Gillian Tans

“If firms were made to hire according to quotas, it might optimize the percentage of women in the industry, but that doesn't necessarily translate into more quality products for the customer.”

“Not only do we need more women in the technology sector, we also clearly need to refocus energy on improving gender equality in the global economy.”

“Typically, I get to the office around eight o'clock. I have a very mixed schedule, and I always try to keep time for things that are not planned. You need time for whatever might pop up in the week.”

“Eventually, we want to be able to say, whether in your own neighborhood or a city across the globe, our technology will be needed to break through barriers - whether it's money, time, languages, or simply choice.”

“Our mission is to empower people to experience the world.”

“We have many accommodation owners - people who own small hotels, villas and bungalows - and the digital economy has opened up a world of possibility for these business owners. Now, they can sell to and communicate with people around the world, and where Booking.com comes in is to help these accommodation owners adapt to the digital world.”

“If you look around Booking.com, it's a very gender-balanced company.”

“A long time ago, we had to build interfaces to connect with other companies, and I thought that was a great idea. The company had to pay a lot of money to build it and basically launched it, but our whole operating system almost broke. So, we couldn't continue it. In the end, I had to go on the train to Paris to explain that I had spent millions.”

“For me, it's about taking things that do not take a lot of space. Don't take a lot of shoes. I tend to pack a lot of dresses, for instance, because they take up less space.”

“We know that companies which have more women in leadership positions have a better performance.”

“We believe in global scalability with local relevance.”

“From the early days, Booking.com has been disruptive. Our aim is to create the best product for our customers, and we do that through constant innovation and testing.”

“Both business and leisure travellers are enjoying unprecedented levels of choice.”

“We have built out the diversity of our product teams, and we saw the caliber of our testing and experimentation improve significantly.”

“Employing women is good for business.”

“We want to make sure that we have the right products for Chinese people.”

“As a company powered by technology and digital innovation, Booking.com believes strongly in ensuring equal access and opportunity for all within the technology sector.”

“Friction still exists in travel, and we are on a quest to go even further to make the entire experience - from planning to staying and beyond - even easier with technology.”