Category: Meet the Escapers

Meet the Execs: Charlotte Horne, Group Legal Director

We are thrilled to welcome Charlotte Horne, Group Legal Director, to our Leadership team at Secret Escapes. Charlotte brings with her 11 years of experience within the legal world having previously worked as a corporate and commercial lawyer at a London-based law firm. We sat down to find out a little more about life for Charlotte both inside and outside of SE.

Tell us a little more about your journey at Secret Escapes

I joined in 2018 as the second lawyer in the business. It was quite a broad role covering everything from new products and territories to commercial contracts and customer complaints, plus a few extensive, disruptive new laws that were coming in (including GDPR!). There has been a huge amount of group growth over the years with acquisitions such as EML and Travelbird and as a result, my role grew alongside this.

I was then made Senior Legal Counsel and our team further expanded. I then moved into the role as Head of Legal when my predecessor left in 2022, which was slightly hectic (and unexpected) as I was also three months pregnant at the time. I had to hire my mat leave cover, grow the existing team and prepare for a child all at once – it’s safe to say I was a little overwhelmed!

It’s amazing to have another woman on our Leadership Team. Do you feel there are still any barriers or challenges for women in Senior Leadership roles?

I think the biggest barrier for myself personally is imposter syndrome and I think a lot of women can probably relate. I talk a lot about making your own luck and actively seeking out roles/opportunities to develop and challenge yourself. Being out of your comfort zone is great for development and allows you to see what you’re really capable of.

However, imposter syndrome really is a barrier to that, especially if all you’re seeing is males in that position or role that you’re wanting to step into.

I felt that a lot when I moved into the Head of Legal role. My first reaction to it was questioning whether I was ready for it, focussing so much on what the previous Head of Legal (who was male) was like in that role.

I had a lot of coaching and went through a process to realise that I didn’t need to step into my predecessor’s shoes at all, but recognise why I was the right for it and what I could bring to it instead. I can truthfully say I didn’t feel this doubt moving into Leadership however and I am delighted to be another woman on the team alongside Louise Nolder.

What’s been the biggest challenge in your career to date?

I think it follows on from the above – the transition into Head of Legal was probably the hardest part of my career. My first reply genuinely was ‘but do you know I’m pregnant?’. I just assumed that this would be a barrier. It was also quite challenging finding my mat cover – I literally had candidates asking whether I was planning to come back, whether this would be a permanent role and this really played into my personal fears and imposter syndrome at the time.

I had to hire a new team, get them comfortable with the transition and then prepare the whole team for my mat leave cover and it all felt very daunting. Also, when you invest so much time in creating a team you are really excited about, it then feels so scary having to hand that over to someone else. Thankfully my mat cover did an amazing job and the team is so strong now.

It’s so easy to underestimate what a huge deal it is to step away from a role for a year and then the challenges you face coming back after what feels like so much time off at the time. Not to mention, you are a new mum and facing new challenges outside of work too.

What are you most excited about for this new position?

Our team works across the wider business and has a lot of touch points with so many roles. So I am excited to have the opportunity to be more strategic and bring new ideas and solutions to different areas and teams.

I think I’m really excited about the broader company strategy and how I can bring a different perspective to this too. We have a great, really experienced leadership team that have a wealth of experience and I’m excited to learn more from them all.

How would you describe the culture at SE in 3 words?

Stimulating, supportive, resilient

What’s your favourite travel destination?

Val D’Isere, as this is where I met my husband. In a big cliche fashion I was on holiday with friends and he was one of the chalet managers… we also got engaged there (not on the same trip for the record!)

I have lots of special memories there and although we’re skiing next year, we are actually going to La Plagne. Our daughter will be two and a half and we’ve bought her a unicorn ski suit with wings… we’re yet to know if she can ski, but least she will look cute!

What is life like outside of SE?

A lot crammed in! Especially with Sofia (my 2 year old), mainly all manner of family logistics! As a family, we all love being active so a typical weekend involves me having some downtime and going to CrossFit and then rushing back to take Sofia swimming / soft play / all the activities after that! However, I am also a HUGE fan of soft play as I get to be a big kid and go in with her…it still feels very novel!

