How has membership of TUI CAN grown since it was launched?
LD: Membership continues to increase steadily a couple of years down the line — in fact, since Black History Month 2023, we’ve seen a 66% spike in members. It’s so energising to see our numbers rise — as network leads, it makes it all worth it!

MS: While it's wonderful to see our membership grow, our focus remains on the meaningful connections and conversations our network fosters. We aim to ensure all colleagues feel a sense of belonging and have the opportunity to be curious and continuously learn, especially as the world of DEI is always evolving. It’s crucial to stay ahead of these changes. We're also eager to engage with our operational and customer-facing teams, who may not have the flexibility to join network meetings. Finding a way to reach and support them is our next priority.

One of your ambitions was to ensure TUI CAN's initiatives took an intersectional approach with other ENGs. How has this manifested and to what level of success?
MS: As a relatively new network, we had high ambitions last year—and still do. While intersectionality remains extremely important to us, it wasn’t an approach we were able to fully integrate alongside our other event plans. However, there are many opportunities for collaborating on an intersectional approach, especially given the range of networks we have at TUI. That said, we want to ensure we are aligning with the right opportunities — those that fit both our objectives and the goals of the networks we collaborate with. This remains a key focus, and we will be reviewing it closely as we plan for the next 12 months.

LD: The important thing is that we recognise the opportunities and know how to go after them. It gives us a clear direction going into our 2025 objective planning.

Outline some of your most successful initiatives?
MS: We’ve had some great successes, including small changes that make a big difference in how our colleagues feel. For example, we’ve influenced the inclusion of a more diverse range of music at conference events and advocated for changing the intranet profile picture icon from what resembled a white male to a gender- and race-neutral avatar. However, one of our most successful initiatives is the way in which we changed the dial on how our organisation marked Black History Month. Historically, Black History Month’s been seen as an opportunity to talk about things like anti-racism and diversity. And, while we absolutely welcome this, we’re proud to represent an organisation like TUI, that puts these conversations on the agenda 365 days a year which lines up perfectly with the ‘People & Culture’ and ‘Community’ pillars of TUI’s DEI approach, ‘Come As You Are’. Our objective, as TUI CAN, was to flip the narrative on BHM, and inspire TUI’s black and mixed-race community in a truly positive way. We wanted BHM to be a positive celebration, but since we didn’t have specific data to highlight our own Black history within TUI, we came up with the concept of ‘Making Black History at TUI’, and launched it with an all-black crewed flight last year. One of TUI CAN’s mantras is, ‘You Can’t Be What You Can’t See’ and so we want to help change that by showcasing ethnic representation positively, both internally and externally to inspire the future generation.

LD: Spearheading TUI’s first-ever flight with an all-Black crew was an absolute career highlight — not only for us as network leads, but many of the flight crew who operated the flight said it was, too. It was the perfect way to launch our #MakingBlackHistoryAtTUI initiative, and we’re all just so proud and excited to be able to create history today, to inspire colleagues and customers tomorrow.

Describe your roles as co-leads of TUI CAN
MS: Lee and I have never formally discussed how we split the role as co-founders of the network. Instead, we focus on what needs to be achieved and divide the tasks based on our individual strengths. We're both respectful of each other's time and understand that we have full-time roles in addition to this. During busy periods, one of us may step in more, but overall, it balances out. We’re also supported by two other network leads, Corey Anderson and Happiness Sibanda, who help share the responsibilities. Playing to our strengths is key to successfully running an engaged network. We work across different business areas and collectively have 42.5 years of experience in a variety of functions. This diverse experience greatly helps us when engaging with stakeholders and building strong relationships within the business.

LD: I can’t explain it but it just works! Miranda and I have known each other for 14 years, so working together is easy. We naturally play to our individual strengths: Miranda is amazingly tenacious and has great ideas, and I’m a creative by trade, so I get to take all that and make it look pretty! We juggle a lot — both being in leadership roles by day and having families outside of work. But having a friendship makes supporting one another really organic. As I said — it just works!

As well as members, have you been able to secure the interest and support of allies?
MS: Yes, absolutely. Our allies shine through in network calls, at events, and even in 1:1 interactions. We’ve set up an app in our Network Teams channel called ChatterBreak which allows all members to sign up, share a few details about what they'd like to discuss or the support they can offer, and then get matched with others for 1:1 catch-ups. We’ve heard examples of allies providing invaluable support to network members facing challenges in their business areas through these connections.

LD: Our executive sponsor is also a non-Black ally and, more recently, we’ve had strong support from allies within the senior leadership team. These connections have been really powerful — we feel seen, heard and supported, and we know we have a ‘voice at the table’. That influence is really helping us shape our activity for Black History Month 2024.

What is the importance of highlighting Black History Month and what are your plans for 2024?
LD: As we’ve touched on already, reclaiming the narrative around Black History Month was one of our first goals when we launched TUI CAN. There are lots of negative stories attached to our past, and while it’s important to not shy away from that, creating a space of celebration and empowerment during October is imperative to us. We know that Black people are underrepresented in the travel industry which is why we decided to draw a line in the sand and start creating history for the future. I definitely feel a sense of responsibility to my Black and mixed-race colleagues — within TUI and the wider industry — to make sure we celebrate ourselves throughout BHM. And it’s so exciting — we’re doubling our efforts this year!

MS: For us, knowledge is power and representation matters—and together, they form a powerful combination when thinking about Black History Month. It’s crucial to strike the right balance, as this month can be triggering for some, especially when revisiting past traumas. While it’s important to remember and learn from the past, we believe it’s equally important not to let it hold us back. Harbouring the past hinders our future, so we focus on bringing about positive change and creating our own history to celebrate—one that inspires future generations. This year, we are extending our BHM celebrations across the airline with two all-Black crewed flights. Across our retail and contact centre estates, we are rolling out Caribbean and African-inspired lunch-and-learn sessions, featuring Caribbean and African-inspired menus in our head office canteen throughout the month, as well as a few other surprises!

Feeling inspired? Read more of our blogs