Leading With Curiosity: Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, President and CEO of Collette

What does it take to lead a 100+ year-old travel company into its next chapter without losing the soul that made it legendary? 

In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja sits down with Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, President and CEO of Collette, a family-owned guided travel brand since 1918. As the first woman to lead the company in its century-long history, Jaclyn has earned her role through experience, starting as a tour guide and growing into leadership across marketing, product, and global strategy. 

In this conversation, Jaclyn talks about how Collette is thoughtfully integrating AI and data into a deeply human-centered brand. She also shares personal impact moments from her travels, ranging from a village in Peru to a powerful conversation in the Middle East, that have shaped her leadership philosophy. 

This episode will challenge you to think differently about how legacy and disruption are not opposites, and why curiosity may be the most essential leadership skill of all. 

Subscribe to Distinguished wherever you listen to podcasts and learn more at bu.edu/hospitality. 

To join the conversation, email sha@bu.edu. 

The Distinguished podcast is produced by the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. 

Host: Arun Upneja, Dean 

Producer: Mara Littman 

Research: Lan Lu 

Editing: Isabella Laikin 

Sound Engineering: Andrew Hallock 

The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. 

Host: Arun Upneja, Dean
Producer: Mara Littman, Executive Director of Strategic Operations and Corporate Relations
Research and Content Creation: Lu Lan
Editing: Isabella Laikin
Sound Engineer: Andrew Hallock

Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Transcript

Introduction & Welcome

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Travel is one of the most transformative forces we have. It broadens perspectives and builds bridges between cultures. Those life-changing moments don't happen by accident. They are meticulously designed by leaders who understand that hospitality is a human first. Today's guest is leading one of North America's most iconic travel players through a period of massive education. Jacqueline Libert is the president and CEO of Colette, a global powerhouse that has been guiding travelers for 107 years. While Colette is the storied third-generation family business, Jacqueline's seat at the table was earned, not given. From guiding troops through Pennsylvania Dutch country, leading global marketing and product design, she has worked in nearly every corner of the company. Today, as the first woman to lead Colette in its century-long history, she's balancing the timeless values of human connection with the thoughtful disruption of AI and data-driven strategy. She's a leader who believes in traveling with purpose and leading with empathy. Jacqueline Libelcoat, welcome to the Distinguished.

Colette's 107-Year History & Family Legacy

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

So, for listeners who may not know Colette, can you describe how the company got its start in 1918 to where it is today?

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yeah. It was formed by Jack Colette, which is where the company name comes from. My grandfather purchased it in the 60s in 1962. And it's been, we're third generation now in the Sullivan family for, you know, for guided tour packages. What started as day trips and motor coach tours has evolved in the late 80s and 90s into international. And so we eliminated in 2005 our motor coach business and really focused on really going international and flying to the destinations. And so we have tour

Jaclyn's Journey — From Tour Guide to CEO

SPEAKER_01 2:08

packages that are, you know, pre-selected partners throughout the world that yeah, bring destinations to life for our travelers.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Great. And so can you talk a little bit about how you got started in the company?

SPEAKER_01 2:22

So I always worked for the business throughout college. I would, when we were still motor coach, I would do Montreal Quebec tours, I would do Maine Clam Bakes, Penn Dutch, and I would, you know, four days, four nights, five day type itineraries. But we do have a rule, a family rule that once we graduate college, we have to work outside the business for at least three years. So I went and worked for a technology, publicly traded, multi-billion dollar organization, very different from travel, but learned a lot in that experience. And then once my three years was up, uh came into the business.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Right away.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Right away. Um, because I I always I knew I wanted to come into the business. Um, and I knew that I wanted to do tour design. And that was sort of my original passion. Um, and a position opened up, it just happened to open up um at my three-year mark. And so I came in right when I could.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Are you gonna have the same rule for your children as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

If they want to come into the business, yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

They have to work somewhere else for three years. Yes. What about grad school?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

It's not mandatory, but I did go to grad school. Um, I went to Babson in 2013, I want to say, and I graduated, so it's 2013 into 2015. Um, I also had young kids at the time and was running a department, so it was a lot going on at once, but um, it's not mandatory, but highly

Working Outside the Family Business & Grad School

SPEAKER_01 3:45

recommended. But my personal belief with grad school is go and get some field experience and actual work experience before going to grad school so that you can bring that into the studies with you.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

So when you were at the electronics company, you were selling battery backups and search protectors. Uh, looking back to that time, those three years, was there was there like an untransferable skill or something that you learned in that company that you would not have learned in this family company?