We will usually also take a long walk as a family…and by long, I mean in terms of time as it takes her HOURS to do a tiny lap round a pond near home! Followed by a roast with family and friends.

Introducing our Mental Health First Aiders

As part of Secret Escapes’ commitment to promoting positive mental health in the workplace, we’re pleased to introduce a new team of Mental Health First Aiders.

Accredited by Mental Health First Aid England, our newly qualified Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) are based in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, and are on hand to provide support to anyone who may be experiencing poor mental health or emotional distress.

We’re passionate about boosting employee well-being and maintaining a healthy workplace, and we believe that providing effective support to colleagues experiencing poor mental health is a way of putting the Secret Escapes values into practice. We also know that good quality mental health support can genuinely make a positive difference to well-being at work. 

Mental Health First Aiders can:

  • ​Act as a point of contact to reassure colleagues in emotional distress or experiencing poor mental health
  • Listen non-judgmentally and hold supportive conversations (confidentially)
  • Signpost colleagues to professional help
  • Identify the signs and symptoms for a range of mental health conditions
  • Use a five-step action plan to assist someone experiencing poor mental health

Mental Health Network Leaders

Eleni Kabra – Senior Manager, Global Images and Operations Projects

Ellena Kkolos – Interim Global Head of Editorial


It’s also important to note that MHFAs are not qualified to provide counselling, diagnosis or ongoing support, and they can’t be available outside their normal working hours – but colleagues can also access 24/7 confidential advice through the Employee Assistance Programme and medical support via Medicash and Vitality healthcare. 

Meet our Apprentices – National Apprenticeship Week

At Secret Escapes we are lucky to have several apprentices in our teams. The theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week was "Skills for Life", so we got together with a few of our talented apprentices to discover what skills they’ve learned and how they are going to use them to excel in their careers.

 

Get to know Owen Flanagan, our Software Engineer

Owen tells us “since joining Secret Escapes as an apprentice 8 years ago, I’ve developed a lot. Doing a Degree Apprenticeship means studying for courses, writing essays and completing exams, but I have had to combine this with my full-time job in the Tech Support team.

So, over the years I’ve improved my ability to organise my work and manage my time, to allow me to handle both. However, one of the biggest differences I’ve found since I first joined Secret Escapes is my confidence and ability to communicate with different people. I remember being nervous and overawed for a lot of my first year but now I feel at home and able to handle whatever comes my way.”

 

Get to know Marek Serzeniewski our Operating Senior Project Manager

Marek has been at Secret Escapes for 10 years and is currently completing a level 6 Project Manager degree apprenticeship. Marek tells us “when I embarked on my IT Project Manager degree apprenticeship, I slightly underestimated the learning curve I was about to take. Being (ahem) slightly older than the average student, I hadn’t quite realised that being a student required specific skills.

I left higher education some 20 years ago, and since then have acquired professional skills. Skills that help me in the day-to-day business world. They say you can never truly unlearn something. I guess that should extend to include what I call “student skills”. The ability to read reference materials for periods of time without getting distracted, or referencing in a specific way. I think for the first few weeks of my apprenticeship, I spent more time learning how to reference “Harvard” style than I did actually studying the course content itself!

What I did learn, and am in a constant state of self-development in, is the “student skills” that support me, that add credit to the work that I am doing. The ability to communicate more clearly, and more confidently than before. I have learnt a better, more structured way of working and managing components of my work, studies and day-to-day life. This may sound like an exaggeration, but what I think it boils down to is my mindset. I have developed my mindset around continuously improving aspects of myself.”

 

Get to know Shianne Stannard, our Risk Manager

Shianne has been at Secret Escapes for 5 years and has just completed a level 6 Senior Risk and Compliance Specialist degree apprenticeship.

Shianne says “I’m so grateful to have been able to update my knowledge bank, especially the ESG & External Environment and Cyber Security masterclasses as these weren’t as widely considered in the Risk Management realm when I did my MSc or when I started my career.”

A massive thank you to all of our apprentices who took part in our posts this week, it’s been great to hear how they have been developing their skills and knowledge in their chosen career paths.

If you’d like to find out more about our apprenticeship schemes, please get in touch!