Who got a new gig this week? Check out this week’s travel industry movers & shakers!
1. Cathay’s new Sales & Marketing Manager
Cathay Pacific Airways has appointed Richard Jones to the role of Sales and Marketing Manager Australia.
Richard’s career at the airline spans 21 years in Brisbane and Sydney where most recently he was Corporate Sales Manager Australia/ Business Development Manager NSW/ACT.
Nelson Chin, General Manager, Cathay Pacific Airways Southwest Pacific said while the airline received a large number of external applications for the role, Jones stood out as the best person for the job.
2. Etihad steps up service & hospitality
Etihad Airways has appointed Ms Sajida Ismail as Vice President Service and Hospitality to lead service design and development of the hospitality culture across all areas of the business.
Reporting to Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, Ms Ismail will be responsible for the design of Etihad Airways’ award-winning signature service at all customer touch points. She will also be responsible for the development of training standards for all staff working inflight and at airports, lounges, and crew training centres.
She moves to the new role from her previous position as Etihad Airways’ Head of Product and Service Standards, where she was responsible for the design, development and implementation of the airline’s revolutionary new service delivery concepts in all cabins including The Residence by Etihad and its dedicated Butler, as well as the acclaimed Flying Nanny program.
Prior to joining Etihad Airways in 2007, she worked for Bahrain-based Gulf Air for 20 years in various senior marketing and product-related roles.
3. APT & Travelmarvel complete sales team
APT and Travelmarvel have announced several new appointments, completing expansion plans for their combined on road and inside sales team.
These latest appointments mean that the leading cruise and tour operators now service travel trade partners with a combined team of 29 people – providing one of the largest sales support networks of any wholesaler in Australia.
Lisa Gair is the new Business Development Manager (BDM), New South Wales. She brings more than 20 years of retail travel industry experience to APT and Travelmarvel, having worked both as a consultant and manager.
Aaron Christian is the Account Manager for APT Small Ships. This role has been specially created in response to the rapid growth this product has been experiencing. In his new role Aaron will work with agents to develop a deeper understanding of the product and its benefits for clients, working in close collaboration with the marketing and product teams to secure further growth.
Camille Moore is the Business Development Manager (BDM), Queensland. Camille Moore has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years, most recently in the Australian market at RACQ travel. A former top achiever with APT and Travelmarvel, Camille has travelled with the company to Europe, Canada and Alaska, China and Western Australia so agents are assured of her detailed product knowledge.
4. Metro Hotel in Perth gets a new manager
Metro Hospitality Group has appointed Paul Rogers to the position of General Manager at the Metro Hotel located in Perth. Mr Rogers brings with him 25 years of international and domestic experience in the hospitality industry.
In his new role, Mr Rogers is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the property, as well as identifying and capitalising on opportunities to grow the hotel’s leisure and corporate business.
Prior to taking up this position, Mr Rogers was involved with Accor and Mirvac Hotels for 6.5 years in Vanuatu, Sydney & Perth. Mr Rogers has also previously operated his own award winning restaurant, Akudjura located in Kalgoorlie.
5. Southern Discoveries’ welcomes new team member
Multi-award-winning tourism company Southern Discoveries continues to expand by adding new roles to its marketing team. With the new additions, the company is focusing its marketing operations into online and offline, PR and partnerships.
The South Island-based company, which operates in Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound, is currently experiencing a period of growth and its sales and marketing team is growing with it.
Libby Baron has been appointed the new marketing and partnerships manager where she’ll be implementing marketing strategies across predominantly offline platforms and activity. She will be joining the team on September 14.
Libby joins Southern Discoveries from Destination Queenstown, where she worked as its communications and media executive. From her time at DQ, she’s gained a strong understanding of the tourism industry domestically and internationally.
Southern Discoveries sales and marketing director Julia Savill is looking forward to Libby joining the team and believes she’ll be a great asset to the company in a time of growth.
6. IHG strengthens Aus leadership team
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ®) has further strengthened its Australian operations leadership team with the promotion of Ruwan Peiris, who has taken on an expanded role as Director of Operations, Australia to drive the company’s continued expansion in Australia.
His promotion comes at a strategic time of growth for IHG with the opening of Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside on 1st September and recent signings including InterContinental Perth, Crowne Plaza Hobart and Holiday Inn Express Adelaide Hindley Street.
Since joining IHG earlier this year as Regional General Manager for New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Victoria, Ruwan has demonstrated his strength in driving hotel performance and an excellence in building strong internal and owner relationships.
Ruwan will now oversee the operational performance of all managed hotels in Australia, the National Convention Centre Canberra and Parliament House Catering by IHG.