This Women’s Month, we celebrate women who are breaking barriers, shaping industries and creating opportunities for those who follow. Head of International, Middle East, Africa & South Asia at Virgin Atlantic, Liezl Gericke reflects on more than 25 years in travel and aviation, the lessons that have shaped her leadership, and why true success is about taking up your space and making space for someone else.
Leadership is rarely a straight line. It is built through moments of uncertainty, difficult decisions, unexpected opportunities and the courage to keep learning along the way. For Liezl Gericke, a South African woman who has built an international career spanning more than 25 years in travel and aviation, that journey has taken her across continents and cultures, from senior leadership roles in South Africa to leading commercial strategy across key markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
As Head of International, Middle East, Africa & South Asia at Virgin Atlantic, she has helped launch and develop destinations including Cape Town, Dubai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, the Maldives, Seoul and Phuket. But for her, leadership is about more than commercial success. It is about creating opportunities, championing women and leaving the door open for others.
Here, she opens up about navigating imposter syndrome, leading with empathy, finding resilience through discomfort, prioritising wellbeing and the importance of mentorship and sponsorship. Above all, she shares a message for women learning to own their space: “Take up your space — and then make space for someone else.”
GLAMOUR: Women’s Month celebrates women who are shaping industries and opening doors for others. What has your leadership journey taught you about perseverance and purpose?
Liezl: My leadership journey has taught me that perseverance is not simply about pushing through; it is about knowing what you are pushing towards. Purpose gives resilience meaning.
My career started in South Africa, and I spent around 15 years in senior leadership roles at Flight Centre and STA Travel before joining Virgin Atlantic in 2012. Since then, my career has taken me into markets and situations I could never have predicted. I’ve had the privilege of helping launch and develop destinations from Cape Town and Dubai to Mumbai, Bengaluru, the Maldives, Seoul and Phuket. Every new market has required me to learn, adapt and sometimes start again.
There have also been chapters that were much harder — times of restructuring, uncertainty and having to make difficult decisions affecting people I genuinely cared about. Those experiences taught me that perseverance isn’t about becoming tougher; sometimes it is about staying human while doing hard things. Today, my purpose extends beyond commercial success. It is about creating opportunities and making sure that as I progress, I leave the door wider open for others, particularly women. Success is far more meaningful when it creates space for someone else to succeed too.
GLAMOUR: You lead commercial strategy across multiple international markets. What excites you most about working in such a dynamic global environment?
Liezl: The diversity. No two markets, cultures or days are ever the same, and I love that.
I have spent more than 25 years in travel and aviation, and I still find it extraordinary that this industry can constantly teach you something new. Working across Africa, the Middle East and Asia means moving between vastly different cultures, customer behaviours and ways of doing business. What works brilliantly in one market may be completely wrong for another.
Launching and developing new destinations has reinforced that for me. You cannot arrive in a market believing you have all the answers. You need to listen to your local teams, customers and partners, and understand the cultural nuances before you can lead effectively. That curiosity is probably one of the things that has kept me in this industry for so long. And ultimately, behind all the strategy and numbers are people. We don’t simply connect airports; we connect people to possibilities. That still excites me.
GLAMOUR: Leadership often requires making difficult decisions. How do you lead with both confidence and empathy?
Liezl: This is something I have had to learn through experience, particularly during periods of significant change.
There have been times in my career when roles around me were at risk and I had to implement extremely difficult business decisions, including closing or hibernating markets, while knowing exactly what those decisions meant for the people involved. Those experiences stay with you.
They taught me that empathy does not mean avoiding difficult decisions, and confidence does not mean becoming detached from their human impact. My responsibility as a leader is sometimes to make the hard call, but I can choose how I make it. I can listen. I can explain. I can be honest. And I can treat people with dignity throughout the process.
You can be decisive without losing your humanity. People may not always agree with your decision, but they should always feel respected by the way you made it.
