March 2009 Archives

Flybe has appointed John Palmer (above) to the new position of director of aircraft operations with Marshall Barrand assuming Palmer's former role as director of aviation services. Both positions report to chief operating officer, Andrew Strong.

Tourism Australia has appointed Alasdair Farrimond to the position of marketing manager UK, Ireland and Nordic.
Farrimond joins Tourism Australia from Travel 2, where he has held the position of marketing director for the last four years. 

Nicholas Wilson has been appointed as general manager at Tana Travel.
Previously Wilson was senior travel consultant at the Stratford-upon-Avon agency.

The Co-operative Travel has made two new appointments within the wholesale and tour operating division.
Ruth Hilton (above) is the new head of product, with responsibility for driving the product strategy within the wholesale divisions of Escape, Medinland, Security Travel and the new joint venture tour operation with Cosmos.
Tracie Burton has been appointed head of operations, and will drive the operational strategy within the wholesale divisions of Escape. Both will report in to director of commercial Shaun Hinds.

 

Neil Sabey has joined Jet2.com as tour operator sales manager. Sabey will be responsible for building and maintaining Jet2.com's relationship with tour operators and providing sales support. He will also be responsible for developing new partnerships to drive winter ski and summer sun flight sales. Sabey joins Jet2.com from Leger Holidays where he spent two years as product general manager.

Singapore Airlines has announced the appointment of Nicholas Ionides as vice president public affairs.
He will succeed Stephen Forshaw, who is leaving the airline to pursue a new career opportunity.
Ionides is currently the Singapore-based managing editor (Asia) at Reed Business Information, publishers of Flight International and Airline Business magazines and the Air Transport Intelligence and Flightglobal websites. 

Natasha Contini, City Cruises' newly appointed head of sales and marketing, has assumed responsibility for all aspects of the role, prior to David Steele's retirement. Contini most recently worked as director of sales at a Radisson SAS Hotel in Ireland.
Steele joined City Cruises in 1995 as head of sales and marketing.

Flight consolidator JTA has appointed Tracy McCarthy as operations manager based at its head office in Birmingham. McCarthy has previously worked for Anatolian Sky Holidays and Thomas Cook.

Langham Hotels International has appointed its first chief executive - Brett Butcher.
Butcher has been with LHI for seven years and in his new role as CEO his responsibilities will be broadened to include driving the company's overall direction and quality and sustainable growth strategies.

 

Midlands Co-op Travel has appointed Peter Koukoularides to head up the Society's business travel operation which operates under the name Forward Travel Management (FTM).
Koukoularides is responsible for the ongoing development of FTM, which currently includes six business travel operations across the Midlands. He was formerly Operations Manager at Capita Business Travel.

Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) has announced that Cameron Jones has been promoted to the position of director - EMEA business development.
Jones will spearhead the team's strategy and work to take Expedia's technology and global travel supply to white label and affiliate partners both from within and outside the travel sphere.
Prior to taking on the new role, Cameron held the position of director - account management for EAN.

Travel 2 has appointed Charlie Bateson as its new head of marketing. Bateson, who was most recently head of web and direct marketing at Hays Travel and formerly director of marketing at Trailfinders, will take charge of the trade-only operator's marketing and promotional function from March 23.
Current marketing director Alasdair Farrimond is leaving Travel 2 to take up a similar position with Tourism Australia.

Hills Balfour Synergy has announced the appointment of Becky Smith as UK MICE & corporate sales manager for NYC & Company, the official marketing and tourism office for the City of New York.
Smith began her career at Carlson Wagonlit Travel then moved to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) before joining the marketing department in Qatar Airways.

Clare Tobin is to take over responsibility for the long haul brands within TUI UK's specialist division from Ian Simkins in a management restructure.
Simkins will carry on as managing director of the UK and Ireland specialist division and Tobin will report into him.
Tobin will now head up all longhaul brands in the division. She is currently managing director for Thomson Worldwide, Haye & Jarvis, Jetsave, Flexiflights and Meon in the specialist division.

Virgin Atlantic has appointed Steve Griffiths as its new chief operating officer. Griffiths replaces Lyell Strambi, who returned to Australia at the end of last year.

Griffiths is currently the director of engineering for Virgin Atlantic and is responsible for all aspects of aircraft engineering and maintenance. His new role as COO will encompass engineering, operations, airports, cabin crew, product and cargo.

Oliver Staas has been appointed general manager at the Park Inn Heathrow Hotel. Staas joins the Heathrow hotel from Radisson SAS Hotel, Frankfurt Airport, where he was general manager for almost four years, including during the period leading up to the opening of the world's only disc shaped hotel.

BMI has announced that Julie Jones has been appointed as head of business sales, as part of a company restructure, which combines business trade and corporate sales into a single business sales team. Jones was formerly head of corporate sales. Following the restructure, former head of business trade sales, Julie Steadman will be pursuing other opportunities.

Cadogan Holidays has announced managing director Tom Allen is leaving the company after three years in the job.
According to the company, Allen has left to 'pursue other personal interests'. His successor, former ResortHoppa.com managing director Stephen Rhodes, is now in position.

Holiday Taxis sales and marketing director Russell Parr is to leave the company this summer.
Parr, who will have been with the Burgess Hill-based transfer specailist for two years in mid-August, plans to do consultancy work or set up his own travel business. He is leaving to be closer to his family in the Midlands.

La Manga Club, the Spanish sport and leisure resort, has appointed James Bryan to the position of international sales manager.
Although based at La Manga Club, Bryan will spend the majority of his time visiting agents and group and conference organisers in the UK.
He was appointed to the role following a three-year stint as UK and Ireland sales manager for La Manga Club's Las Lomas Village apartments and townhouses.

Holiday Cottages Group (HCG) has announced two internal appointments, expanding its senior team following the launch of its leading self catering brand, cottages4you, to the trade. Robert Seal (above) takes on the position of head of partnership marketing. Central to his role is taking responsibility for managing the recent launch of cottages4you to the trade, raising awareness of the brand with agents through the development of a trade portal promotion and an agent training programme.
In addition, Garry Adam joins the Earby-based company as finance director, having previously worked with sister company, Group RCI, in Kettering since 1999.