On August 1st, 2020, Mpuuga Rwabutara became Flight Centre Travel Group Americas’ first Diversity Ambassador.
This pivotal role was created to ensure that the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion translates to meaningful action that will have a long-term positive impact. Rwabutara’s leadership position is supported by a committee for diversity and race relations.
In his role, Rwabutara serves as an internal point of contact for FCTG Americas employees who may need support, acts as a representative on the committee, is the liaison between the committee and the senior executive team, and assists in educating senior leadership on issues within our organization related to diversity and anti-racism efforts.
Since appointing a Diversity Ambassador, Flight Centre Travel Group Americas has committed to five pillars of action:
- Emphasizing the value of diversity in the workplace
- Improving diversity and inclusion practices
- Identifying areas of opportunity
- Enhancing the sense of belonging and human relations
- Minority employee support
In support of these pillars, FCTG Americas is proud to have already begun several initiatives including:
- Introducing a formal Diversity & Inclusion policy
- Improving diverse representation in marketing visuals
- Providing training and resources for accessible travel services
- Sharing tools and resources with staff about equity and inclusion
- Conducting a gap analysis staff survey to identify biases in hiring and promotion trends
- Engaging in dialogue with industry partners who are also committed to equity and diversity.
Defining marketing partnership criteria based on equitable and anti-racist practices
In the weeks and months to come, FCTG Americas’ commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion will expand further to help remove implicit and systemic bias from business practices.
This vision for a more equitable organization includes several initiatives, such as:
- Building strategic partnerships with small tourism, hospitality, and MICE businesses including BIPOC–owned hotels and tour operators
- Leadership pathway mentorship programs designed to diversify senior leadership teams
- Local community partnerships
- Equity and anti-racism curriculum for all organization levels.
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