Travel Maven Maggie Moran Is Changing the Way We Book Flights
Ladies First highlights women and girls who are making the world better for the rest of us.
If you’ve ever used flight-booking app Hopper before, you know how easy it makes buying that romantic trip to Hawaii or girls’ weekend to Vegas.
One of the brains behind this innovative app is none other than 29-year-old Head of Product Maggie Moran. She landed at the company four years ago and now shapes Hopper’s future direction, working with the team at large to transform ideas into strategy and build out new features on the app.
“The coolest part of my job is that every day, I get to work with incredibly bright, creative people on solving complex problems for which I have an insane amount of passion,” says Moran. “Oh, and I get to bring my dog Rosie to work.”
Moran’s background actually isn’t in tech — she was an English and sociology double major. Fresh out of college, she landed at a startup where she dallied in operations, marketing, and, finally, product development, which she fell in love with.
“English and sociology degrees aren’t tech,” says Moran. “But synthesizing information, clearly communicating a thesis, handling ambiguity, thinking critically, understanding human behavior — those skills are pretty crucial.”
Moran’s been an avid traveler ever since she was a kid. Backpacking with her brother, solo vacations to bougie beach hotels, and long weekends at Airbnbs with friends are all up her alley, though South Africa remains the most fascinating destination she’s ever visited.
“I really love animals, so getting to see the Big Five (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros) amble around the bush was one of those dream-like experiences,” says Moran.
She adds: “And the sunsets didn’t suck.”
Thankfully, her job offers plenty of opportunity to travel. Aside from jaunts to the company’s head offices in Montreal and Massachusetts, Hopper also lets her work remotely — she just returned from a trip to Spain and the Netherlands.
It’s an exciting place to be right now; Hopper’s considered a disruptive force in the travel industry. Most people still book flights on their desktop computer, but Hopper is banking on a global trend that favors mobile.
For now, Moran continues to forge forward and find ways to make Hopper even more intuitive. And while the tech industry is a notoriously tough place to work for women, Moran thankfully hasn’t personally experienced any sexism. That said, she wants to make one thing loud and clear to men in the industry.
“Check yourself and welcome women to the table as your equals,” advises Moran. “We don’t need to make women prove themselves; the responsibility isn’t on them to be accepted.”
What apps or tech do you use to make travel easier, whether it’s for business or pleasure? Tell us @BritandCo.
(Photos via Hopper and Maggie Moran)
