Women Leaders in Meetings: Anne Marie Rogers
Anne Marie Rogers believes in the power of women to elevate other women — and she lives it every day.
Women leaders often describe finding themselves at a place where they finally feel they have 'arrived.' They're confident, with a strong network — at the top of their game. That's when they turn their focus to how they can elevate others, their industries, and their communities.
Anne Marie Rogers is at that place, and just loving this phase of her journey. With almost 30 years at Direct Travel, she was recently promoted to vice president, meetings & events. She is a founding member of the Women In Leadership committee of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), a group whose mission is to advance other women. As a member of the SITE Foundation's Executive Committee, she also works on programs for the organization's 'Young Leaders.' At home, she volunteers with the University of Minnesota's children's hospital.
Skift Meetings asked Rogers about her philosophies around motivating her multigenerational team of sourcing managers, tech experts, and meeting planners. She also shared her journey as a SITE leader, and her passion for giving back.
How would you describe your leadership style?
A true leader knows when to get involved and when to be hands-off. One of my leaders told me a long time ago that people tend to perform to the level that you let them. Our company president told me once: 'Hire a great team and then get out of their way.'
When you expect that your team's going to do great things, they do.
As a leader, what are the challenges that keep you up at night?
Keeping good talent. There are so many options these days, and you want to make sure that your people feel supported, motivated, and inspired.
Everybody works differently. I've got the younger ones who want to work at midnight, and then people with young families who are working around those schedules.
I do one-on-ones with people every other week, and we do our team meetings every other week. But it's really about just listening — listening is so important. I'm just trying to make sure that they have everything they need, because they're all smart, great people who know their jobs.
In the old days, if anyone thought people were feeling left out, you would just put everyone in the conference room and you'd talk it out. You could have those spontaneous conversations. I think you need to be a lot more intentional these days to make sure your team feels supported and communicated with.
How is your job changing right now?
The polarization and everything going on right now does impact conferences and meetings. It's been important to reassure clients that we're managing their budgets and that we're flexible, and to find a way to still honor all the things that these companies are looking for.
Take sustainability. It comes up all the time now, and we are asked about our sustainability policy. For a program we just did in Ireland, we sourced all local gifts.
You can't do cut-and-paste programs. They all have to be interesting, exciting, and creative. It keeps you on your toes.
How did you end up leading SITE's Women in Leadership Committee?
The group started as a more informal gathering of women who wanted to support each other and do projects for women. We were doing some research and podcasts, and then Rhonda Brewer (vice president of sales at Motivation Excellence) asked me if I would take it over.
My favorite thing about Women in Leadership is that our small committee — and now we are building it up to serve the larger SITE community — has focused on women elevating other women. It's about really listening to what people need and sharing what you need without feeling threatened by being vulnerable. I have found that community to be an amazing group of really strong, powerful women who are so secure that they're not afraid to ask for or offer help.
Back in the day when I was in my 20s, you would never reach out to people, especially your manager, for help. These women are so ready to share their knowledge, and that inspires me so much.
Can you share your experiences giving back, both to the industry through SITE and as a volunteer helping children with cancer?
I never realized when I started volunteering with SITE's Young Leaders program how two-way mentorship is. I feel like I've learned more than maybe they've learned.
I really value that authentic, fresh viewpoint they bring, like asking why we are doing things a certain way. They're not afraid to shake it up and throw out the big, scary ideas.
I get off those calls thinking, 'These people are the light of our future. They are the best and the brightest.'
As far as my volunteering, my dad was always very involved with the University of Minnesota. But when I got involved with their children's hospital, you see how it makes a difference. and how these kids are fighting for their lives. And I realized that what we do there can make a real difference.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Arm CEO Sides With Nvidia Against US Export Limits on China
Arm Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Rene Haas said Thursday that US export controls on China threaten to slow overall technological advances and are ultimately bad for consumers and companies, aligning himself with Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang and others looking to ease tensions between Washington and Beijing. 'If you narrow access to to technology and you force other ecosystems to grow up, it's not good,' Haas said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg at the Founders Forum Global conference in Oxford. 'It makes the pie smaller, if you will. And frankly, it's not very good for consumers.' He also noted that Arm's footprint in China is 'quite significant.'