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Definitely. Um, especially as we have grown at Colette and the the growth that we've had, even just in the last five years, four years really, coming out of the pandemic. Um, but they were a bigger organization, enterprise business. And so I looked at the career I had there. So I worked myself my way through the call center in different phases of the call center. Um and as we've evolved and as we've changed, I try to bring some of those concepts and ideas into how we could or should be thinking as we're growing as well. Um, but making sure we stay true to who we are as as Colette and what our culture is. But um I still do refer back to it a lot. It was a great, that's why I would have my kids do it. It was a really good learning opportunity. Um, and I think you're still maturing when you get out of college, and it's just it was a great opportunity to have to. It's not that I wouldn't have to work for it coming into my own company, but sometimes you don't. Um I had to interview for it, I had to get the job, and I had to show to myself that I could do it, and I think that that's really important.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Right. And many young

Sports Mom, Work Ethic & Mentoring Gen Z

SPEAKER_00 5:26

people, when they graduate college, they think they know everything. So I'm I'm, you know. Um so you've described, and I've seen um different interviews and different publications, you've described yourself as a sports mom to three children and CEO of a global firm. So, how do you coach your children on the concept of work ethic versus entitlements? And has that influenced the way in which you recruit young people today, the Gen Zs and so forth? And how do you mentor them there?

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Um I love my kids, and because I love my kids, I hold them accountable. I mean, you can't have kids grow up feeling entitled and that they deserve everything. They deserve everything if they've earned everything and put the work in. Um, as a sports mom, I was competitive. I was a field hockey and basketball player. Um, and it teaches them when my if my kids come off from a game, whether they won or whether they lost, and start complaining about the other team or start complaining about the refs, I'm always gonna tell them to it doesn't matter. I think losing is really important and understanding that you have to pick yourself back up. I also think that sports helps to realize it's it's not just you. When you're working for a company, if the team wins, we all win. If the company wins, we all win. If we lose or don't hit target or whatever it may be, um, we've all done that together. It doesn't mean that we just point our fingers to one person. And so I really try to keep that top of mind for them that don't complain about that. You're always gonna have people in life that are going to um be the naysayers or you know, be someone that's gonna put barriers in front of you. You have to figure out how to get through them or over them or whatever way you do it.

Data vs. Gut — Navigating Decisions with Her Father

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Tough love.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Tough love. I believe in it.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

So your father built the company using gut and historical knowledge while you are famously strategy and data driven. So I'm curious, can you think of an example where data told you to do something which directly contradicted your dad's gut? And so how did you navigate that tricky situation?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yes, so this definitely happened.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Multiple times, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Often, yes. Um but the reason I started to really come from data was because you would get so frustrated with a subjective approach. Should I be two nights in Paris? Should I be three nights in Paris? How like what should the flow of a tour look like? Travelers are gonna tell us. And to me, that holds a lot more weight than if you like a city more or less where the subjectivity comes in. And so, um, you know, an example would be we have a have a heritage of America tour that we've had for years. Back when we were even motor coach, there were elements of that, and it's a region my dad is very passionate about. It's DC, it's New York City. And um he the numbers weren't there, the excellence on the tour, it was declining in revenue. Um, and we wanted to cancel it. Ouch. Yes, very, but we were growing in other areas, and it's just so we did take it offline for a couple of years, um, reworked the program. If we want to be in that region, we had to make it work. Okay. Um, but yeah, you just gotta work through with the data and um bring those data points to the conversation and try to manage that as best you can. But he's been on he's always respectful, but it's helped us make some decisions that have been tough that he's really stuck a um you know his uh a pole in the

