Gai Tyrrell
Managing Director Asia Pacific
How long have you been working at Gfob for?
I joined Gfob as Managing Director Asia Pacific in 2018, just in time to host the company’s 90th birthday celebrations!
How long have you been in the travel industry for?
I started in the travel industry in 1987 in the Reservations team with Qantas in Melbourne, after I’d returned from a gap year in Europe after high school.
What led you to this career? Was this always the plan?
It was never the plan. In fact, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Following high school, I managed to convince my parents to let me take a year off to explore Europe, the UK and Ireland. I backpacked, toured and travelled as teenagers did back then – and after that year, I promised I would come back and get a job or go to uni. Bless my parents because they let me go and that year opened my eyes and changed my life. I boarded the plane to fly home still without a plan and heard the Aussie accent welcoming us on board Qantas Airways. That was an incredible lightbulb moment. I knew without a doubt what I wanted to do – to work for Qantas, Australia’s national carrier.
Tell me the best thing about working in the travel industry?
To witness how the travel industry can magnificently enrich lives. Inspiring our customers to travel the world and experience incredible places. Sharing time, life and achievements with our Gfob colleagues while supporting our treasured industry partners to also prosper. It’s the ripple effect of a far-reaching industry. From the world’s largest cities to humble communities along our major rivers to remote villages, the travel industry has the capacity to inspire people, sustain communities and to enrich and change lives for the better. This is the business of fulfilling dreams.
Tell me one thing people at Gfob don’t know about you?
That I love a red and white scarf! I’m a mad keen Sydney Swans supporter…it goes back a long way.
In five years’ time, I will be…
Celebrating more than a decade with Gfob…it’s flying by! I’m already thinking about our 100th anniversary (plus, I’ll still be a mad keen Sydney Swans fan!).
What is your best piece of advice for anyone looking to work in the travel industry?
Do it. Find your way in. It’s an exciting, inspiring and colourful industry no matter where you enter. Even if you have no experience in travel just yet, you will have other transportable skills or skills that can be developed. Be prepared to work hard. Travel is also a very demanding industry – impacted easily by numerous factors outside of our control. But that is part of the fun!
