24 April 2008

Rothwell to join Kuoni as CEO

Former TUI deputy chief executive Peter Rothwell will join the Kuoni Group in January 2009 as CEO.

Rothwell, 48, left TUI at end of 2007, four months after the group's merger with First Choice.

The former TUI UK managing director was also a member of TUI AG's Board of Directors.

He left TUI amid industry speculation that he had fallen out with chief executive Peter Long and was unhappy in his new role following the merger.

Rothwell began his travel career in 1982 when he joined the trainee programme at Thomson Holidays.

After six years working in the product, marketing and advertising departments, he moved to Jetset as director for Europe.

A year later he rejoined Thomson Holidays as general manager for the Worldwide and City Breaks products, and then he worked as the marketing director from 1989 to 1993, sales director from 1993 and later as purchasing director.

In 1995 he became managing director at Airtours Holidays and was later appointed to the Board of Airtours PLC as the chief executive of the UK Leisure Group.

In March 2001, he returned to the Thomson Travel Group, initially as chief operating officer in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, then chief executive of TUI Northern Europe, and from 2004 MD of TUI UK.

Henning Boysen, chairman of the Board of Directors at Kuoni, said Rothwell was the very best among all the possible candidates that had been considered for the CEO position at Kuoni.

"We are very pleased to have Peter Rothwell, a recognized professional in our industry, commit himself to this top position at Kuoni; he knows Kuoni and his broad international experience matches perfectly with Kuonis market ambitions."

Rothwell added: "Kuoni is well positioned as upmarket specialist. To further advance Kuoni at the top of the market for premium and specialised travel for me is as much a logical as a fascinating challenge that I shall accept with great commitment."

By: Bev Fearis