The Explorations Line — Failure, Pivot & Growth

SPEAKER_01 9:05

ground.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

This is my identity. This is what I think, you know, our company is, and you're killing the baby here.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

And I and you've I've been doing this a long time, and um but if I want to be able to pass this to my children or to the next generation of the family, we need to he made decisions that were different from my grandfather's, and I'm making decisions that are slightly different from his. And there just has to be a respect there, and there is. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

I mean, this world is totally different, so there is no other way except to make different decisions. Yeah. So um, let's talk about the explorations line that you created. Um, it struggled at first because it was positioned against the classic line that you had. So, what was the specific data point or maybe perhaps traveler's story that made you realize that you had a positioning problem and not a product problem?

SPEAKER_01 9:59

I would say we had both actually. We had probably a positioning and a product problem. The product problem, because we did establish small group explorations in 2008. We never, until 2019, really, we never had more than 17, 18, maybe 20 tours in that travel style. To put that in context, we have 170 tours worldwide. So it was such a small piece of the portfolio. And this is, yeah, probably back in 2017. So it had been around for eight, nine years, or so really nine, 10 years. Um, and I looked at the marketing budget of dedicated marketing spend to that travel style, and it was less than 1%. So everything was always bundled with the classic touring. And so it was more like if we're gonna have this and say we have this travel style, let's invest in it, let's grow the portfolio, um, or at least or get rid of it so that we can focus more and build more classic itineraries and do it that way. Um so we failed in 2018, going into 2019, with making smaller groups, price or in price, price increases, and then we just studied, you know, where are small group companies traveling to, how many tours do they have in the region, and we saw where we had a lot of gaps. And we put a strategy in place coming into 2020. Uh obviously that was stalled a little bit. Um, but by 2024, we had to have, we wanted to have 47 tour itineraries in small groups in the market. And we achieved that, and now we have close to 60. Um, and what was in 2019, it was 7% of our revenue. It's now over 25% of our revenue. So when we got focused, I mean, we failed, we learned, we learned quick and moved it forward, but we still doubled down during the pandemic to make sure that we expanded that product line. And I think time it was timely because coming out of the pandemic, small groups seemed a lot nicer than larger group, too.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

So 60 out of how many? 170. Oh, you're still at 100, about 100.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

About 170, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Okay, so we've gone down on the classic line a little bit to increase this.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Yeah, but it wasn't hard to cut down on the classic because once we got into our e-survey, um, that launched in 2020, um, we could really see excellent scores, only focused on excellence. So if tours were well below and we couldn't really position them or get them to the excellence that we were hoping for or that we want, that's a goal for the team, then we canceled. And it makes sense because excellence is going to correlate to likelihood to travel again with Colette. And if we don't, if we can't get excellent, and it's not just about the tour, it's about how we manage it before, you know, how we manage the journey before they go on their vacation, during their vacation, we have to ace that. You don't ace that, you're not getting them back. And then how we manage it after they get back. So yeah, it wasn't difficult. It was actually probably the right thing for us to do because we likely lost travelers because they experienced a really not a great tour.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Right. So um just doing some back of the envelope calculations, um it's about one-third

Women in Leadership & Work-Life Balance

SPEAKER_00 13:10

of your tours are the explorations line, 25% of the revenue. So that way revenue lags a little bit. However, the classic line is much bigger. So, in terms of a per person revenue that you're gaining is much higher in the explorations line.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Explorations and it's more profitable.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

It's more profitable. Okay, that was gonna be my next question. Okay. Um, so let's um, as the first female CEO of the company's 107-year history, how are you intentionally redesigning the path to leadership for women in the travel industry, particularly for those that are trying to balance career ambitions with motherhood?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Yeah, so I get asked this question often. Um, and it's tough. When I came into the business, um, I didn't have kids, then I got married, I had young kids, and and at the time, that's when I was really trying to grow my career. Um and it's important, I think, when choosing your career to know one, you can have both. You can have a family and you can have a career, and you don't have to compromise one for the other. Um, and I say this to people whenever they've asked me. Um what's important is that you have a leader that you're working for that respects and understands the flexibility that you might need and can also recognize that you're doing your job and you're showing up. And that balance isn't one size fits all. And I think you just want to make sure that you're working for a company that respects that for me personally. Um, for some, career is number one, and people just want to climb the ladder. But I think at the end of the day, every individual has to ask, will I feel that I had purpose in life when I finish whatever I'm doing? And I heard a really interesting interview one day on CNBC, and this CEO, and I forget who it was, said, I've never once heard anyone on their death bed say, I wished I worked more.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