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump's agenda faces a $22 billion test from markets
Standard, boring bond auctions are drawing the attention of investors around the globe. The Treasury Department on Thursday will sell $22 billion worth of 30-year government bonds, in what will serve as a gauge of investors' appetite for US debt. All eyes are on whether there is weak demand, particularly from foreign investors. The Treasury auction, which is a regularly scheduled event, has become a closely watched barometer for how Wall Street is feeling about the Trump administration's policy agenda. A poor auction could reignite jitters about America's debt burden, President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' and the ability for lawmakers to get the country's finances in order. If there is weak demand for 30-year bonds at Thursday's auction, that would push yields higher. Bond yields and prices have an inverse relationship. When there is strong demand for bonds, prices rise and yields fall. Vice versa, when there is weak demand for bonds, prices fall and yields rise. Higher yields would squeeze the government with higher borrowing costs. Treasury yields are also benchmark interest rates for the economy, and higher yields can mean higher borrowing costs for consumers on everyday items including auto loans and credit cards. Long-term US debt, which is usually considered the safe, risk-free corner of the market, has come under scrutiny as Trump's tax bill is set to add to the federal debt burden. 'The idea that the US fiscal position is unsustainable over the long run has been frequently noted for years, but it has taken the current set of circumstances to get market participants to begin pushing back,' John Canavan, lead US analyst at Oxford Economics, said in a Wednesday note. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds have soared this year as investors have demanded more compensation for what is looking like a riskier long-term loan to the US government. These concerns were exacerbated in May after Moody's downgraded the US, stripping the nation of its last perfect credit rating. 'The Moody's downgrade occurred as the ability to easily finance growing deficits increasingly comes into question,' Canavan said. 'Trump's tariff decisions are likely to raise inflation over the near term, while lowering economic growth and leading foreign investors to question the safe-haven allure of Treasury debt.' This is the first 30-year Treasury auction since Wall Street has begun focusing on the details of Trump's mega bill and the deficit, making it an important gauge of sentiment, Collin Martin, a fixed income strategist at Charles Schwab, told CNN. 'There's a concern that yields might need to rise to attract more and more investors to keep buying,' Martin said. 'If it's a weak auction, we'll probably see yields rise relatively sharply, because that might spook investors,' Martin added, 'and on the flip side, if it ends up being a pretty good auction, that would probably allow the markets to kind of breathe a sigh of relief that, okay, there is enough demand.' There is robust demand for shorter-term Treasuries like 10-year bonds, according to Chip Hughey, managing director for fixed income at Truist Advisory Services. An auction for 10-year Treasuries on Wednesday saw strong demand both for domestic and global investors. Yet investors have shown hesitancy about longer-duration bonds like the 30-year bond, Hughey said. Investors are increasingly uncertain about the long-term outlook for the US debt burden, giving them pause about the risk associated with loaning money to the government over a longer period. 'There certainly is a little bit of hesitancy about taking on a great deal of duration, just given the uncertainty around trade policy and deficits, and also what that would mean for your future debt supply,' Hughey said. 'The 30-year reflects the uncertainties around those more structural questions around budget deficits and the US debt load going forward.' In May, the 30-year yield spiked to its highest level since 2023 after a Treasury auction for 20-year bonds that saw weak demand. Pacific Investment Management Company, a global fixed income firm, said in a Tuesday report that bonds still look relatively attractive and affordable compared to stocks. However, Pimco expects to focus and be 'overweight' to 5- and 10-year bonds, while being less focused and 'underweight' to longer-term bonds. Martin at Charles Schwab said that while concerns about the deficit linger, investors are also assessing factors like inflation and the path of potential Federal Reserve rate cuts. The latest data showed that consumer prices cooled more than expected in May. Fixed income assets like bonds can become more appealing when inflation is cooling. 'We still find yields pretty attractive, and our outlook on the safety of US Treasuries hasn't changed,' Martin said. Elsewhere in markets, US stocks opened lower on Thursday. The Dow was lower by 250 points, or 0.6%. The broader S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.25%. The S&P 500 is hovering near an all-time high, but has stalled in recent trading and is coming off a day in the red. The US dollar broadly weakened on Thursday as investors wrestle with continued tariff uncertainty. The US dollar index, which measures the dollar's strength against six major foreign currencies, tumbled almost 1% and fell to its lowest level since 2022. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump's agenda faces a $22 billion test from markets