GLAMOUR: Global connectivity drives tourism, trade and economic growth. How do you believe it also creates greater opportunities for women around the world?
Liezl: Connectivity creates access, and access creates opportunity. But for me, this question is also deeply personal because I have had the privilege of watching that opportunity translate into real change for women across the regions I lead.
In markets such as Saudi Arabia, India and across Asia Pacific, I have seen women step confidently into roles, responsibilities and leadership opportunities that historically may have been more male-dominated. Watching that shift has been incredibly rewarding. These are talented, ambitious women who are not simply participating in their industries, they are helping to shape them. I am particularly proud of the role I have been able to play in changing the landscape of female contribution across my region. Whether that has meant identifying talent, creating opportunities, mentoring and sponsoring women, or simply ensuring that female voices are represented in the rooms where decisions are made, it has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my leadership journey.
What has inspired me most is seeing what happens when opportunity meets capability. Women don't need to be empowered because they lack ability; often, they simply need equal access to the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. I have watched women embrace those opportunities and then go on to open doors for others, creating a ripple effect that reaches far beyond one individual career.
As a South African woman working internationally, I also understand personally how powerful access to the wider world can be. Every market I have worked in has expanded my own perspective and taught me something about people, culture, leadership and myself. That is why I believe so strongly in the power of global connectivity. A flight is never just a flight. It connects people not only to places, but to education, careers, markets, ideas and possibilities, and for women in particular, those connections can help change the trajectory of a life, a family and ultimately a community.
GLAMOUR: Looking back on your career, what’s one challenge that ultimately became one of your greatest strengths?
Liezl: Learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
My career has repeatedly put me in situations where I have had to walk into a new market, culture, leadership challenge or business environment without knowing exactly how everything would unfold. Earlier in my career, I probably thought leadership meant having all the answers. With experience, I realised almost the opposite is true. Some of my greatest growth has happened when I have been able to say, “I don’t know yet. Let me listen, learn and work it out.”
Moving from leading businesses in South Africa into an increasingly international career required that mindset. So did taking responsibility for markets that were completely different from anything I had known before. Today, adaptability is one of my greatest strengths. I trust my experience, but I never want my experience to make me stop being curious. You don’t have to know everything to lead. You need the courage to step forward and the humility to keep learning.
GLAMOUR: Many women continue to navigate imposter syndrome despite their achievements. Have you experienced it, and what advice would you offer women learning to trust their own expertise?
Liezl: Absolutely. And I think one of the most liberating things women in leadership can do is admit that. I have more than 25 years of experience in travel and aviation, yet there have still been moments when I have walked into a new role, market or room and wondered, “Am I really ready for this?” What I have learnt is that confidence doesn’t always arrive before the opportunity. Sometimes you have to take the opportunity first and allow your confidence to catch up.
I often think about this when I mentor and coach other women. We can spend so much time focusing on the one thing we haven't done rather than the ten things we have. Men will sometimes put themselves forward when they meet part of a brief; women can wait until they believe they meet every requirement.
My advice is: stop waiting for 100% readiness. Look at the evidence of what you have already achieved. Trust the experience you have earned. Apply for the role. Put your hand up. Speak in the meeting. You were invited into the room for a reason. Don't shrink yourself to make that room more comfortable.
GLAMOUR: Success can be demanding. How do you prioritise your wellbeing while leading across diverse regions and time zones?
Liezl: I’m still learning! Leading across multiple regions means early mornings, late calls, extensive travel and constantly moving between time zones and priorities. I’ve learnt that wellbeing cannot be something I get to once everything else is finished, because everything else is never finished. I’m a keen runner, and running has become one of my favourite ways to reset. Nothing excites me more than arriving in another country, putting on my trainers and heading out to explore the city on foot. I have favourite running routes in places like Cape Town, London and Seoul. It gives me a completely different connection to the places I visit and, importantly, creates time and space for myself in the middle of a busy travel schedule.
