Member Spotlight: Betsy Croft, Global Head of Industry Marketing, Skyscanner

This week’s installment of our ongoing Member Spotlight series highlights perspectives from the Women Leading Travel community following our London Leadership Luncheon. Through candid reflections, we explore how today’s leaders are thinking about growth, impact and connection across the global travel industry.

1. What stayed with you after the Women Leading Travel luncheon in London?
What stayed with me most was the genuine connection in the room — a mix of familiar and new faces — and the number of inspiring women in one place. That, in itself, felt powerful. I also loved the breadth of global roles represented and the level of insight and openness in the conversations.

2. How would you describe your leadership style today?
I’d describe my leadership style as providing direction while creating space for others to bring their perspectives and ideas. I care about building strong, efficient foundations — a well-oiled machine — because when the foundations run smoothly, it creates the freedom and headspace for creative thinking. I also believe in clear ownership and accountability, so everyone understands both the opportunity and the responsibility. For me, it’s about balancing clarity with empowerment, so people feel guided but never constrained.

3. What part of your role energizes you most right now?
As part of leading B2B marketing at Skyscanner, it’s the opportunity ahead — particularly the growth potential within the B2B space — that energizes me most. The possibilities can feel endless, but what truly motivates me is balancing long-term ambition with immediate execution. Delivering on today’s priorities while laying strong foundations for the next stage of growth creates real, tangible impact — both for our partners and for the business.

4. What’s something people often misunderstand about your work?
One thing that’s often misunderstood about my work is the value of having a distinct brand and voice in the B2B space. Just as in the consumer world, strong partner relationships are built on trust and credibility — not solely on ROI or short-term results. Of course, performance matters, but sustainable success requires both. In the long game, you can’t truly have one without the other. I’ve been fortunate to see the B2B space evolve, increasingly recognizing the importance of brand alongside performance.

5. What trend in UK travel are you watching most closely — and why?
While it extends beyond the UK, it’s the growing trend of tourism dispersion and the increasing appetite for travelers to explore more remote destinations. I believe technology has a significant role to play here — not only in raising awareness of lesser-known places but also in making them more accessible. As many destinations face challenges with overtourism, this shift feels both timely and necessary. It also has the potential to create a more balanced, sustainable future for travel.

6. What boundaries have become non-negotiable for you?
Pointing fingers or placing blame before fully understanding the root cause. It impacts morale and team cohesion and ultimately prevents teams from learning and moving forward productively. For me, a solutions-focused mindset is non-negotiable.

7. What woman or women are shaping how you lead right now?
I’m very inspired by Expedia’s CEO, Ariane Gorin. Having previously led Expedia’s B2B business and now stepping into the CEO role, she’s someone I admire for the way she shows up — authentic, empathetic, yet direct, with a clear focus on cultivating ambition. She stays true to her beliefs, takes bold bets and prioritizes long-term vision — One Key being a great example — while others may focus more heavily on the short term.

8. What’s one leadership lesson the past year has taught you?
One lesson that has been reinforced for me is the power of listening. It’s easy to focus on the messages you want to deliver, especially in short meetings. But truly listening — and thoughtfully bridging perspectives — can often be just as impactful, if not more so. It requires patience, which doesn’t always come naturally to me, but I’ve learned the strongest outcomes often come from moments when you listen intently and let others help shape the direction.

9. How do you create space for clarity in busy seasons?
For me, creating space for clarity starts with intentionally stepping back. Taking even half a day to pause, especially after intense periods of work and travel, is often far more productive than pushing through. That distance allows me to reset, refocus and prioritize what truly matters.

10. What experience most shaped your career in travel?
It would have to be my early days at TripAdvisor for Business, when we ran masterclasses around the world to help hoteliers understand how they could use the platform to promote their businesses online. It was a humbling experience — encountering skepticism in markets like the UK (which we were able to gradually shift) and a different openness across parts of APAC. I had the privilege of working with travel icons such as Web in Travel’s Siew Hoon and experiencing diverse cultural perspectives at a young age. From that point on, I was hooked.

11. What excites you about where the industry is heading?
It may sound cliché, but I’m excited by AI as a force in our industry. It’s the most significant potential disruptor I’ve seen in my career so far, yet it feels more like an evolution than a sudden shift — we’ve been using forms of AI for over a decade. What’s different now is the pace, accessibility and potential scale of its impact, and the fact that it affects my day-to-day work.

12. What do you look for when building or growing a team?
There are four attributes I always look for: ambition, passion, dedication and adaptability. Beyond any technical skill set, these qualities enable people to grow, pivot and thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving tech environment. Skills can be developed, but mindset and drive are what truly shape long-term impact.

13. How do you define success for yourself — not just professionally?
For me, success has always come back to impact. Over time, I’ve become clearer on what that means: adding meaningful value to our partners and travelers and helping connect cultures in a way that truly matters. Technology makes that impact scalable, which is why I’ve always chosen to work for companies whose products I genuinely believe in. Knowing I’ve played even a small part in that is deeply rewarding.

Personally, success is when work doesn’t feel like work. It can be a double-edged sword. It means I get to do what I love, but it also means I care deeply. At times, that passion can feel intense, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

14. What’s a habit or ritual that helps you reset?
Running — always. I try to train for a half marathon each year, which doubles as an excuse to explore new places and keeps me disciplined. I’ve run in Paris, Cascais, Iceland and Lake Annecy — anywhere scenic, ideally along the water and, importantly, flat. Fun fact: I always try to pack a pair of Nike Pegasus in my carry-on.

15. Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to — and why?
That’s a hard one. Bali is the only place I find myself returning to consistently, although I explore new areas each time. I visited Peru last year, which completely blew me away. Beyond the obvious highlight of Machu Picchu — which exceeded all my expectations — the country offers incredible diversity, from stunning landscapes and beaches to rich cultural sites.

16. What’s the top item on your bucket list?
I would love to visit Palau Island — the only place in the world where you can swim with stingless jellyfish. I’ve always had a fascination with them (I even have a couple of my own), so it feels incredibly personal. It’s not the easiest destination to reach, so if any airline happens to read this, I’d happily be the first passenger on a new route.

17. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
That’s a tough one. From a professional perspective, I always return to Simon Sinek’s Start With Why — it’s something I try to apply rigorously in how I prioritize and make decisions.

On a more personal note, I recently read Abroad in Japan, which is full of funny anecdotes about cultural mishaps. I’m also an avid reader of Haruki Murakami’s short stories — he brings landscapes and cultural nuances to life so vividly through his writing.

18. What advice would you give women stepping into leadership roles now?
Lead with passion, and don’t feel you need to fit into a mold within your environment. Be intentional about what you want to achieve, but give yourself the space to define how you get there. Most importantly, don’t expect it to happen overnight. Growth takes time and ongoing refinement.

19. What does community mean to you at this stage of your career?
Community means more to me now than ever before, which is why I’ve been seeking it out more recently. The further you progress in your career, the lonelier it can sometimes feel. I’ve found that connecting with like-minded women is essential — not only to continue growing but to stay grounded in what can be a demanding environment.

20. Why did Women Leading Travel resonate with you?
For multiple reasons. Its mission to bring together like-minded women globally to discuss industry trends and shared challenges — both everyday and larger ones — really resonated with me.

On a personal level, my mom was a bit of a trailblazer, joining a cruise ship at 20 in the 1960s to see the world. I was lucky to grow up with such a strong role model, and I hope to inspire others, even in a small way. And, of course, anything associated with Skift is always high caliber and a valuable use of time.

Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn to learn more.