His FCTG career has taken him from London to Brisbane, and across corporate, leisure and support roles. Ben used 2020 as his year to try something new and different, before returning to his beloved team in Learning & Development. 

During his two-year backpacking stint across Europe in his early twenties, like many other young backpackers, Ben caught the travel bug hard and after returning home, decided to study Travel and Tourism before landing his first role in the industry as a wholesale consultant for Sunlover Holidays. Ben then made his next move into a role in corporate travel, where he remained for over ten years and included a move to London before eventually moving into a training and content writing role which enabled him to travel and work all over Europe.

When it was finally time to come back home to Australia, Ben began his FCTG journey as a consultant for Corporate Traveller, where he enjoyed being back on the front line. In 2016, Ben decided to take on his next challenge, joining the CT Implementations team configuring back-end systems and onboarding new customers to products before being presented an opportunity arose to join the Flight Centre Brand Learning and Development team as an Instructional Designer. Ben jumped at this chance as he would be returning to writing and training content, where his true passion lies.

In late 2020, feeling it was time to take a risk and branch out at something different, Ben made the decision to leave FCTG to explore the world outside of the travel industry. As it turns out, you can take the man out of travel but never the travel out of the man and after a year away, returned to FCTG in late 2021.

“My FCTG journey was not over. After experiencing different companies and cultures it was a no brainer to come back home” Ben says.

“The FCTG culture is like nothing I have ever experienced. The pure feeling of family, pride, hard work and a lot of fun. The grass is not always greener.”

Ben returned to his previous role in the Learning and Development team which he couldn’t be prouder to be part of.

"Our work is constantly changing, not one day is the same. There is always something to do and new initiatives coming out that we need to deliver to the business in an engaging and meaningful way,” he professes.

“My team are inspirational, they get in, get it done all while having a laugh.”

With so many fond memories from his years at FCTG to choose from, Ben finds it hard to single out his favourite but recalls one highlight while on a famil; making snow angels on the middle of the sidewalk with random New Yorkers he had met at a dive bar.

“If there is one thing, I could share with our alumni audience it is to never say never” Ben says.