I also make sure that at least once a year, I take a trip where I switch off completely. It usually involves hiking somewhere remote with my best friends, the kind of place where there is no cell reception, no emails and no distractions. Just spectacular natural beauty, long days of walking, lots of laughter and the company of people I love to adventure with.
Those trips are incredibly restorative and remind me that some of life's greatest luxuries are actually very simple: time, friendship, nature and being completely present.
And then there is sleep — sleep is my superpower! That is something I say with a smile because, after struggling with insomnia for years, I had to learn how to create the conditions for good sleep and make it a genuine priority. I now understand how fundamental it is to how I show up, as a leader, a mother and simply as myself. Protecting my sleep has probably been one of the most important wellbeing lessons I’ve learnt.
Being a mother has also given me perspective that no leadership programme ever could. It reminds me that however important today's meeting, deadline or challenge might feel, there is a much bigger life happening around it. I don't pretend that I have discovered the perfect formula for balance. For me, balance isn't a destination; it's something we continually recalibrate. I run, I explore, I disconnect, I sleep, and I make time for the people and experiences that bring me back to myself.
GLAMOUR: This Women’s Month is about celebrating women who lift others as they climb. How important has mentorship been in your own career, and what legacy do you hope to leave for future women leaders?
Liezl: Mentorship has been incredibly important to me, but I have come to believe that sponsorship is just as important. Throughout my career, I have benefited from people who saw something in me, challenged me, gave me honest feedback and occasionally believed I was ready for something before I believed it myself.
That has influenced the leader I want to be. I’m a qualified executive coach and have had the privilege of mentoring and developing people alongside my commercial career. I am also an accredited Springboard facilitator, supporting future female leaders. That work matters deeply to me because I see what happens when a woman begins to recognise her own capability.
But supporting women cannot only happen in mentoring conversations. We need to say women's names when they are not in the room. Recommend them for the role. Give them the stretch assignment. Introduce them to the person who could change their career. And then give them the space to show what they can do. If I leave a leadership legacy, I hope it isn't simply what I achieved, but who became more confident, capable and courageous because I believed in them.
GLAMOUR: What changes would you most like to see for women in aviation, business and leadership over the next decade?
Liezl: I would love to reach a point where seeing women in the most senior commercial, operational, technical and aviation leadership roles is completely unremarkable, because it is normal.
We have made progress, but representation alone is not enough. We need meaningful pipelines into decision-making roles, equitable access to opportunities and, importantly, sponsorship. I also want the next generation of women to feel less pressure to adopt a particular style of leadership in order to succeed. Some of the qualities once dismissed as “soft” — empathy, intuition, collaboration, listening — are incredibly powerful leadership capabilities.
The ambition should not simply be to teach women how to succeed within systems that were designed without them in mind. We should also be asking how we redesign those systems. The goal isn't only to have more women at the table. It's to create a table where women can lead authentically once they arrive.
GLAMOUR: Finally, if you could leave South African women with one message this Women’s Month about leadership, resilience and owning their space, what would it be?
Liezl: Take up your space — and then make space for someone else.
I am incredibly proud of being a South African woman. There is something about where we come from that teaches us resilience, resourcefulness, humour and the ability to find possibility in complexity. Those qualities have travelled with me throughout my international career. But resilience does not mean we always have to struggle first in order to deserve success.
Don't wait for someone else to decide that you are ready. Back yourself. Apply for the role. Ask for the opportunity. Have the difficult conversation. Speak when you have something worth saying.
And when you get through the door, remember the women behind you. Hold it open. Mentor them, sponsor them and say their names in rooms they haven't entered yet. There will be moments when you question yourself. There will be setbacks and detours. I've had both. Let them refine you, but never let them define the limits of what you believe is possible.
Know your worth. Stay curious. Lead with courage and kindness. And never make yourself smaller to fit into a space you were born to expand.
Recent stories by:
