June 10, 2026 • 31 mins
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: Lan Lu
Marketing: Anne Dawson
Editing: Isabella Laikin and James Leon
Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Travel is one of the most transformative forces we
have.
It broadens perspectives andbuilds bridges between cultures.
Those life-changing momentsdon't happen by accident.
They are meticulously designedby leaders who understand that
hospitality is a human first.
Today's guest is leading one ofNorth America's most iconic
(00:28):
travel players through a periodof massive education.
Jacqueline Libert is thepresident and CEO of Colette, a
global powerhouse that has beenguiding travelers for 107 years.
While Colette is the storiedthird-generation family
business, Jacqueline's seat atthe table was earned, not given.
(00:49):
From guiding troops throughPennsylvania Dutch country,
leading global marketing andproduct design, she has worked
in nearly every corner of thecompany.
Today, as the first woman tolead Colette in its century-long
history, she's balancing thetimeless values of human
connection with the thoughtfuldisruption of AI and data-driven
(01:11):
strategy.
She's a leader who believes intraveling with purpose and
leading with empathy.
Jacqueline Libelcoat, welcome tothe Distinguished.
SPEAKER_01 (01:20):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:22):
So, for listeners who may not know Colette, can
you describe how the company gotits start in 1918 to where it is
today?
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Yeah.
It was formed by Jack Colette,which is where the company name
comes from.
My grandfather purchased it inthe 60s in 1962.
And it's been, we're thirdgeneration now in the Sullivan
family for, you know, for guidedtour packages.
What started as day trips andmotor coach tours has evolved in
(01:53):
the late 80s and 90s intointernational.
And so we eliminated in 2005 ourmotor coach business and really
focused on really goinginternational and flying to the
destinations.
And so we have tour packagesthat are, you know, pre-selected
partners throughout the worldthat yeah, bring destinations to
(02:16):
life for our travelers.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
Great.
And so can you talk a little bitabout how you got started in the
company?
SPEAKER_01 (02:22):
So I always worked for the business throughout
college.
I would, when we were stillmotor coach, I would do Montreal
Quebec tours, I would do MaineClam Bakes, Penn Dutch, and I
would, you know, four days, fournights, five day type
itineraries.
But we do have a rule, a familyrule that once we graduate
college, we have to work outsidethe business for at least three
(02:45):
years.
So I went and worked for atechnology, publicly traded,
multi-billion dollarorganization, very different
from travel, but learned a lotin that experience.
And then once my three years wasup, uh came into the business.
SPEAKER_00 (02:58):
Right away.
SPEAKER_01 (02:59):
Right away.
Um, because I I always I knew Iwanted to come into the
business.
Um, and I knew that I wanted todo tour design.
And that was sort of my originalpassion.
Um, and a position opened up, itjust happened to open up um at
my three-year mark.
And so I came in right when Icould.
SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
Are you gonna have the same rule for your children
as well?
SPEAKER_01 (03:19):
If they want to come into the business, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
They have to work somewhere else for three years.
Yes.
What about grad school?
SPEAKER_01 (03:26):
It's not mandatory, but I did go to grad school.
Um, I went to Babson in 2013, Iwant to say, and I graduated, so
it's 2013 into 2015.
Um, I also had young kids at thetime and was running a
department, so it was a lotgoing on at once, but um, it's
not mandatory, but highlyrecommended.
But my personal belief with gradschool is go and get some field
(03:50):
experience and actual workexperience before going to grad
school so that you can bringthat into the studies with you.
SPEAKER_00 (03:58):
So when you were at the electronics company, you
were selling battery backups andsearch protectors.
Uh, looking back to that time,those three years, was there was
there like an untransferableskill or something that you
learned in that company that youwould not have learned in this
family company?
SPEAKER_01 (04:17):
Definitely.
Um, especially as we have grownat Colette and the the growth
that we've had, even just in thelast five years, four years
really, coming out of thepandemic.
Um, but they were a biggerorganization, enterprise
business.
And so I looked at the career Ihad there.
So I worked myself my waythrough the call center in
(04:39):
different phases of the callcenter.
Um and as we've evolved and aswe've changed, I try to bring
some of those concepts and ideasinto how we could or should be
thinking as we're growing aswell.
Um, but making sure we stay trueto who we are as as Colette and
what our culture is.
But um I still do refer back toit a lot.
(05:00):
It was a great, that's why Iwould have my kids do it.
It was a really good learningopportunity.
Um, and I think you're stillmaturing when you get out of
college, and it's just it was agreat opportunity to have to.
It's not that I wouldn't have towork for it coming into my own
company, but sometimes youdon't.
Um I had to interview for it, Ihad to get the job, and I had to
show to myself that I could doit, and I think that that's
(05:23):
really important.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Right.
And many young people, when theygraduate college, they think
they know everything.
So I'm I'm, you know.
Um so you've described, and I'veseen um different interviews and
different publications, you'vedescribed yourself as a sports
mom to three children and CEO ofa global firm.
So, how do you coach yourchildren on the concept of work
(05:45):
ethic versus entitlements?
And has that influenced the wayin which you recruit young
people today, the Gen Zs and soforth?
And how do you mentor themthere?
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
Um I love my kids, and because I love my kids, I
hold them accountable.
I mean, you can't have kids growup feeling entitled and that
they deserve everything.
They deserve everything ifthey've earned everything and
put the work in.
Um, as a sports mom, I wascompetitive.
(06:16):
I was a field hockey andbasketball player.
Um, and it teaches them when myif my kids come off from a game,
whether they won or whether theylost, and start complaining
about the other team or startcomplaining about the refs, I'm
always gonna tell them to itdoesn't matter.
I think losing is reallyimportant and understanding that
(06:38):
you have to pick yourself backup.
I also think that sports helpsto realize it's it's not just
you.
When you're working for acompany, if the team wins, we
all win.
If the company wins, we all win.
If we lose or don't hit targetor whatever it may be, um, we've
all done that together.
