all employees can confidently, and comfortably, share their opinions and challenge the norms.

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