From Innovation to Legacy!
The Travel and Hospitality domain includesofferings that cater to tourists, travel companies, accommodations, resorts, tour companies, and associated services. Through the facilitation of business and tourism travel, it contributes significantly to global connectedness, cultural exchange and economic development. Key factors of its expansion include technical breakthroughs, individualized customer care, sustainability programs, and flexibility in response to world events and trends. To lead effectively in this fast-paced sector, one needs to possess a strong grasp of market dynamics, operational excellence,and strategic vision.
Meet Jaclyn Leibl–Cote,currently serving as the President and CEO of Collette.
Collette has a rule“that if you’re in the family, you have to work three years outside of the company before you can apply.”following this rule, Jaclyn worked in a Tech company in inside sales. She later joined Collette as a Product Manager for tours in the USA, Australia,and New Zealand. Later becoming the Director of Product, reinventing the design philosophy to ensure regional destinations develop and lead tours. Additionally, becoming the Executive Vice President, President and CEO, collaborating with all teams to evolve the company model and introduce new teams like the Customer Experience team.Jaclyn’s diligence has revolutionized “Collette” in the modern world of business.
Collettehas been the leader in guided travel for over 100 years. They offer over 170 tours worldwide, focusing on caring for guests and enhancing experiences through charitable initiatives and professional community support.
Let’s delve into the transformative journey of Jaclyn:
Evolving Core Values
Collette’s values are Be Happy, Be Responsible, Be Trailblazers, and Be the Legacy. These values have evolved over time, reflecting the company’s evolution in travel. Jaclyn emphasizes, “‘Be Happy’ represents a unique and fun culture, while ‘Be Trailblazers’ encourages trying new things and challenging conventions. ‘Be Responsible’ is rooted in trust and integrity, aiming to support global communities and be a leader in our space. ‘Be the Legacy’ is about the history of Collette and the trailblazers who brought us here. She asks her team what they want their legacy to be, as every person makes an impact on the company’s story. She will honor this and keep it in mind as she blazes her own trail.
Vision in terms of Growth, Innovation and Impact
The company has grown a lot in recent years. After expanding itsglobal presence into Australia, itcelebrated its centennial in 2018, marking the strongest year in Collette’s history at that time. The pandemic has led to a surge in growth, with a focus on expanding their small group tours. These tours are highly rated by travelers due to their immersive design and accessibility. They have added new tours to trending destinations like Namibia, the Balkans and Patagonia, as well as regional deep dives in Italy. Their goal is to increase the number of travelers on their 170+ tour roster by streamlining efforts, collaborating, and acquiring net new travelers through diversified media and advertising.
Collette signed the United Nations Global Compact in 2022, aligning their business practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They pledge to uphold principles related to human rights, labor, environment, anti-corruption, sustainability, and community development. They also offer 100% carbon-neutral small group exploration tours with an impact moment, visiting a social enterprise or nonprofit supporting local communities.
Strategic Initiatives
The Strategic Leadership Team at Collette represents leaders from all departments and meets regularly to assess progress against corporate strategic priorities and goals. They address issues, review data, and address pain points to build momentum. Collette has a strong Board of Advisors providing guidance on effective solutions and opportunities. They hold an annual company-wide Town Hall and communicate quarterly about corporate goals. Communication is crucial for achieving goals, as they can easily get lost in daily operations. A strong Board, a collaborative leadership team and frequent communication with employees are essential for moving the needle in achieving their objectives.
Shaping Culture
Jaclyn says, “People want to come work at Collette; we hear this all the time! Our culture is fun, full of camaraderie and development opportunities… and giving back. Employees receive four paid hours of volunteer time every month and are encouraged to use this time to get out into their communities and get involved in causes that matter to them. Many teams will volunteer together, making ‘team building’ at Collette truly an opportunity to work together towards a better world. In our tours on the road, we are constantly evaluating our product to ensure that our impact is positive.”