It doesn't mean that we justpoint our fingers to one person.
(06:59):
And so I really try to keep thattop of mind for them that don't
complain about that.
You're always gonna have peoplein life that are going to um be
the naysayers or you know, besomeone that's gonna put
barriers in front of you.
You have to figure out how toget through them or over them or
whatever way you do it.
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Tough love.
SPEAKER_01 (07:17):
Tough love.
I believe in it.
SPEAKER_00 (07:19):
So your father built the company using gut and
historical knowledge while youare famously strategy and data
driven.
So I'm curious, can you think ofan example where data told you
to do something which directlycontradicted your dad's gut?
And so how did you navigate thattricky situation?
SPEAKER_01 (07:38):
Yes, so this definitely happened.
SPEAKER_00 (07:42):
Multiple times, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_01 (07:43):
Often, yes.
Um but the reason I started toreally come from data was
because you would get sofrustrated with a subjective
approach.
Should I be two nights in Paris?
Should I be three nights inParis?
How like what should the flow ofa tour look like?
Travelers are gonna tell us.
And to me, that holds a lot moreweight than if you like a city
(08:06):
more or less where thesubjectivity comes in.
And so, um, you know, an examplewould be we have a have a
heritage of America tour thatwe've had for years.
Back when we were even motorcoach, there were elements of
that, and it's a region my dadis very passionate about.
It's DC, it's New York City.
And um he the numbers weren'tthere, the excellence on the
(08:29):
tour, it was declining inrevenue.
Um, and we wanted to cancel it.
Ouch.
Yes, very, but we were growingin other areas, and it's just so
we did take it offline for acouple 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 gottawork through with the data and
(08:49):
um bring those data points tothe conversation and try to
manage that as best you can.
But he's been on he's alwaysrespectful, but it's helped us
make some decisions that havebeen tough that he's really
stuck a um you know his uh apole in the ground.
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
This is my identity.
This is what I think, you know,our company is, and you're
killing the baby here.
SPEAKER_01 (09:11):
And I and you've I've been doing this a long
time, and um but if I want to beable to pass this to my children
or to the next generation of thefamily, we need to he made
decisions that were differentfrom my grandfather's, and I'm
making decisions that areslightly different from his.
And there just has to be arespect there, and there is.
(09:32):
Right.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
I mean, this world is totally different, so there
is no other way except to makedifferent decisions.
Yeah.
So um, let's talk about theexplorations line that you
created.
Um, it struggled at firstbecause it was positioned
against the classic line thatyou had.
So, what was the specific datapoint or maybe perhaps
traveler's story that made yourealize that you had a
(09:55):
positioning problem and not aproduct problem?
SPEAKER_01 (09:59):
I would say we had both actually.
We had probably a positioningand a product problem.
The product problem, because wedid establish small group
explorations in 2008.
We never, until 2019, really, wenever had more than 17, 18,
maybe 20 tours in that travelstyle.
To put that in context, we have170 tours worldwide.
(10:21):
So it was such a small piece ofthe portfolio.
And this is, yeah, probably backin 2017.
So it had been around for eight,nine years, or so really nine,
10 years.
Um, and I looked at themarketing budget of dedicated
marketing spend to that travelstyle, and it was less than 1%.
So everything was always bundledwith the classic touring.
(10:44):
And so it was more like if we'regonna have this and say we have
this travel style, let's investin it, let's grow the portfolio,
um, or at least or get rid of itso that we can focus more and
build more classic itinerariesand do it that way.
Um so we failed in 2018, goinginto 2019, with making smaller
(11:06):
groups, price or in price, priceincreases, and then we just
studied, you know, where aresmall group companies traveling
to, how many tours do they havein the region, and we saw where
we had a lot of gaps.
And we put a strategy in placecoming into 2020.
Uh obviously that was stalled alittle bit.
Um, but by 2024, we had to have,we wanted to have 47 tour
(11:28):
itineraries in small groups inthe market.
And we achieved that, and now wehave close to 60.
Um, and what was in 2019, it was7% of our revenue.
It's now over 25% of ourrevenue.
So when we got focused, I mean,we failed, we learned, we
learned quick and moved itforward, but we still doubled
down during the pandemic to makesure that we expanded that
(11:48):
product line.
And I think time it was timelybecause coming out of the
pandemic, small groups seemed alot nicer than larger group,
too.
SPEAKER_00 (11:56):
So 60 out of how many?
170.
Oh, you're still at 100, about100.
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 oure-survey, um, that launched in
2020, um, we could really seeexcellent scores, only focused
on excellence.
So if tours were well below andwe couldn't really position them
or get them to the excellencethat we were hoping for or that
(12:28):
we want, that's a goal for theteam, then we canceled.
And it makes sense becauseexcellence is going to correlate
to likelihood to travel againwith Colette.
And if we don't, if we can't getexcellent, and it's not just
about the tour, it's about howwe manage it before, you know,
how we manage the journey beforethey go on their vacation,
during their vacation, we haveto ace that.
(12:48):
You don't ace that, you're notgetting them back.
And then how we manage it afterthey get back.
So yeah, it wasn't difficult.
It was actually probably theright thing for us to do because
we likely lost travelers becausethey experienced a really not a
great tour.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Right.
So um just doing some back ofthe envelope calculations, um
it's about one-third of yourtours are the explorations line,
25% of the revenue.
So that way revenue lags alittle bit.
However, the classic line ismuch bigger.
So, in terms of a per personrevenue that you're gaining is
(13:24):
much higher in the explorationsline.
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
Explorations and it's more profitable.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
It's more profitable.
Okay, that was gonna be my nextquestion.
Okay.
Um, so let's um, as the firstfemale CEO of the company's
107-year history, how are youintentionally redesigning the
path to leadership for women inthe travel industry,
particularly for those that aretrying to balance career
(13:48):
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 mycareer.
Um and it's important, I think,when choosing your career to
(14:11):
know one, you can have both.