They always say, I wished I traveled, I wished I spent more time with my family, I wish so. I think as an employer, it's important for us to have that flexibility so that people can be at the sporting events and be at the ballet and whatever it is that they need to do and take the time away with family. Um mother, father, people are taking it's not just about kids, it's also about people taking care of their parents sometimes when as they age. Right. So the flexibility has to happen for all different reasons.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Okay, so I want to um talk about the travel and the trends and the future of the industry a little bit. So we are

The Transformation Economy & Impact Moments

SPEAKER_00 15:50

moving from an experience economy to a transformation economy. So, how are you designing tours for 2026 that ensure a traveler returns home, not just with photos, but with a fundamentally different perspectives on themselves?

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Yeah, and I this is where small group explorations really affords itself because the transformational economy is about changing your life in a different way. It's about having experiences still, but it's about how has it impacted me personally? And I think the way we incorporate impact moments into our tour itineraries, um, I always say to people, there's when people are purchasing, they're looking for things that they think they want to check off. When we, our job as Colette and Guided Touring is to make sure that we are peppering in those transformational moments that they don't realize they're going to experience when they're purchasing. Um and that's having conversations with a family member of a Holocaust survivor, or having conversations and talking about different religions, um, you know, in a Muslim country or some or wherever we might be. But that's why people travel. They want to connect, and we allow for a conversation to happen in a very respectful manner so people feel comfortable to ask questions that they may not always feel comfortable to ask.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

So it's very interesting that the travelers are surprised, that they have a pleasant surprise. They didn't really expect the tour to be that meaningful. So you're kind of giving them more than what they had expected when they were purchasing the tour.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

That's our hope, and that's how they feel, yes. And we do hear really positive feedback around the impact moments and those inclusions that we sprinkle into the tour itineraries. I'm gonna say it's a little bit easier to do it on small groups for sure. And there's that's a mandatory brand standard that we have on those tour itineraries because what you can do with a smaller group and the places that you can visit allow for the world to open up a lot more to those sort of transformational experiences.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

So you're not advertising these impact moments?

SPEAKER_01 18:03

We do. You do, we do, but I don't think at the when you're reading an itinerary, it doesn't translate at that point what that impact will actually be. And that impact is so personal and individual for what you know that traveler takes away.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

So how do you um make sure that so the the you're obviously partnering with some organizations for these impact moments? So how do you ensure that um in in in a sense,

Smart Season Travel & Combating Over-Tourism

SPEAKER_00 18:30

audit that these uh moments are the the impact is ethical, sustainable, is actually led by local community and it's genuine and it's true?

SPEAKER_01 18:39

So we have a corporate citizenship team that works really closely with our tour designers. So as they're whether revising a tour itinerary, going to a new place, um, or a place we already go to that we think we have some opportunities to include impact moments, our corporate citizenship um manager is going to work with the designer. So they'll do the research around all of those to make sure that it's ethical that, you know, they'll do all the vetting around that piece of it, um, whether it's 501c3, whatever it needs to be. Um, and then we'll work it into the tour. So there it's a collaborative effort because the our person in Rhode Island that's doing the corporate citizenship research might not be going to the destination like in Arusha in Tanzania, but our designer is. So they will go and vet and have the in-person conversations and see how it can um work its way into the itinerary.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Okay, so let's talk about uh another interesting concept I I heard saw from your literature, smart season travel. Um it's the way, it's a big focus for you to combat over tourism, which is a huge big issue these days. So, how do you convince a traveler that visiting a destination in the off-season is actually a superior experience? And are you seeing any data that one generation, the Gen Z, for example, is embracing this um the this uh this smart season concept much better than the others?

