Senior appointments underline increased confidence
The travel industry is regaining its confidence – and starting to make more senior appointments.
There has been a flurry of activity in management recruitment recently, with several companies announcing new additions to their key members of staff.
Recent appointments include PY Gerbeau as non-executive chairman of La Manga Club resort, Spain.
He is best known for his involvement in Disneyland Paris and the Millennium Dome.
In the UK, Dusit International has appointed Maria Calvo as regional senior sales manager, based in London.
She joins from InterContinental Hotels Group, where she was key account manager for corporate travel and business events in the UK and Irish markets.
Meanwhile, walking holidays specialist HF Holidays has appointed Jim Forward as chief executive.
He joins in October as chief executive designate and will work alongside current chief executive Brian Smith until the New Year, when Smith is due to retire.
Forward was previously managing director of Warner Leisure Hotels and before that headed up sales and marketing for Butlins at Bourne Leisure.
Harp Wallen managing director Kristina Wallen said there are signs the industry is picking up.
She said: "Evidence over the last four months would support an increase in confidence.
"We’ve seen an increase in retained search assignments in recent months as well as a small improvement in middle to senior management roles.
"We are cautiously optimistic but we need to see some consistency for a few more months before we would feel assured.
"There are a number of talented seniors folk on the market and feedback suggests they are getting more approaches than they would have had in a similar period in the previous two years."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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