You can have a family and youcan have a career, and you don't
have to compromise one for theother.
Um, and I say this to peoplewhenever they've asked me.
Um what's important is that youhave a leader that you're
working for that respects andunderstands the flexibility that
(14:32):
you might need and can alsorecognize that you're doing your
job and you're showing up.
And that balance isn't one sizefits all.
And I think you just want tomake sure that you're working
for a company that respects thatfor me personally.
Um, for some, career is numberone, and people just want to
climb the ladder.
But I think at the end of theday, every individual has to
(14:52):
ask, will I feel that I hadpurpose in life when I finish
whatever I'm doing?
And I heard a really interestinginterview one day on CNBC, and
this CEO, and I forget who itwas, said, I've never once heard
anyone on their death bed say, Iwished 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'simportant for us to have that
flexibility so that people canbe at the sporting events and be
at the ballet and whatever it isthat they need to do and take
the time away with family.
Um mother, father, people aretaking it's not just about kids,
(15:34):
it's also about people takingcare of their parents sometimes
when as they age.
Right.
So the flexibility has to happenfor all different reasons.
SPEAKER_00 (15:43):
Okay, so I want to um talk about the travel and the
trends and the future of theindustry a little bit.
So we are moving from anexperience economy to a
transformation economy.
So, how are you designing toursfor 2026 that ensure a traveler
returns home, not just withphotos, but with a fundamentally
(16:03):
different perspectives onthemselves?
SPEAKER_01 (16:05):
Yeah, and I this is where small group explorations
really affords itself becausethe transformational economy is
about changing your life in adifferent way.
It's about having experiencesstill, but it's about how has it
impacted me personally?
And I think the way weincorporate impact moments into
our tour itineraries, um, Ialways say to people, there's
(16:25):
when people are purchasing,they're looking for things that
they think they want to checkoff.
When we, our job as Colette andGuided Touring is to make sure
that we are peppering in thosetransformational moments that
they don't realize they're goingto experience when they're
purchasing.
Um and that's havingconversations with a family
(16:48):
member of a Holocaust survivor,or having conversations and
talking about differentreligions, um, you know, in a
Muslim country or some orwherever we might be.
But that's why people travel.
They want to connect, and weallow for a conversation to
happen in a very respectfulmanner so people feel
(17:08):
comfortable to ask questionsthat 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 apleasant surprise.
They didn't really expect thetour to be that meaningful.
So you're kind of giving themmore than what they had expected
when they were purchasing thetour.
SPEAKER_01 (17:29):
That's our hope, and that's how they feel, yes.
And we do hear really positivefeedback around the impact
moments and those inclusionsthat we sprinkle into the tour
itineraries.
I'm gonna say it's a little biteasier to do it on small groups
for sure.
And there's that's a mandatorybrand standard that we have on
those tour itineraries becausewhat you can do with a smaller
(17:50):
group and the places that youcan visit allow for the world to
open up a lot more to those sortof 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 thinkat the when you're reading an
itinerary, it doesn't translateat that point what that impact
will actually be.
And that impact is so personaland 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 someorganizations for these impact
moments?
So how do you ensure that um inin in a sense, audit that these
uh moments are the the impact isethical, sustainable, is
actually led by local communityand it's genuine and it's true?
SPEAKER_01 (18:39):
So we have a corporate citizenship team that
works really closely with ourtour designers.
So as they're whether revising atour itinerary, going to a new
place, um, or a place we alreadygo to that we think we have some
opportunities to include impactmoments, our corporate
citizenship um manager is goingto work with the designer.
(19:00):
So they'll do the researcharound all of those to make sure
that it's ethical that, youknow, 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 intothe tour.
So there it's a collaborativeeffort because the our person in
Rhode Island that's doing thecorporate citizenship research
(19:22):
might not be going to thedestination like in Arusha in
Tanzania, but our designer is.
So they will go and vet and havethe in-person conversations and
see how it can um work its wayinto the itinerary.
SPEAKER_00 (19:35):
Okay, so let's talk about uh another interesting
concept I I heard saw from yourliterature, smart season travel.
Um it's the way, it's a bigfocus for you to combat over
tourism, which is a huge bigissue these days.
So, how do you convince atraveler that visiting a
destination in the off-season isactually a superior experience?
(19:56):
And are you seeing any data thatone generation, the Gen Z, for
example, is embracing this umthe this uh this smart season
concept much better than theothers?
SPEAKER_01 (20:08):
Yeah, um I feel like we probably tried to market it.
We're heavier in marketingoff-season, even pre-pandemic.
I think it's naturally happeningfor travel advisors to either
sh, you know, showcase theawareness to the traveler if
that's the path that they'rebooking through, um, or
(20:29):
travelers are reading a lot moreabout it.
Um, especially in the placeslike Europe or Australia, New
Zealand.
It's very, it's you can stillsit outside in March and you're
not gonna have the crowds, andyou're gonna have, you're gonna
feel like you have just morefreedom and not the masses there
with you.
So, well, the over tourism, itimpacts a lot.
(20:53):
I mean, especially in highseason months, because you know,
the Statue of David, we can't,we don't do the tickets to go
into that museum any longerbecause we can't.
Um, because they have a setnumber that they'll sell daily
and we can't guarantee it.
Um, and so those are thingspeople have to do on their own.
And um, but that's because ofovertourism.
(21:14):
You will have a better chance inthe off-season for us to be able
to include some of those thingsum to, you know, to enhance the
tour, to add value too.
I think if you're gonna have ifyou're gonna travel or have
travelers are gonna go in theoff-season, they should get some
value out of it as well, notjust the price savings, but some
value within the itinerary thatyou can't get in the main
(21:34):
season.
And so I think that's importanttoo.
SPEAKER_00 (21:37):
Right.
And you mentioned March inEurope, and I cannot even
remember how many times I'vegone to Europe in March, and
it's just a very niceexperience.
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 offseason to me is wonderful, but
it's about educating and havingpeople.
