Meet Our Sustainability Officer Julie Higgins

Meet Julie Higgins, Uniworld’s Director of Hotel Operations and now our first Sustainability Officer. Julie joined the company 19 years ago, working both onboard our ships and at our operations offices in Switzerland. We are very excited to see her develop this new role with her wealth of experience and industry knowledge.

Could you tell us a bit about your role and what being Uniworld’s Sustainability Officer entails?

As Uniworld’s Sustainability Officer, my role is very much centered around working together with The TreadRight Foundation and the amazingly dedicated team there on integrating our sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right, into every aspect of our daily operation here at Uniworld. However, it is by no means a solo position, because for us to successfully achieve our sustainability goals, it requires involvement and collaboration from each individual who is a part of Uniworld, whether as an employee within any department, as our partner, or as our guest. So reaching out, communicating and engaging with, and hopefully inspiring others to join our efforts will be an important aspect of my role, as well as compiling measurements and data for analysis and implementing new procedures and methods to reduce our footprint and really make travel matter.

What special training have you undergone that makes you uniquely suited to your role?

I have been busy over the last two years working towards my MBA in Sustainability Leadership studies, which I have found to be incredibly thought-provoking and have really learned so much. Throughout the theoretical learning process, I have been able to apply so much of what I have learned to my job already. I was also fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity through The Travel Corporation to participate in a newly launched course at Harvard University entitled Pursuing Sustainability in the Travel & Tourism Sector, which opened up my eyes to new thoughts and concepts when it comes to sustainability within our industry.

However, formal studies aside, the best learning which I have undergone until now has been over these 19+ years in my career at Uniworld. I have been so incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work within various departments, from Housekeeping to Restaurant and Bar, to Front Desk, and finally becoming Hotel Manager in my last years onboard our ships—and all of this practical knowledge has given me a strong foundation on which I can build on moving forward.

As someone who already had such major responsibilities within the company, what made you decide to take on the Sustainability Officer role?

Growing up in South Africa, I started life with a deep love for animals, and huge respect and appreciation of the spectacular landscapes around me, which I have carried with me to wherever my travels have taken me. I did reach a point some years ago in my career, and with my life in general, where I was questioning what true success actually meant, and I had this need to actively contribute towards something far bigger than myself, or what I initially thought was important. The TreadRight Foundation, and our CEO Brett Tollman, inspired me to look beyond the mainstream concept of luxury travel and what I thought I knew about it and to realize that making a positive difference in our world is not only our responsibility, but a huge opportunity for us as an organization, and also for each of us as travelers, in truly making travel matter.

What, from your perspective, makes sustainability so important at Uniworld?

Here at Uniworld, we are taking thousands of people to multiple locations across the globe every year. We have the responsibility, as well as endless opportunity, to bring positive impact to each port which our ships sail to, and each community which we visit. We can inspire and influence fellow travelers, as well as other organizations with which we partner or fellow organizations within the travel industry.

You are Uniworld’s first Sustainability Officer. What are your goals for the role? What are you hoping to accomplish first? And as a whole?

Besides seeing Uniworld reach net zero status under the TTC umbrella with our How We Tread Right strategy, I’m really looking forward to engaging and inspiring people at all levels of our organization—and even partners, suppliers, and guests—to embed sustainability at the core of everything we do, and for this to be reflected throughout our entire operation. Ultimately, if we can inspire other travelers and organizations to follow us on this journey, then we are one step closer to where we wish to be!

Note: The contents of this article are accurate as of the publication date. Uniworld itineraries and inclusions are subject to change at any time.