Separating personal and work life and balancing it all
TOWARD the end of last
year, Tammy Hunt took
the reins as md of eTravel,
after working for the company
as an ITC since 2001 and later
at head office since 2003.
Tammy has been
overwhelmed by the support
at eTravel as well as from
suppliers and competitors. “It
just shows you that, although
the industry is small and we
are all competitors, everyone
is still very supportive of one
another.”
It’s a heavier load on
Tammy’s shoulders, as
the buck stops with her,
but she says Garth [Garth
Wolff, eTravel ceo] has been
grooming her for the position,
and it’s business as usual,
with operations continuing
normally. She says it helps
knowing Garth is there to lean
on when need be.
Being part of a team
and working collaboratively
makes Tammy happy. She is
motivated by success and
the drive to constantly raise
the bar. She says eTravel
has a unique model as a
consortium. It is one she
believes in and has no plans
to change. Still, the travel
environment is changing
and she knows that eTravel
will need to keep enhancing
its offering and adapting to
changes in the market. “It’s
about stepping up our game,
but we won’t be making any
fundamental changes.”
While she’s loving it now,
the travel industry wasn’t
top of Tammy’s list when she
started thinking of her career.
Funnily enough, it was what
her mother wanted for her.
Tammy had set her mind on
becoming an accountant,
although she also wanted
to be a dancer and studied
modern and classical dancing.
Reflecting now, Tammy says
she would have hated life as
an accountant.
Because Tammy’s parents
didn’t have the means for her
to study further, her mother
suggested travel. “My mom
said, why don’t you go into
the travel industry? You
can get to travel and it’s so
glamorous.” Tammy started
working in the travel industry in
1994 at Priority Travel before
completing a course. She was
offered a permanent position
and took time off to complete
writing the exams.
“I then moved on to Seekers
Travel in 1996 where I met
Garth when he joined Seekers
about a year later,” explains
Tammy. “I left Seekers in
November 1999 to spread
my wings and travelled to
the US where I worked at
two different ski resorts and
circumnavigated the Arctic
on a Russian ice-breaker
for three months.” She also
spent some time in Seattle,
Fort Lauderdale and the Keys,
working and experiencing the
country.
Despite the hard work, once
she was in, she was hooked.
It’s a delicate balance,
fulfilling the roles of wife, mom
and career woman, but it’s
one that she manages with
the support of her husband,
Scarbra-Jon, a mechanical
engineer. “Finding the balance
between work, travel, being
a mom and a wife… not to
mention time for myself is
very challenging.” She is
meticulous about organising
and planning her diary in both
her professional and personal
life and says it has helped
her get through the demands
of her life. “However I am
learning finally to relax a little
on the personal front and let
life take its course rather than
plan it all out – which I know
my husband and those around
me are grateful for.
Whenever she thinks it’s too
much, he’s there to help and
encourage. “He understands
me and allows me to be me,”
she says, adding that work
makes her happy and she’s
lucky to have his support.
Tammy says, in addition to
being groomed by Garth, her
ability to put her emotions
aside, make objective
decisions and separate her
personal and work life will be
helpful in her new role. She
says while she needs to be
disciplined in her leadership
role, it is equally important to
know when to let go and not to
take herself too seriously.
Tammy and Scarbra-Jon have
two girls, Tyler (8) and Olivia
(6). Tammy and her girls are
all December babies. Tyler
wants to be an architect or
design toys by day and a pop
star and a judge for a dancing
competition by night. Olivia
wants to own a shop and sell
the toys that Tyler designs/
makes and be a back-up
dancer. “The imaginations of
our two precious girls keep
us very entertained and we
feel very blessed to have our
healthy and happy girls who
are besties and simply adore
each other.”
Who is Tammy?
Tammy is an adrenaline
junkie, although she is
less courageous now
that she is a mom and
has a responsibility to
be around for her two
girls. It was while working
at a ski resort that she
developed her love for
adventure sports and is
keen on anything from
snowboarding to bungee
jumping.
Sea, sun and sand are
some of her favourite
things. Her best holidays
are by the sea when she
can spend hours on the
beach.
Tammy is the ‘crazy
soccer mom’. While her
girls might not be playing
soccer, she’s the mom
cheering the loudest from
the stands and also the
first mom to take on the
referees should they get
anything wrong.
Crime stories and
leadership books pique
Tammy’s interest when
she’s not in the office.
She hates routine and
would be driven insane if
every day was the same.
Luckily, she says, in
management no two days
are the same.