Do the research too.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Right.
Okay, so let's uh move to AI.
Um, you've spoken aboutthoughtful disruption regarding
AI.
So, what is that one part of thetravel 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 thata core value to the to what you
(22:22):
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 ableto become a tour manager.
It won't be able to, it wasn'tborn in Italy, it's not going to
tell you its holiday traditionslike a the human element will do
with our tour guides, right?
(22:44):
And that's what travelers areobsessed with and really want
when they're going to adestination.
They want to talk to someonewho's local.
Um, AI is not going to be ableto do that, but AI will be able
to enhance the way that a tourmanager can deliver the tour and
different facets of what they'redoing.
So I think it will be a tool tohelp continue to improve the
(23:09):
overall experience.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
So we have a lot of students and young professionals
who are listening to thepodcast.
So if you were a graduatingsenior in 2026 looking for a
career in this transformationeconomy, what is that one
question you would ask aninterviewer to determine if that
company truly values innovation,or is it just a buzzword that
(23:31):
they're using?
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
And that's true.
You have words like wheninnovation came around, it was
overused, misused, and abused.
Um, and you got to be cautiousof that with AI as well, because
you you have to surroundyourself with people who really
understand how we can leverageAI as a tool.
It's not a full replacement forall people.
It's really not going to be.
Um and you said the one youwanted the one thing that I
(23:54):
would tell you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:55):
Well, how would how would uh how would a student or
uh someone looking for a jobknow 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 askingthat in the interview of what
have you brought to the table orthat you have seen change and
how did it come about withinwithin the organization?
Um because it's it's not the topleading, it's the knowledge is
(24:27):
always peppered somewhere in themiddle, the people in the
day-to-day.
Um there's knowledge across thebusiness, so I don't mean it
like that, but um the youngergeneration brings in a talent
and a skill because they've hadelectronics in their hands since
birth.
Um, and the workforce hasmultiple generations and some
and many that don't have it tothat.
(24:50):
I mean, they have their cellphones and their iPhones or
whatever they have, they'reprobably on Facebook, but
they're not embracing AI in thesame way.
So I would say a company that'sreally serious would showcase
that and likely be askingquestions during the interview.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
Okay.
You often cite Wald Whitman, becurious.
So, what is that one destinationyou visited that has challenged
your curiosity?
And what is that one piece ofadvice you would give to young
professionals on how to travelwith 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 openedyour eyes to something that you
didn't know, had an impactfulmoment 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 orMorocco.
Um but it was really powerful.
So our tour guide, you know,because at the time there were
different wars going on, and youtalk to the tour guide at the
person at the tourism board umwas with us and just asked the
(26:00):
question what's it like, youknow, they had there's this
sense that the Muslim cultureare all angry.
And he goes, What's so sad isthat 0.004% of the population is
defining.
And I was just like looking athim going, he's so right.
And that the purpose there, Ithink, for me, was that you want
(26:27):
more people to travel becausetravel is the biggest educator
and it it breaks the stereotypesand the perceptions in the
world.
And the more I think if morepeople could travel and learn
and understand, I think we couldget closer to more peace around
the world, to be quite honest.
Because you realize how similaryou 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 wasin, I was in Peru, and I was
with the whole product team atthe time.
And we were in an Andeanvillage.
We had brought food and we hadbrought school supplies and um
were meeting with them, and thatwas when we launched, or my
father decided that we weregoing to launch our Colette
Cares and our Colette Foundationand start giving back to the
(27:12):
communities that we travel to.
So I think that was also reallypowerful because giving back has
always been part of Colette'sDNA, but being in the moment
when my dad decided that we hadto start funding it more had a
lot of purpose and a lot ofmeaning.
SPEAKER_00 (27:27):
Okay.
So um let's close with a quicklightning round.
Okay.
Short answers, no overthinking.
Okay.
New Zealand is famously yourfavorite.
If you had to pick a silvermedal destination just to make
other countries feel better,what would it be?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
Italy.
SPEAKER_00 (27:47):
Okay.
Good answer.
I love it.
Um window seat, aisle seat, orI'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 batterybackups and data centers.
Honestly, which is a hardersell?
A surge protector or 21 days inTuscany?
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 professionaltravel influencer.
One thing that will get meroasted?
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 secondarycity no one has heard of yet?
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Secondary city.
SPEAKER_00 (28:37):
Okay.
During lockdown, your kidsplayed Colette.
Who was the tougher boss?
You or your daughter Ashley whenshe 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 stashof 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 thecompany stayed in their position
for decades.
You're clearly not someone who'sgoing to flout tradition.
Can I book you for a returnpodcast in early 2050s?
SPEAKER_01 (29:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:22):
Sounds good.
Thank you.
So you've described your role asbeing a pathfinder and a bridge,
honoring a 107-year-old legacywhile building a vision for the
next century of travel.
Your journey from the callcenter to the corner office is
an incredible blueprint for ourlisteners.
And it reminds us that the bestleaders are the ones who never
(29:44):
stop being curious.
So thank you so much for joiningus 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 areminder that in the
transformation economy, our mostvaluable asset isn't an
algorithm, it's humanconnection.
Whether you are starting yourcareer in a tech firm or on the
front web service, every step isa building block for the leader
you are becoming.
(30:11):
If you would like to join theconversation or share your
thoughts on this episode, youcan email me at shadean at
bu.edu.
Thank you to the entire team atBoston University School of
Hospitality and History.
This episode was produced byMara Littman with research and
content development by Dr.
(30:32):
Land Lu.
Expert assistance was providedby Alex Teams and Isabella
Lakin.
To keep up with DistinguishedPodcast, be sure to subscribe
wherever you listen to yourfavorite shows.
You can also learn more aboutexperience innovation in our
undergraduate and graduateprograms by visiting vu.edu
(30:53):
slash hospitality.
I'm Arunupneja, Dean of the PUSchool of Hospitality, wishing
you a day full of purpose and asJacqueline would say, a lot of
curiosity.
We'll see you the next time.
Travel is one of the most transformative forces we
have.
It broadens perspectives andbuilds bridges between cultures.
Those life-changing momentsdon't happen by accident.
They are meticulously designedby leaders who understand that
hospitality is a human first.
Today's guest is leading one ofNorth America's most iconic
(00:28):
travel players through a periodof massive education.
Jacqueline Libert is thepresident and CEO of Colette, a
global powerhouse that has beenguiding travelers for 107 years.
While Colette is the storiedthird-generation family
business, Jacqueline's seat atthe table was earned, not given.
(00:49):
From guiding troops throughPennsylvania Dutch country,
leading global marketing andproduct design, she has worked
in nearly every corner of thecompany.
Today, as the first woman tolead Colette in its century-long
history, she's balancing thetimeless values of human
connection with the thoughtfuldisruption of AI and data-driven
(01:11):
strategy.
She's a leader who believes intraveling with purpose and
leading with empathy.
Jacqueline Libelcoat, welcome tothe Distinguished.
SPEAKER_01 (01:20):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:22):
So, for listeners who may not know Colette, can
you describe how the company gotits start in 1918 to where it is
today?
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Yeah.
It was formed by Jack Colette,which is where the company name
comes from.
My grandfather purchased it inthe 60s in 1962.
And it's been, we're thirdgeneration now in the Sullivan
family for, you know, for guidedtour packages.
What started as day trips andmotor coach tours has evolved in
(01:53):
the late 80s and 90s intointernational.
And so we eliminated in 2005 ourmotor coach business and really
focused on really goinginternational and flying to the
destinations.
And so we have tour packagesthat are, you know, pre-selected
partners throughout the worldthat yeah, bring destinations to
(02:16):
life for our travelers.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
Great.
And so can you talk a little bitabout how you got started in the
company?
SPEAKER_01 (02:22):
So I always worked for the business throughout
college.
I would, when we were stillmotor coach, I would do Montreal
Quebec tours, I would do MaineClam Bakes, Penn Dutch, and I
would, you know, four days, fournights, five day type
itineraries.
But we do have a rule, a familyrule that once we graduate
college, we have to work outsidethe business for at least three
(02:45):
years.
So I went and worked for atechnology, publicly traded,
multi-billion dollarorganization, very different
from travel, but learned a lotin that experience.
And then once my three years wasup, uh came into the business.
SPEAKER_00 (02:58):
Right away.
SPEAKER_01 (02:59):
Right away.
Um, because I I always I knew Iwanted to come into the
business.
Um, and I knew that I wanted todo tour design.
And that was sort of my originalpassion.
Um, and a position opened up, itjust happened to open up um at
my three-year mark.
And so I came in right when Icould.
SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
Are you gonna have the same rule for your children
as well?
SPEAKER_01 (03:19):
If they want to come into the business, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
They have to work somewhere else for three years.
Yes.
What about grad school?
SPEAKER_01 (03:26):
It's not mandatory, but I did go to grad school.
Um, I went to Babson in 2013, Iwant to say, and I graduated, so
it's 2013 into 2015.
Um, I also had young kids at thetime and was running a
department, so it was a lotgoing on at once, but um, it's
not mandatory, but highlyrecommended.
But my personal belief with gradschool is go and get some field
(03:50):
experience and actual workexperience before going to grad
school so that you can bringthat into the studies with you.
SPEAKER_00 (03:58):
So when you were at the electronics company, you
were selling battery backups andsearch protectors.
Uh, looking back to that time,those three years, was there was
there like an untransferableskill or something that you
learned in that company that youwould not have learned in this
family company?
SPEAKER_01 (04:17):
Definitely.
Um, especially as we have grownat Colette and the the growth
that we've had, even just in thelast five years, four years
really, coming out of thepandemic.
Um, but they were a biggerorganization, enterprise
business.
And so I looked at the career Ihad there.
So I worked myself my waythrough the call center in
(04:39):
different phases of the callcenter.
Um and as we've evolved and aswe've changed, I try to bring
some of those concepts and ideasinto how we could or should be
thinking as we're growing aswell.
Um, but making sure we stay trueto who we are as as Colette and
what our culture is.
But um I still do refer back toit a lot.
(05:00):
It was a great, that's why Iwould have my kids do it.
It was a really good learningopportunity.
Um, and I think you're stillmaturing when you get out of
college, and it's just it was agreat opportunity to have to.
It's not that I wouldn't have towork for it coming into my own
company, but sometimes youdon't.
Um I had to interview for it, Ihad to get the job, and I had to
show to myself that I could doit, and I think that that's
(05:23):
really important.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Right.
And many young people, when theygraduate college, they think
they know everything.
So I'm I'm, you know.
Um so you've described, and I'veseen um different interviews and
different publications, you'vedescribed yourself as a sports
mom to three children and CEO ofa global firm.
So, how do you coach yourchildren on the concept of work
(05:45):
ethic versus entitlements?
And has that influenced the wayin which you recruit young
people today, the Gen Zs and soforth?
And how do you mentor themthere?
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
Um I love my kids, and because I love my kids, I
hold them accountable.
I mean, you can't have kids growup feeling entitled and that
they deserve everything.
They deserve everything ifthey've earned everything and
put the work in.
Um, as a sports mom, I wascompetitive.
(06:16):
I was a field hockey andbasketball player.
Um, and it teaches them when myif my kids come off from a game,
whether they won or whether theylost, and start complaining
about the other team or startcomplaining about the refs, I'm
always gonna tell them to itdoesn't matter.
I think losing is reallyimportant and understanding that
(06:38):
you have to pick yourself backup.
I also think that sports helpsto realize it's it's not just
you.
When you're working for acompany, if the team wins, we
all win.
If the company wins, we all win.
If we lose or don't hit targetor whatever it may be, um, we've
all done that together.
It doesn't mean that we justpoint our fingers to one person.
