Sustainability Magazine February 2024 | Page 77

JORDAN ’ S CAREER JOURNEY
community leaders and representatives as some of the key achievements of Scenic ’ s sustainability programme . It is important to see how those communities can benefit – not just during tourist seasons , but also in the future .
“ We believe that if we can create great , meaningful inclusions that the guests love , but also follow our ESG goals , then it ’ s a win-win for everyone ,” says Jordan . “ It ’ s better for the communities , better for our guests , and better for the planet .”
Tackling plastics For a company that literally owes its livelihood to water , Scenic makes clean drinking water and eliminating water waste a top priority .
“ I got into tourism right after university . Prior to that , I had always worked in hospitality . I travelled quite extensively then eventually succumbed to parental pressure and went out and got a degree in criminology and specialised in psychology .
Life had different ideas for me and I ended up being offered a job as a tour guide in Southeast Asia , taking groups through Vietnam , Cambodia , Laos , and China .
I learned a lot there , and my role became product manager . The company was expanding into cruise at that time , so I was also instrumental in setting up the cruise side of the business .
Then I took a bit of a sabbatical back in Australia and actually started a golf travel company for a while with a friend . And that ’ s when I took the job at Scenic .
I started as the product delivery manager for what we call the Rest of World region , which was basically Australia , New Zealand , Africa , South America , Asia – and looking after all the destination management companies and focusing on the delivery of our product to make sure it met the luxury expectations of our guests .
The company decided to build its first ships in Asia for river cruising ( it already had 20 + in Europe ) so I was there to oversee the setup and delivery of those vessels .
When the pandemic hit , a lot of things changed and turned the industry on its head , and that ’ s when I got the chance to expand what we had begun in ESG in Asia in a more global sense .”
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