Illustration of Values in Daily Decision-Making
Collette offers tours that not only provide ‘must-sees’ but also provide experiences that inform local life. They include 50% of all dinners on tour, taking them to local restaurants whenever possible. They also offer home-hosted meals and cooking classes, supporting local families or businesses. Collette is committed to positive community impact and is constantly evolving their product design. They have issued over $200 million in cashbacks during the pandemic and $24 million in October for travelers to Israel. This policy has been in place for decades, demonstrating Collette’s integrity and fostering trust among travelers.
Innovative Strategies and Competitive Differentiation
Jaclyn emphasizes, “Our product design philosophy fosters innovation. We don’t work with third-party vendors to curate our itineraries. Our Product Designers are destination experts who live in regions around the world and design our tours. Travelers benefit from our expertise because our experts are travelers, too, so the experiences consider the local perspective and feature moments a traveler couldn’t replicate on their own or find in a guidebook.”
The company offers small group tours, specifically Explorations, designed for smaller travelers. These tours allow travelers to explore places that larger groups cannot, such as villas, chateaux, tuk-tuks, and local homes. These unique experiences set them apart from competitors and make them a popular choice for culturally curious travelers. The company is enthusiastic about its small group tours, ensuring they cater to a diverse range of travelers.
Employee Engagement and Empowerment
Jaclyn believes in fostering a strong feedback culture and allows employees to submit questions for leadership to address. They offer various opportunities for employees to engage with all levels of the organization, including the C-suite, to share ideas and discuss challenges. They value being trailblazers, encouraging curiosity, and challenging convention. They offer a flexible schedule, with employees in the office 60% of the time, which can be adjusted with their manager. This allows employees to be part of the culture and create a work-life balance. At the headquarters, they have a gym with Peloton classes and fitness equipment, focusing on physical and mental well-being. They seek more opportunities to balance time for wellness.
Professional Development and Growth
Collette has a dedicated Learning & Development team in People & Culture that leads in-person and virtual courses around specific skills, the industry,and management so that employees can continue learning in a flexible way. Annual reviews empower team members to reflect on performance and contribute to their development goals. Jaclyn believes in personal and professional development and is working with companies to reinstate executive coaching for developing leaders. Feedback is crucial for leadership evolution, providing opportunities for learning and growth for every employee.
Fostering Remarkable Journeys in Leadership
Jaclyn says, “I’m a traveler. More specifically – I’m a Collette traveler. I’ve been taking these trips my entire life. I remember being on tour as a child with my family as my dad was setting up programs in new destinations. I remember experiencing the sights of the world for the very first time – but also seeing the joy from these travelers who may have waited their whole lives to do this.
Her dad has always been steadfast in his passion for making sure the product is solid and up to their travelers’ high expectations. Travelers trust them with their dreams, and that is something they have always been keenly aware of. Jaclyn further adds, “Before my time at Collette, I saw how my dad and former leaders worked hard to create incredible experiences on tour. “So much has changed in our product design because travel and travelers have changed as the world has evolved – but our team today works harder than ever to create experiences that are worthy of the trust travelers put in us when they book our tours.”“Every decision we make impacts the experience, so I am hands-on across the board. We’ve come a long way, and we always have goals for what’s next. “I’m personally driven by our travelers’ happiness. As a child, I didn’t realize it, but looking back, I can see that this has always driven me.”
Goals for Long-Term Expansion, Sustainability and Legacy
Jaclyn plans to keep Collette family-owned and operated for long-term growth and success. They are leaders in guided travel, continuously innovating and staying ahead of the curve. In the age of social media, digitization, and AI, Collette reimagines guided travel for today’s travelers, offering hands-on experiences that exceed expectations. They aim to evaluate feedback and evolve their strategy to remain the trusted tour operator. Collette partners with organizations committed to ethical, eco-friendly, and positively impactful business practices and plans to identify more organizations to add to their programs.
