Last night Karen Merricks, as named #1 on the 2025 Women in Travel Power List at an awards dinner held in Sydney.
Karen Merricks has never been about traditional ideas of success – she’s helped reshape them! When she and her husband Roy started MTA over 25 years ago, it came from something many women will understand: wanting to put family first and step away from the pressure of a busy retail travel store.
A quarter of a century later, Karen and Roy have sold MTA to Helloworld, but the company’s purpose hasn’t shifted. Long before working from home was mainstream, Karen created a way for women to build a thriving travel career from anywhere. In an industry where caring responsibilities still fall predominantly to women, she built a model that offered real freedom, flexibility and a chance to earn fair money. It changed lives then, and it’s still doing that today.
Even as MTA has grown, the mission hasn’t wavered: to put people first and support advisors – especially women – to build a business that fits the life they want.
Karen took a simple idea and turned it into a success story that’s empowered thousands. And now, her name sits proudly alongside some of the biggest names in travel on this year’s Power List – recognition that couldn’t be more deserved.
Congratulations, Karen! 👏👏👏
https://travelweekly.com.au/the-2025-women-in-travel-power-list-is-here/