Joke de Bruyn Director of Hotel Operations

What inspired you to explore this career path?

Since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to travel and work in hospitality. I started out as a Housekeeper on another river cruise line and within 3 years got promoted to Hotel Manager. By then I had heard a lot about Uniworld and really wanted to join them. I started as a Hotel Manager and over the years moved up to the position I am in now!

What inspires me within this career path is that we are able to spend time with our guests for at least a week and sometimes even longer. This enables us to get to know them better and to give them an amazing holiday, so they go home with wonderful memories. And what pleases me most of all are our many returning guests, which is a confirmation for me that we are going the extra mile and are doing a good job.

What does being a Director of Hotel Operations with Uniworld mean to you?

It means that after progressing my career for many years I finally am where I wanted to be all along. The years I’ve invested in other roles and at other companies all brought me here to Uniworld, the #1 company on the rivers to work for, and that makes me very proud.

It also makes me very humble because I know that I must give 100% each and every day to make sure that I indeed deserve that amazing position. This position is very varied, and there is never a boring day. What I am doing at Uniworld is not simply a job. For me, it is a way of life and I want to spend my time doing something that I love! I love to support other people in their jobs, to help them grow and make the right decisions.

I also get inspired by the feedback of our guests; the compliments they give us as well as the constructive feedback we get. Criticism gives me the motivation to continuously improve wherever we can, and it keeps us alert to stay on the top! 

Do you have any words of wisdom that have helped motivate you in your life or career?

Never forget where you came from, respect each person for who they are and realize that in each person there is some insecurity, just like in yourself.

What advice would you give to other women who are pursuing careers in travel?

Learn as much as you can about your job from every perspective. Take responsibilities even if you feel maybe not too crazy about it as they allow you to grow. Improve your self-awareness and take the chances out there, you can do it!  There are many career possibilities in the travel business, and even if you do not like to travel yourself, there are many positions linked to travel from the comfort of your home place.

This year's International Women's Day theme is #ChooseToChallenge. What are you doing, or will you do, in your role or in your life, to help create a gender equal world?

Another great point to work for Uniworld is that we work very hard to create a gender equal world. Within our company we do not look at the gender, but at the qualifications and the performance of a person. Across our ships, there are many people who work in roles that aren’t traditional for their genders, and we are proud of all of them! Reading about #ChooseToChallenge, I think it’s a great idea and am going to share it with my colleagues to see what we all come up with!