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Yeah, um I feel like we probably tried to market it. We're heavier in marketing off-season, even pre-pandemic. I think it's naturally happening for travel advisors to either sh, you know, showcase the awareness to the traveler if that's the path that they're booking through, um, or travelers are reading a lot more about it. Um, especially in the places like Europe or Australia, New Zealand. It's very, it's you can still sit outside in March and you're not gonna have the crowds, and you're gonna have, you're gonna feel like you have just more freedom and not the masses there with you. So, well, the over tourism, it impacts a lot. I mean, especially in high season months, because you know, the Statue of David, we can't, we don't do the

AI in Guided Travel — What It Can & Cannot Replace

SPEAKER_01 21:00

tickets to go into that museum any longer because we can't. Um, because they have a set number that they'll sell daily and we can't guarantee it. Um, and so those are things people have to do on their own. And um, but that's because of overtourism. You will have a better chance in the off-season for us to be able to include some of those things um to, you know, to enhance the tour, to add value too. I think if you're gonna have if you're gonna travel or have travelers are gonna go in the off-season, they should get some value out of it as well, not just the price savings, but some value within the itinerary that you can't get in the main season. And so I think that's important too.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Right. And you mentioned March in Europe, and I cannot even remember how many times I've gone to Europe in March, and it's just a very nice experience.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Jean jacket, little scarf that you can take on or off, but you can sit outside, and it's and you're doing so much walking. So um, yeah, Europe and the off season to me is wonderful, but it's about educating and having people. Do the research too.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Right. Okay, so let's uh move to AI. Um, you've spoken about thoughtful disruption regarding AI. So, what is that one part of the travel experience that you will never allow AI to handle? And why is that human friction, obviously, that you know causes that human friction, why is that a core value to the to what you provide?

SPEAKER_01 22:24

I feel AI is a tool that will help elevate the guided touring experience. Example, I AI will not be able to become a tour manager. It won't be able to, it wasn't born in Italy, it's not going to tell you its holiday traditions like a the human element will do with our tour guides, right? And that's

Advice for 2026 Graduates on Finding Innovative Companies

SPEAKER_01 22:45

what travelers are obsessed with and really want when they're going to a destination. They want to talk to someone who's local. Um, AI is not going to be able to do that, but AI will be able to enhance the way that a tour manager can deliver the tour and different facets of what they're doing. So I think it will be a tool to help continue to improve the overall experience.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

So we have a lot of students and young professionals who are listening to the podcast. So if you were a graduating senior in 2026 looking for a career in this transformation economy, what is that one question you would ask an interviewer to determine if that company truly values innovation, or is it just a buzzword that they're using?

SPEAKER_01 23:32

And that's true. You have words like when innovation came around, it was overused, misused, and abused. Um, and you got to be cautious of that with AI as well, because you you have to surround yourself with people who really understand how we can leverage AI as a tool. It's not a full replacement for all people. It's really not going to be. Um and you said the one you wanted the one thing that I would tell you.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Well, how would how would uh how would a student or uh someone looking for a job know that the company truly values innovation?

SPEAKER_01 24:04

To me, a company truly values innovation and embracing of just new ideas. Right. Um I would definitely be asking that in the interview of what have you brought to the table or that you have seen change and how did it come about within within the organization? Um because it's it's not the top leading, it's the knowledge is always peppered somewhere in the middle, the people in the

Traveling with Purpose & Personal Impact Moments

SPEAKER_01 24:30

day-to-day. Um there's knowledge across the business, so I don't mean it like that, but um the younger generation brings in a talent and a skill because they've had electronics in their hands since birth. Um, and the workforce has multiple generations and some and many that don't have it to that. I mean, they have their cell phones and their iPhones or whatever they have, they're probably on Facebook, but they're not embracing AI in the same way. So I would say a company that's really serious would showcase that and likely be asking questions during the interview.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Okay. You often cite Wald Whitman, be curious. So, what is that one destination you visited that has challenged your curiosity? And what is that one piece of advice you would give to young professionals on how to travel with purpose?

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Gosh, I've been to so many destinations. So this is really hard. This is very hard. This is a really hard question.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Did you pick any one destination that has really, you know, you know, sort of opened your eyes to something that you didn't know, had an impactful moment for you?

