Women of Skift Spotlight: Nina Gold, Senior Consultant at Skift Search

Meet Nina Gold, Skift’s newest team member, who will join the community at the upcoming Women Leading Travel Forum next month. With a background spanning hotels, cruise ships and executive search, Gold brings a people-first perspective shaped by global experience, curiosity and connection.

What do you love most about the travel, hospitality or media industry?
The people. At their core, hotel and hospitality leaders are customer service people, and that tends to shape everything about how they think, communicate and lead. No two conversations are ever really the same, and everyone’s story is genuinely unique. Today, working in executive search, it’s that depth of conversation that keeps me hooked because every interaction shifts something.

I also love the many different career opportunities the industry presents. I couldn’t have predicted, when I first started working in hotels and on cruise ships, where the industry would take me — places I’d never even heard of, like Ushuaia, and introductions to people I would never have crossed paths with otherwise. Embracing that sense of the unknown has never left me, and I still love the idea of traveling without a fully mapped-out plan. I could never have planned this career path in advance, and I think that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding.

What is something the community may be surprised to learn about you?
As much as I love people, I also love escaping city life on bike-packing adventures across Europe and long-distance endurance cycling events. For me, the focus of these trips is self-sufficiency and endurance rather than speed, and being out on the open road surrounded by beautiful scenery is something I never tire of.

What’s the toughest part of leading a team?
The patience, commitment and perseverance needed to consistently support a team’s development, empowering and encouraging great people to eventually move on, and then beginning the cycle again. Leading well is a never-ending investment, and the real test is staying focused and present through that constant evolution.

What is one global industry trend you’re closely tracking and why?
I’m fascinated by the tension between borders and belonging. As nations and institutions seem increasingly drawn toward closing down and pulling inward, most individuals I speak with are craving the opposite — connection, lived experience and seeing the world with their own eyes rather than through a screen.

There’s also a real contradiction emerging around how we work. Many people have embraced remote and hybrid models, and there’s a growing tendency to stay put rather than relocate for a new role. I understand the appeal, but I believe we need to find balance. We have to keep meeting, keep interacting and keep looking each other in the eye. Our ability to appreciate cultural differences, develop social skills and learn from one another depends on it. In hospitality especially, that human connection is not just a nice-to-have — it’s the whole point.

What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the past year?
Not just in the past year, but looking back more broadly, I’ve realized the moments that shaped me most were the ones where I said yes without fully knowing how things would pan out. I’ve often had to figure things out along the way: a round-the-world trip, moving to London, switching from hotels to executive search and becoming self-employed after Covid.

None of it was meticulously planned, but it all made sense, and each step built on the experience of the one before it.

I’ve learned I’m comfortable taking those leaps of faith and that they’re often where the most rewarding opportunities come from.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
On my first day in a new job, stepping into my first managerial role many years ago, my boss took me aside and said, “This is your chance to redefine yourself. Walking out of this room and into the main office, who do you want to be moving forward?”

That has always stayed with me. Every change, even when it’s challenging, presents a new opportunity to reset, start again and perhaps do things differently — and often, in doing so, surprise ourselves in ways we might not have thought possible.

What values are most important to you as a leader?
I share Jacinda Ardern’s view that “it takes courage and strength to be empathetic,” and I believe our industry demonstrates that every day. Hospitality and travel are inherently volatile, and yet we remain among the most resilient sectors. In my view, resilience does not happen without empathy at the leadership level.

When customer experience sits at the heart of everything, the leaders who stay close to their teams and remain honest and grounded during times of uncertainty are the ones who bring people with them.

For me, empathy and understanding are essential. They create the conditions for more meaningful professional relationships and, ultimately, stronger, more connected teams.

What do you do to recharge or reset?
I hop back on my bike and head out onto the open road — ideally with a packet of Percy Pigs tucked into my pocket — riding all day, stopping for afternoon tea and cake, and chasing the sunset. It’s the perfect way to reset.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Aim high, back yourself and find a mentor who believes in you. Give yourself time to explore what fits — and what doesn’t — and if you find a company that feels right, give it time and trust the process. Building skills, knowledge and relationships takes patience, but it can be incredibly rewarding when you allow those things to grow over time.

Spend time in the office, with teams and leaders. Develop your social skills and be open to everything the hospitality industry has to offer — travel, relocation and the chance to live and work in different countries and cultures.

Stay flexible and curious. You don’t always need a five- or 10-year plan. Opportunities have a way of presenting themselves when you least expect them.

Above all, be true to yourself. You no longer need to adapt yourself to fit a room. Find your voice and trust it. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, the one thing that will always matter in hospitality is genuine human connection, authenticity and shared experience.

What do you value most about joining the Women Leading Travel community?
Joining the Women Leading Travel community was genuinely one of the most compelling aspects of coming to Skift. I’ve always loved connecting people, making sure everyone feels included and watching those relationships grow into something meaningful over time.

The idea of a space where women can connect on their own terms — to find their voice, shape their own path and access the support they need to step up — is something I’m incredibly excited to help build and grow, particularly on this side of the pond with all the energy and opportunity London has to offer.