Isobel Heikkinen talks trans visibility, travel, and equality

In a recent feature with Attitude Magazine, Isobel Heikkinen spoke to myGwork about why her role as Innovation Lab Specialist at Booking.com is more than a career; it’s a mission fuelled by personal experience and a genuine commitment to inspiring a more inclusive world.

Check out a preview of the article, and a link to the full feature with Isobel below.

“When I joined Booking, everybody was from different countries, and there were a lot of Finnish people,” she explains. “In addition to being an immigrant, being a trans person and being a part of the LGBTQ community, there were people also in Booking who were part of that community. So, I thought ‘okay, this feels more homely’.”

Booking.com’s commitment to diversity extends beyond mere representation, though. The company encourages an incredibly accepting environment and provides consistent resources for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies. “There’s no shame. Freely be yourself. Freely wear your rainbows, everything,” Isobel says. The Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) offer a space for community building, education, and advocacy, with events like book clubs, movie nights, and volunteering opportunities.

Isobel’s personal journey as a trans woman has been a lifelong process. “I represent the T in LGBTQIA+. I’m a trans woman, and to be honest, that has been my identity in a way since I was a child,” she shares. Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, a less informative time for trans issues and representation, Isobel waited until she felt secure before coming out at 19. It was, as she describes, like waking up from a long sleep, finally free to live as her true self. “It feels like you’re hibernating, and then you finally wake up. That’s how I like to think about it. I’ve been just hibernating those first 19 years, just watching the world go by around, and you’re frozen in place.”

Continue the full article on Attitude here.