SPEAKER_01 25:37

I think it would be I can't remember if it when was it when I was in Dubai or Morocco. Um but it was really powerful. So our tour guide, you know, because at the time there were different wars going on, and you talk to the tour guide at the person at the tourism board um was with us and just asked the question what's it like, you know, they had there's this sense that the Muslim culture are all angry. And he goes, What's so sad is that 0.004% of the population is defining. And I was just like looking at him going, he's so right. And that the purpose there, I think, for me, was that you want more people to travel because travel is the biggest educator and it it breaks the stereotypes and the perceptions in the world. And the more I think if more people could travel and learn and understand, I think we could get closer to more peace around the world, to be quite honest. Because you realize how similar you are versus how different you are.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Right. So that was your impact moment.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

That I have two.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Do you have two? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

Okay. The other one was um when I was in, I was in Peru, and I was with the whole product team at the time. And we were in an Andean village. We had brought food and we had brought school supplies and um were meeting with them, and that was when we launched, or my father decided that we were going to launch our Colette Cares and our Colette Foundation and start giving back to the communities that we travel to. So I think that was also really powerful because giving back has always been part of Colette's DNA, but being in the moment when my dad decided that we had to start funding it more had a lot of purpose and a lot of meaning.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Okay. So um let's close with a quick lightning round. Okay. Short answers, no overthinking. Okay. New Zealand is famously your favorite. If you had to pick a silver medal destination just to make other countries feel better, what would it be?

Lightning Round & Closing

SPEAKER_01 27:46

Italy.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

Okay. Good answer. I love it. Um window seat, aisle seat, or I'm the CEO, I'll just sit in the cockpit seat.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

I aisle.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Isle, okay. Good answer. Um you used to sell battery backups and data centers. Honestly, which is a harder sell? A surge protector or 21 days in Tuscany?

SPEAKER_01 28:09

Probably a surge protector.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

One item you always pack that would definitely get you roasted by a professional travel influencer. One thing that will get me roasted? Yeah. What is she thinking? She's taking this with her? A book. A book? Yeah. Okay. Or my Kindle now. Beach, mountains, or a secondary city no one has heard of yet?

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Secondary city.

SPEAKER_00 28:37

Okay. During lockdown, your kids played Colette. Who was the tougher boss? You or your daughter Ashley when she was playing you?

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Oh, probably my daughter Ashley. Okay. Because it was her brother's.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Your sports mom's survival essential. Extra coffee or a hidden stash of snacks?

SPEAKER_01 28:58

That's a tough one.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

You need both.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

I'm going to go extra coffee, but I always have snacks in my office. Everyone knows it.

SPEAKER_00 29:04

The last question. My favorite. Uh the first three CEOs of the company stayed in their position for decades. You're clearly not someone who's going to flout tradition. Can I book you for a return podcast in early 2050s?

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

Sounds good. Thank you. So you've described your role as being a pathfinder and a bridge, honoring a 107-year-old legacy while building a vision for the next century of travel. Your journey from the call center to the corner office is an incredible blueprint for our listeners. And it reminds us that the best leaders are the ones who never stop being curious. So thank you so much for joining us on the Distinguished.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

For our students and young professionals watching today, Jacqueline's story is a reminder that in the transformation economy, our most valuable asset isn't an algorithm, it's human connection. Whether you are starting your career in a tech firm or on the front web service, every step is a building block for the leader you are becoming. If you would like to join the conversation or share your thoughts on this episode, you can email me at shadean at bu.edu. Thank you to the entire team at Boston University School of Hospitality and History. This episode was produced by Mara Littman with research and content development by Dr. Land Lu. Expert assistance was provided by Alex Teams and Isabella Lakin. To keep up with Distinguished Podcast, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite shows. You can also learn more about experience innovation in our undergraduate and graduate programs by visiting vu.edu slash hospitality. I'm Arunupneja, Dean of the PU School of Hospitality, wishing you a day full of purpose and as Jacqueline would say, a lot of curiosity. We'll see you the next time.