Born and bred on the beautiful island of Grand Turk, Tanya Nicole Swann is a single parent who has honed her skills in the tourism industry for the past 25 years and has now anchored her growth with her nearly 19-year tenure at Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) resort.
Having joined BTC in 2004, Tanya first started as an administrative assistant in the food and beverage department. With her keen desire to grow and expand in the industry and with the resort, Tanya would find herself gaining valuable experience along the way as hostess in the resorts expansive number of restaurants.
While honing her experiences, Tanya expanded her skillset which saw her transferring, within the first few years, to the sales and weddings department as the administrative assistant and then as executive administrative assistant in the General Manager’s office at the resort.
With a focus on growth always at the forefront of her mind, through the resort company’s learning and development department, Tanya went on to acquire her associates, bachelors and masters degrees which propelled her into various leadership positions which include banqueting coordinator, senior sales executive, senior sales manager, resort sales manager, and currently director of sales groups and conventions.
“Joining the family here at Beaches Turks and Caicos was the best career decision that I have made in my life. This organisation gives everyone the opportunity to grow and expand beyond what he or she may have envisioned,” Swann shared.
Tanya’s steady growth within the industry has been fueled by her intrinsic philosophy of always giving her best in what she does, approaching any day-to-day challenges with the best tools - confidence, communication and active listening.
Highlighting her ability to adapt to challenging situations and turn them into successes, Tanya shared, “we learn something new every day in our lives both personally and professionally and we make choices that will affect us in the present and for our future endeavours. We oftentimes will be faced with difficulties, however, along the way we learn that excellence comes from within individuals who are willing to work hard to reach and achieve their goals and make something of themselves, not just to please others but also to please themselves.”
Even as she grows within the organisation however, Tanya also remains committed to allowing others to grow and experience their fullest potential. “My most rewarding period with this company is in helping others to grow. I live my life based on succession planning and this has allowed me to groom others into becoming effective leaders. Being able to see the growth process with my colleagues has been a rewarding feeling as allowing others to grow will make this island a better place,” Swann shared.
Tanya has also furthered her academic experience with the completion of a leadership and management diploma course. She is confident her achievements, experiences and interactions attribute to her impact on those around her.
Maxine Salmon, kids camp counsellor said, “Ms Tanya is a mentor and friend who is always willing to help her fellow team members grow as professionals. She has a warm and welcoming personality which makes her approachable. She is always finding ways to encourage us to do as many online courses that are offered by the company through the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) for our own development and to also get involved in volunteerism at the resort and in our communities.”
James McAnally, general manager at BTC shared: “Tanya is a dynamo. She is capable of leading not only from a resort’s perspective but in the wider society. We are privileged to have her as one of our influential leaders who continues to provide herculean service to not only our employees but the thousands of guests who visit our shores.”
Tanya attributes her success within the industry primarily to support and grooming from former Sandals and Beaches leaders such as the late David Roper, her then Corporate office Director of Industry Relations as well as former resort Executive Manager, Michael Thompson, who allowed her to grow as a leader in her own right. She also gave credit to retired leaders Josef Zellner, former general manager and Fredrick Hamilton the first food and beverage director who allowed her to develop a passion for the industry and especially the Sandals and Beaches culture of leadership.