What’s something we love about Tigris? The inspiring, passionate female President and CEO, Serena Holmes. Serena has been with Tigris for 12+ years & brings 16 years combined industry experience. Her core expertise ranges from management & staffing, event planning, to experiential & logistics. Serena is involved in project management for the company’s biggest clients along with driving company marketing and sales.

Learn more about Serena and you’ll quickly realize why we admire and respect everything this amazing woman stands for!

Interview with Serena Holmes, Female President and CEO of Tigris Events

How did your journey as the female President and CEO of Tigris begin? 
I knew the original female president and CEO Tigris when she was still working with another company, although I never really dealt with her outside of my initial interview in 2002. In April of 2004, I got a call from her asking if I’d be interested in working with her at Tigris and another company she had started. At that time, I had just graduated from university and needed the money so I got started right away. Within a few months, she offered me management and by April of 2005, partnership. At first, I was hesitant, as I was pursuing journalism but took the chance. The founder left the company in 2008 which led to a buy out spanning 2 years. Here I am, 13 years later!

What motivates you to get up and do a great job every day?
Many already know that I love the opportunity to help others. Getting involved in events really changed my life. It helped me come out of my shell and really develop as a young adult. I believe we are able to offer young adults the same experiences and also, ensure they are well taken care of. In addition, it’s exciting to work with such a wide range of brands and help them achieve their goals. The relationships we have built with our clients have spanned a decade in some cases. Nothing could be a better testament to the quality of work we do.

If you could go one place in the world, where would it be and why?

Thankfully, I’ve been lucky to be able to travel in the past few years and have gone to some of the places I’d love to go. This said, I’d love to go to Borneo, Indonesia and see the Leuser eco-system. It’s the only place in the world where the orangutan, Sumatran elephant, rhinos and tigers still exist. Sadly, it’s being decimated for palm oil plantations and may not be here in 5-10 years.

What makes your life rewarding?
The opportunity to help others has always been important to me. Tigris provides work opportunities to thousands of young adults across the country. I find that incredibly rewarding especially considering how hard it is to get ahead these days.

Is what you’re doing now what you always wanted to do growing up?

No, it’s not! It was in university that I discovered what promotions were. I loved investigative journalism and documentary making the most but it was a very difficult industry to get started in. You really had to consider moving to a small town and working your way back over the span of 10 years. Tigris literally landed in my lap right out of school and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up so I changed my course.

Describe your ideal weekend.
Our weeks are generally very busy so the weekend is a great time to recharge. A perfect weekend is typically a low-key one, at the cottage with my husband and my fur babies.

If You Could Live In A Book, TV Show Or Movie, What Would It Be?
Jurassic Park would be cool. I’d love to have seen dinosaurs (from a safe distance of course!).

What are the three top traits you look for in a best friend?
Honesty, loyalty and a sense of humour.

Dead or Alive, who would you have dinner with and what would you order?

Dead or alive, I would love to have dinner with Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey. They have done incredible work with primates and conservation over the years. I could see us ordering a mushroom risotto and arugula salad.

Tigris works with many young professionals. Do you have any advice for the staff you work with?

90% of success is showing up, 95% is showing up on time and 100% is showing up with energy. You are your own personal brand.

While there may be some situations when you don’t want to go to work, if you’ve made a commitment, you should stick to it. You’re really only as good as your word – and truly, what goes around comes around. I think you really get out of life, what you put into it. If you stick to your word, are proactive and go above and beyond for others – you’ll reap the rewards.

I didn’t get where I am today but ignoring emails outside of work hours or telling a client I can’t help them because I’m off the clock in 5 minutes. In fact, many of the clients we have value us for being available to them, communicating quickly and helping them when other company’s have or will not.

A mentor once told me, you can have anything you want in life if you can help enough other people get what they want. I don’t think this could be any more true.

-Serena Holmes, female President and CEO of Tigris Events