Standard, boring bond auctions are drawing the attention of investors around the globe. The Treasury Department on Thursday will sell $22 billion worth of 30-year government bonds, in what will serve as a gauge of investors' appetite for US debt. All eyes are on whether there is weak demand, particularly from foreign investors. The Treasury auction, which is a regularly scheduled event, has become a closely watched barometer for how Wall Street is feeling about the Trump administration's policy agenda. A poor auction could reignite jitters about America's debt burden, President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' and the ability for lawmakers to get the country's finances in order. If there is weak demand for 30-year bonds at Thursday's auction, that would push yields higher. Bond yields and prices have an inverse relationship. When there is strong demand for bonds, prices rise and yields fall. Vice versa, when there is weak demand for bonds, prices fall and yields rise. Higher yields would squeeze the government with higher borrowing costs. Treasury yields are also benchmark interest rates for the economy, and higher yields can mean higher borrowing costs for consumers on everyday items including auto loans and credit cards. Long-term US debt, which is usually considered the safe, risk-free corner of the market, has come under scrutiny as Trump's tax bill is set to add to the federal debt burden. 'The idea that the US fiscal position is unsustainable over the long run has been frequently noted for years, but it has taken the current set of circumstances to get market participants to begin pushing back,' John Canavan, lead US analyst at Oxford Economics, said in a Wednesday note. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds have soared this year as investors have demanded more compensation for what is looking like a riskier long-term loan to the US government. These concerns were exacerbated in May after Moody's downgraded the US, stripping the nation of its last perfect credit rating. 'The Moody's downgrade occurred as the ability to easily finance growing deficits increasingly comes into question,' Canavan said. 'Trump's tariff decisions are likely to raise inflation over the near term, while lowering economic growth and leading foreign investors to question the safe-haven allure of Treasury debt.' This is the first 30-year Treasury auction since Wall Street has begun focusing on the details of Trump's mega bill and the deficit, making it an important gauge of sentiment, Collin Martin, a fixed income strategist at Charles Schwab, told CNN. 'There's a concern that yields might need to rise to attract more and more investors to keep buying,' Martin said. 'If it's a weak auction, we'll probably see yields rise relatively sharply, because that might spook investors,' Martin added, 'and on the flip side, if it ends up being a pretty good auction, that would probably allow the markets to kind of breathe a sigh of relief that, okay, there is enough demand.' There is robust demand for shorter-term Treasuries like 10-year bonds, according to Chip Hughey, managing director for fixed income at Truist Advisory Services. An auction for 10-year Treasuries on Wednesday saw strong demand both for domestic and global investors. Yet investors have shown hesitancy about longer-duration bonds like the 30-year bond, Hughey said. Investors are increasingly uncertain about the long-term outlook for the US debt burden, giving them pause about the risk associated with loaning money to the government over a longer period. 'There certainly is a little bit of hesitancy about taking on a great deal of duration, just given the uncertainty around trade policy and deficits, and also what that would mean for your future debt supply,' Hughey said. 'The 30-year reflects the uncertainties around those more structural questions around budget deficits and the US debt load going forward.' In May, the 30-year yield spiked to its highest level since 2023 after a Treasury auction for 20-year bonds that saw weak demand. Pacific Investment Management Company, a global fixed income firm, said in a Tuesday report that bonds still look relatively attractive and affordable compared to stocks. However, Pimco expects to focus and be 'overweight' to 5- and 10-year bonds, while being less focused and 'underweight' to longer-term bonds. Martin at Charles Schwab said that while concerns about the deficit linger, investors are also assessing factors like inflation and the path of potential Federal Reserve rate cuts. The latest data showed that consumer prices cooled more than expected in May. Fixed income assets like bonds can become more appealing when inflation is cooling. 'We still find yields pretty attractive, and our outlook on the safety of US Treasuries hasn't changed,' Martin said. Elsewhere in markets, US stocks opened lower on Thursday. The Dow was lower by 250 points, or 0.6%. The broader S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.25%. The S&P 500 is hovering near an all-time high, but has stalled in recent trading and is coming off a day in the red. The US dollar broadly weakened on Thursday as investors wrestle with continued tariff uncertainty. The US dollar index, which measures the dollar's strength against six major foreign currencies, tumbled almost 1% and fell to its lowest level since 2022. This is a developing story and will be updated.