(06:59):
And so I really try to keep thattop of mind for them that don't
complain about that.
You're always gonna have peoplein life that are going to um be
the naysayers or you know, besomeone that's gonna put
barriers in front of you.
You have to figure out how toget through them or over them or
whatever way you do it.
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Tough love.
SPEAKER_01 (07:17):
Tough love.
I believe in it.
SPEAKER_00 (07:19):
So your father built the company using gut and
historical knowledge while youare famously strategy and data
driven.
So I'm curious, can you think ofan example where data told you
to do something which directlycontradicted your dad's gut?
And so how did you navigate thattricky situation?
SPEAKER_01 (07:38):
Yes, so this definitely happened.
SPEAKER_00 (07:42):
Multiple times, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_01 (07:43):
Often, yes.
Um but the reason I started toreally come from data was
because you would get sofrustrated with a subjective
approach.
Should I be two nights in Paris?
Should I be three nights inParis?
How like what should the flow ofa tour look like?
Travelers are gonna tell us.
And to me, that holds a lot moreweight than if you like a city
(08:06):
more or less where thesubjectivity comes in.
And so, um, you know, an examplewould be we have a have a
heritage of America tour thatwe've had for years.
Back when we were even motorcoach, there were elements of
that, and it's a region my dadis very passionate about.
It's DC, it's New York City.
And um he the numbers weren'tthere, the excellence on the
(08:29):
tour, it was declining inrevenue.
Um, and we wanted to cancel it.
Ouch.
Yes, very, but we were growingin other areas, and it's just so
we did take it offline for acouple 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 gottawork through with the data and
(08:49):
um bring those data points tothe conversation and try to
manage that as best you can.
But he's been on he's alwaysrespectful, but it's helped us
make some decisions that havebeen tough that he's really
stuck a um you know his uh apole in the ground.
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
This is my identity.
This is what I think, you know,our company is, and you're
killing the baby here.
SPEAKER_01 (09:11):
And I and you've I've been doing this a long
time, and um but if I want to beable to pass this to my children
or to the next generation of thefamily, we need to he made
decisions that were differentfrom my grandfather's, and I'm
making decisions that areslightly different from his.
And there just has to be arespect there, and there is.
(09:32):
Right.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
I mean, this world is totally different, so there
is no other way except to makedifferent decisions.
Yeah.
So um, let's talk about theexplorations line that you
created.
Um, it struggled at firstbecause it was positioned
against the classic line thatyou had.
So, what was the specific datapoint or maybe perhaps
traveler's story that made yourealize that you had a
(09:55):
positioning problem and not aproduct problem?
SPEAKER_01 (09:59):
I would say we had both actually.
We had probably a positioningand a product problem.
The product problem, because wedid establish small group
explorations in 2008.
We never, until 2019, really, wenever had more than 17, 18,
maybe 20 tours in that travelstyle.
To put that in context, we have170 tours worldwide.
(10:21):
So it was such a small piece ofthe portfolio.
And this is, yeah, probably backin 2017.
So it had been around for eight,nine years, or so really nine,
10 years.
Um, and I looked at themarketing budget of dedicated
marketing spend to that travelstyle, and it was less than 1%.
So everything was always bundledwith the classic touring.
(10:44):
And so it was more like if we'regonna have this and say we have
this travel style, let's investin it, let's grow the portfolio,
um, or at least or get rid of itso that we can focus more and
build more classic itinerariesand do it that way.
Um so we failed in 2018, goinginto 2019, with making smaller
(11:06):
groups, price or in price, priceincreases, and then we just
studied, you know, where aresmall group companies traveling
to, how many tours do they havein the region, and we saw where
we had a lot of gaps.
And we put a strategy in placecoming into 2020.
Uh obviously that was stalled alittle bit.
Um, but by 2024, we had to have,we wanted to have 47 tour
(11:28):
itineraries in small groups inthe market.
And we achieved that, and now wehave close to 60.
Um, and what was in 2019, it was7% of our revenue.
It's now over 25% of ourrevenue.
So when we got focused, I mean,we failed, we learned, we
learned quick and moved itforward, but we still doubled
down during the pandemic to makesure that we expanded that
(11:48):
product line.
And I think time it was timelybecause coming out of the
pandemic, small groups seemed alot nicer than larger group,
too.
SPEAKER_00 (11:56):
So 60 out of how many?
170.
Oh, you're still at 100, about100.
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 oure-survey, um, that launched in
2020, um, we could really seeexcellent scores, only focused
on excellence.
So if tours were well below andwe couldn't really position them
or get them to the excellencethat we were hoping for or that
(12:28):
we want, that's a goal for theteam, then we canceled.
And it makes sense becauseexcellence is going to correlate
to likelihood to travel againwith Colette.
And if we don't, if we can't getexcellent, and it's not just
about the tour, it's about howwe manage it before, you know,
how we manage the journey beforethey go on their vacation,
during their vacation, we haveto ace that.
(12:48):
You don't ace that, you're notgetting them back.
And then how we manage it afterthey get back.
So yeah, it wasn't difficult.
It was actually probably theright thing for us to do because
we likely lost travelers becausethey experienced a really not a
great tour.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Right.
So um just doing some back ofthe envelope calculations, um
it's about one-third of yourtours are the explorations line,
25% of the revenue.
So that way revenue lags alittle bit.
However, the classic line ismuch bigger.
So, in terms of a per personrevenue that you're gaining is
(13:24):
much higher in the explorationsline.
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
Explorations and it's more profitable.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
It's more profitable.
Okay, that was gonna be my nextquestion.
Okay.
Um, so let's um, as the firstfemale CEO of the company's
107-year history, how are youintentionally redesigning the
path to leadership for women inthe travel industry,
particularly for those that aretrying to balance career
(13:48):
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 mycareer.
Um and it's important, I think,when choosing your career to
(14:11):
know one, you can have both.
You can have a family and youcan have a career, and you don't
have to compromise one for theother.
Um, and I say this to peoplewhenever they've asked me.
Um what's important is that youhave a leader that you're
working for that respects andunderstands the flexibility that
(14:32):
you might need and can alsorecognize that you're doing your
job and you're showing up.
And that balance isn't one sizefits all.
And I think you just want tomake sure that you're working
for a company that respects thatfor me personally.
Um, for some, career is numberone, and people just want to
climb the ladder.
But I think at the end of theday, every individual has to
(14:52):
ask, will I feel that I hadpurpose in life when I finish
whatever I'm doing?
And I heard a really interestinginterview one day on CNBC, and
this CEO, and I forget who itwas, said, I've never once heard
anyone on their death bed say, Iwished 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'simportant for us to have that
flexibility so that people canbe at the sporting events and be
at the ballet and whatever it isthat they need to do and take
the time away with family.
Um mother, father, people aretaking it's not just about kids,
(15:34):
it's also about people takingcare of their parents sometimes
when as they age.
Right.
So the flexibility has to happenfor all different reasons.
SPEAKER_00 (15:43):
Okay, so I want to um talk about the travel and the
trends and the future of theindustry a little bit.
So we are moving from anexperience economy to a
transformation economy.
So, how are you designing toursfor 2026 that ensure a traveler
returns home, not just withphotos, but with a fundamentally
(16:03):
different perspectives onthemselves?
SPEAKER_01 (16:05):
Yeah, and I this is where small group explorations
really affords itself becausethe transformational economy is
about changing your life in adifferent way.
It's about having experiencesstill, but it's about how has it
impacted me personally?
And I think the way weincorporate impact moments into
our tour itineraries, um, Ialways say to people, there's
(16:25):
when people are purchasing,they're looking for things that
they think they want to checkoff.
When we, our job as Colette andGuided Touring is to make sure
that we are peppering in thosetransformational moments that
they don't realize they're goingto experience when they're
purchasing.
Um and that's havingconversations with a family
(16:48):
member of a Holocaust survivor,or having conversations and
talking about differentreligions, um, you know, in a
Muslim country or some orwherever we might be.
But that's why people travel.
They want to connect, and weallow for a conversation to
happen in a very respectfulmanner so people feel
(17:08):
comfortable to ask questionsthat 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 apleasant surprise.
They didn't really expect thetour to be that meaningful.
So you're kind of giving themmore than what they had expected
when they were purchasing thetour.
SPEAKER_01 (17:29):
That's our hope, and that's how they feel, yes.
And we do hear really positivefeedback around the impact
moments and those inclusionsthat we sprinkle into the tour
itineraries.
I'm gonna say it's a little biteasier to do it on small groups
for sure.
And there's that's a mandatorybrand standard that we have on
those tour itineraries becausewhat you can do with a smaller
(17:50):
group and the places that youcan visit allow for the world to
open up a lot more to those sortof 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 thinkat the when you're reading an
itinerary, it doesn't translateat that point what that impact
will actually be.
And that impact is so personaland 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 someorganizations for these impact
moments?
So how do you ensure that um inin in a sense, audit that these
uh moments are the the impact isethical, sustainable, is
actually led by local communityand it's genuine and it's true?
SPEAKER_01 (18:39):
So we have a corporate citizenship team that
works really closely with ourtour designers.
So as they're whether revising atour itinerary, going to a new
place, um, or a place we alreadygo to that we think we have some
opportunities to include impactmoments, our corporate
citizenship um manager is goingto work with the designer.
(19:00):
So they'll do the researcharound all of those to make sure
that it's ethical that, youknow, 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 intothe tour.
So there it's a collaborativeeffort because the our person in
Rhode Island that's doing thecorporate citizenship research
(19:22):
might not be going to thedestination like in Arusha in
Tanzania, but our designer is.
So they will go and vet and havethe in-person conversations and
see how it can um work its wayinto the itinerary.
SPEAKER_00 (19:35):
Okay, so let's talk about uh another interesting
concept I I heard saw from yourliterature, smart season travel.
Um it's the way, it's a bigfocus for you to combat over
tourism, which is a huge bigissue these days.
So, how do you convince atraveler that visiting a
destination in the off-season isactually a superior experience?
(19:56):
And are you seeing any data thatone generation, the Gen Z, for
example, is embracing this umthe this uh this smart season
concept much better than theothers?
SPEAKER_01 (20:08):
Yeah, um I feel like we probably tried to market it.
We're heavier in marketingoff-season, even pre-pandemic.
I think it's naturally happeningfor travel advisors to either
sh, you know, showcase theawareness to the traveler if
that's the path that they'rebooking through, um, or
(20:29):
travelers are reading a lot moreabout it.
Um, especially in the placeslike Europe or Australia, New
Zealand.
It's very, it's you can stillsit outside in March and you're
not gonna have the crowds, andyou're gonna have, you're gonna
feel like you have just morefreedom and not the masses there
with you.
So, well, the over tourism, itimpacts a lot.
(20:53):
I mean, especially in highseason months, because you know,
the Statue of David, we can't,we don't do the tickets to go
into that museum any longerbecause we can't.
Um, because they have a setnumber that they'll sell daily
and we can't guarantee it.
Um, and so those are thingspeople have to do on their own.
And um, but that's because ofovertourism.
(21:14):
You will have a better chance inthe off-season for us to be able
to include some of those thingsum to, you know, to enhance the
tour, to add value too.
I think if you're gonna have ifyou're gonna travel or have
travelers are gonna go in theoff-season, they should get some
value out of it as well, notjust the price savings, but some
value within the itinerary thatyou can't get in the main
(21:34):
season.
And so I think that's importanttoo.
SPEAKER_00 (21:37):
Right.
And you mentioned March inEurope, and I cannot even
remember how many times I'vegone to Europe in March, and
it's just a very niceexperience.
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 offseason to me is wonderful, but
it's about educating and havingpeople.
Do the research too.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Right.
Okay, so let's uh move to AI.
