This interview is part of our Women in Travel series, highlighting female talent in the travel industry. Entries are currently open for our 2025 awards, enter HERE.
Travel isn’t just about selling and booking holidays (although that’s obviously a key part); there’s also a huge amount going on behind the scenes. Tech is a vital sector of the industry, but one not traditionally associated with women. InTravel Group’s Sonia Teohaere has been breaking that mould by doing what she loves every day – working in travel and technology.
Sonia is a proud Torres Strait Islander who has worked in tech, and specifically travel tech, for more than a decade. She told Travel Weekly how important strong female leadership is, particularly in male-dominated areas, and how we should be empowering women to believe in themselves and go further.
TW: Tell me about your role.
Teohaere: My role is travel technology solutions lead. I focus on strategy and identifying operational and technical solutions that will make our business more efficient and make travel easier and more valuable for our customers.
It’s also making sure our value proposition is delivered to our customers and is aligned with our values in terms of our social impact and outcomes.
TW: How have you found working in the tech sector as a woman?
If it wasn’t for those women in leadership roles… it would’ve been a lot harder for me.
Teohaere: I’ve been really fortunate. Technology, and leadership especially, has always been quite male dominant. But I’ve always had really strong women that I’ve worked alongside. Strong women as colleagues and strong women in leadership who have always supported me.
I think that’s just so important because if it wasn’t for those women in leadership roles giving me that support and endorsing me to move into technology, to be successful in those roles, it would’ve been a lot harder for me for sure.
TW: Do you ever feel like a woman in a man’s world?
Teohaere: Look, there have been times where that has been the case. But I think it’s getting so much better now with those leadership roles, and those female leaders really pushing and making sure that there’s equality as much as possible within the space. Especially in leadership. I think it’s really becoming more equal which is just amazing to see.
TW: What more do you think we could be doing as an industry to keep improving that equality?
Teohaere: I think leadership development, so programs for women. Sometimes it’s really hard to approach someone to become a mentor but I feel like mentorships are underrated in companies. I think that there needs to be more of them. To actually follow through and see people’s careers through to fruition would be amazing.
TW: What does ‘Reach New Heights’ mean to you?
Empowering myself and empowering other female colleagues.
Teohaere: For me, it’s empowerment. Empowerment and equality in the industry. And I think a lot of women in general feel that they are given a role and they look at it and they go, ‘you know what actually I don’t think I can do this’.
But just having the confidence and the empowerment to say, ‘actually looking at that in detail, I can absolutely do this. It’s within my remit and I can push myself and I can go beyond and grow beyond and deliver’. That’s what reaching new heights means to me. Empowering myself and empowering other female colleagues.
TW: What advice would you give to women at the start of their travel career?
Learning is a really big part of it.
Teohaere: Travel is fast paced but it can be so rewarding. Just be ready and open to learn as much as you can. Do those internships if there are internships out there. Learn about the things you want to get into.
I did so many courses off-line that were not part of my day-to-day role, but it helped me and it gave me more confidence to talk about different parts of tech that weren’t really in my remit. But because I’d done the learning myself, I was able to then talk confidently about it. So I think learning is a really big part of it, even if it’s just that you silently watch role models and learn from them as much as you can.
Entries are now open for the 2025 Women in Travel Awards. Whether you’re putting your name forward or championing a colleague, don’t miss this chance to recognise the women in our industry.
➡️ Nominate/enter now and help elevate the voices that matter.
Thursday, 2 October 2025 – On-time entries close
Thursday, 9 October 2025 – Late entries close
Wednesday, 5 November 2025 – Finalists announced
Wednesday, 3 December 2025 – Awards night
