Employee Spotlight – Bea Noutch
Our latest Employee Spotlight features Bea Noutch, a Travel Executive in our SDC team who has been with FOD Mobility Group for a year. Bea plays a crucial role in managing travel arrangements through our Mobilleo product, ensuring that our customers experience the best service possible. Detail-oriented and committed, Bea has been instrumental in delivering complex travel arrangements for our customers.
Outside of work, Bea loves spending time with friends and has a growing passion for cooking, a skill honed during the lockdown. Read on for our full interview to learn more about Bea and the exciting projects she’s currently working on.
Describe your current role and how long you’ve worked at FOD.
My current role is Travel Executive within the SDC team working on our Mobilleo product. I’ve been at FOD Mobility Group for a year now.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
FOD is the largest company I’ve worked for which has helped to push me out of my comfort zone and create great relationships with the people I work with. I’m quite new to the travel industry so I’m learning new skills and information every day. Everything I’ve learnt so far has been very interesting and beneficial to my career progression.
What is an important skill to have in your particular role?
Detail is key, and it has always been a fundamental aspect of my work ethic over the years. Applying this skill to my role ensures that customers get the maximum benefit from our Mobilleo platform which is very rewarding.
What have been your highlights during your time at FOD?
As a company, we do a lot of social events for charity where we get to know each other more which makes our work environment a very friendly place to work in. I believe this is a highlight of working at FOD as making those relationships with different colleagues is key to creating a positive workplace.
What’s the most exciting project you’re working on at the moment?
At the moment, myself and the team are currently completing GDS training which will benefit the users of our platform in the future. Using the GDS system in travel will allow our team to explore more ways of booking transportation and accommodation which will be beneficial for the travel team and our customers as the company further expands.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?
My advice is if you’re ever struggling, always ask for help if you have a supportive team around you who will be willing to help you gain skills. Personally, when starting my travel career, I used to write all my notes down regarding bookings, so it was easy to see what had been completed and what hadn’t. Doing this helped me to always remember the little details needed when completing a large number of requests.
What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
My favourite way to spend a day off is spending time with my friends, whether that’s going on walks, going to the pub, having food together or just chilling out. Usually, I’m the one to get everyone out of the house, unless it’s raining – then there will be no chance of me making an appearance!
Are there any stereotypes about your career of choice? How do they differ from reality?
People might think our job is quite easy as those who don’t work in the industry might see our role as simply booking travel. However, as we are a growing company, we get multiple corporate requests coming in each day that can range from last minute travel plans that fit into the company’s budget to completing very complex requests that have to be arranged in precise detail.
At the end of the day, our job is to ensure the users of Mobilleo are experiencing the best service and benefitting from our platform which is down to the knowledge and care we offer.
How do you motivate yourself in your career?
I enjoy my career, so the motivation is already there each day as there is always something that keeps me occupied. However, one big motivation is keeping close as a team and always keeping an eye out for what is next.
I enjoy speaking to our regular users and keeping that bond going as within our career, there is nothing better than a happy customer. Also, a good coffee in the morning wakes my brain up each day.
What are your hobbies and how did you get into them?
Over the years I’ve really enjoyed developing my cooking skills. I learnt the basics from working in pubs and restaurants.
Not only that, but with my brother being a chef, he always made new and different dishes which made me interested in how to cook them. This love for cooking truly started in lockdown when we were all isolated which pushed me to find a creative outlet.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
The coffee machine!
How has your role evolved since you started working at FOD?
I am quite new to the industry so personally with the role I am in, I feel like I have developed a lot since becoming a Travel Executive. I started at the company with a blank slate and I’m now completing work I never thought I could do, like the GDS systems training.
I do believe that working with a high volume of users has grown my customer service skills immensely which has evolved my people skills. The more and more the company grows, we are developing our coverage of travel across the globe. This has allowed us to create competitive rates with different travel companies, improve our knowledge and develop our skills to provide users with a large scale of products for the upcoming years of FOD.
Share a random fact about yourself.
My first cat was called magic and my second cat is called Mike after Mike Wazowski. I did not know until many years later that I had named my pets after a male stripper!
What are your top three favourite songs of all time?
Just Friends – Musiq of Child
The Essence – Giggs
The Evergreen – Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners
What did you want to be when you grew up and why?
Like many of us, I wanted to be all sorts of things when I grew up, but my main aspiration was to be a Paramedic. I was then diverted off this path when I realised I have a fear of needles.