Um, you've spoken aboutthoughtful disruption regarding
AI.
So, what is that one part of thetravel 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 thata core value to the to what you
(22:22):
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 ableto become a tour manager.
It won't be able to, it wasn'tborn in Italy, it's not going to
tell you its holiday traditionslike a the human element will do
with our tour guides, right?
(22:44):
And that's what travelers areobsessed with and really want
when they're going to adestination.
They want to talk to someonewho's local.
Um, AI is not going to be ableto do that, but AI will be able
to enhance the way that a tourmanager can deliver the tour and
different facets of what they'redoing.
So I think it will be a tool tohelp continue to improve the
(23:09):
overall experience.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
So we have a lot of students and young professionals
who are listening to thepodcast.
So if you were a graduatingsenior in 2026 looking for a
career in this transformationeconomy, what is that one
question you would ask aninterviewer to determine if that
company truly values innovation,or is it just a buzzword that
(23:31):
they're using?
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
And that's true.
You have words like wheninnovation came around, it was
overused, misused, and abused.
Um, and you got to be cautiousof that with AI as well, because
you you have to surroundyourself with people who really
understand how we can leverageAI as a tool.
It's not a full replacement forall people.
It's really not going to be.
Um and you said the one youwanted the one thing that I
(23:54):
would tell you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:55):
Well, how would how would uh how would a student or
uh someone looking for a jobknow 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 askingthat in the interview of what
have you brought to the table orthat you have seen change and
how did it come about withinwithin the organization?
Um because it's it's not the topleading, it's the knowledge is
(24:27):
always peppered somewhere in themiddle, the people in the
day-to-day.
Um there's knowledge across thebusiness, so I don't mean it
like that, but um the youngergeneration brings in a talent
and a skill because they've hadelectronics in their hands since
birth.
Um, and the workforce hasmultiple generations and some
and many that don't have it tothat.
(24:50):
I mean, they have their cellphones and their iPhones or
whatever they have, they'reprobably on Facebook, but
they're not embracing AI in thesame way.
So I would say a company that'sreally serious would showcase
that and likely be askingquestions during the interview.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
Okay.
You often cite Wald Whitman, becurious.
So, what is that one destinationyou visited that has challenged
your curiosity?
And what is that one piece ofadvice you would give to young
professionals on how to travelwith 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 openedyour eyes to something that you
didn't know, had an impactfulmoment 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 orMorocco.
Um but it was really powerful.
So our tour guide, you know,because at the time there were
different wars going on, and youtalk to the tour guide at the
person at the tourism board umwas with us and just asked the
(26:00):
question what's it like, youknow, they had there's this
sense that the Muslim cultureare all angry.
And he goes, What's so sad isthat 0.004% of the population is
defining.
And I was just like looking athim going, he's so right.
And that the purpose there, Ithink, for me, was that you want
(26:27):
more people to travel becausetravel is the biggest educator
and it it breaks the stereotypesand the perceptions in the
world.
And the more I think if morepeople could travel and learn
and understand, I think we couldget closer to more peace around
the world, to be quite honest.
Because you realize how similaryou 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 wasin, I was in Peru, and I was
with the whole product team atthe time.
And we were in an Andeanvillage.
We had brought food and we hadbrought school supplies and um
were meeting with them, and thatwas when we launched, or my
father decided that we weregoing to launch our Colette
Cares and our Colette Foundationand start giving back to the
(27:12):
communities that we travel to.
So I think that was also reallypowerful because giving back has
always been part of Colette'sDNA, but being in the moment
when my dad decided that we hadto start funding it more had a
lot of purpose and a lot ofmeaning.
SPEAKER_00 (27:27):
Okay.
So um let's close with a quicklightning round.
Okay.
Short answers, no overthinking.
Okay.
New Zealand is famously yourfavorite.
If you had to pick a silvermedal destination just to make
other countries feel better,what would it be?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
Italy.
SPEAKER_00 (27:47):
Okay.
Good answer.
I love it.
Um window seat, aisle seat, orI'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 batterybackups and data centers.
Honestly, which is a hardersell?
A surge protector or 21 days inTuscany?
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 professionaltravel influencer.
One thing that will get meroasted?
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 secondarycity no one has heard of yet?
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Secondary city.
SPEAKER_00 (28:37):
Okay.
During lockdown, your kidsplayed Colette.
Who was the tougher boss?
You or your daughter Ashley whenshe 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 stashof 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 thecompany stayed in their position
for decades.
You're clearly not someone who'sgoing to flout tradition.
Can I book you for a returnpodcast in early 2050s?
SPEAKER_01 (29:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:22):
Sounds good.
Thank you.
So you've described your role asbeing a pathfinder and a bridge,
honoring a 107-year-old legacywhile building a vision for the
next century of travel.
Your journey from the callcenter to the corner office is
an incredible blueprint for ourlisteners.
And it reminds us that the bestleaders are the ones who never
(29:44):
stop being curious.
So thank you so much for joiningus 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 areminder that in the
transformation economy, our mostvaluable asset isn't an
algorithm, it's humanconnection.
Whether you are starting yourcareer in a tech firm or on the
front web service, every step isa building block for the leader
you are becoming.
(30:11):
If you would like to join theconversation or share your
thoughts on this episode, youcan email me at shadean at
bu.edu.
Thank you to the entire team atBoston University School of
Hospitality and History.
This episode was produced byMara Littman with research and
content development by Dr.
(30:32):
Land Lu.
Expert assistance was providedby Alex Teams and Isabella
Lakin.
To keep up with DistinguishedPodcast, be sure to subscribe
wherever you listen to yourfavorite shows.
You can also learn more aboutexperience innovation in our
undergraduate and graduateprograms by visiting vu.edu
(30:53):
slash hospitality.
I'm Arunupneja, Dean of the PUSchool of Hospitality, wishing
you a day full of purpose and asJacqueline would say, a lot of
curiosity.
We'll see you the next time.
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