Thomas Cook unveils new UK management team
Peter Fankhauser has finally unveiled his new Thomas Cook management team after a series of changes and departures.
The final stage of the shake-up sees the departure of chief people officer and global head of destination management Pete Constanti, who will leave the business at the end of December after 21 years with the company.
"Today marks the next step in the transformation of the UK business," said Fankhauser.
"A new leadership team, focused on the UK and taking on new and enlarged roles, will unite our teams.
"Together with our colleagues, we will bring together the strengths of what was formerly our mainstream and independent businesses, working more effectively and increasing our focus on the customer."
The new team is:
– Uli Sperl, who joins from Thomas Cook AG as product and yield director and is now responsible for all of the company’s UK-based tour operations and wider leisure travel products. Thomas Cook says: "He will develop a strategy that focuses on brand management, target segments, product planning and development."
– Newly-appointed Mike Hoban will take an expanded role as marketing, sales and ecommerce director. Thomas Cook says: "He will now be responsible for the multi-channel marketing strategy across the UK businesses, optimising our cross-channel marketing strategy and for driving improvements in channel performance and conversion. His focus will be on creating the optimum multi-channel business model to fully understand and meet our customer needs and drive the right business behaviours to deliver."
– David Taylor will become chief financial officer, UK & Ireland. Thomas Cook says: "Formerly transformation director, he will continue with this agenda as part of his expanded CFO remit, and Alistair Brass will join his team as director of transformation. Brass joins in the New Year from Dixons Retail Group."
– Haim Perry, currently responsible for Hotels4U, is now Thomas Cook UK’s hotel purchasing director. He will lead a single hotel purchasing function responsible for leveraging the scale of the whole UK business.
– Joanna Wild is retail director to lead all the Thomas Cook Co-operative Travel operations.
– Reinhard Eschbach, Group CIO, is already leading the IT agenda in the UK, with particular focus on tour operator and back office systems.
– A new role of service and quality director, yet to be appointed, has been created to focus on all touch points in the customer journey. Thomas Cook said a recruitment process is underway to fill this important new role.
Fankhauser will also be closely supported by Anne Billson-Ross, HR director and Bronwen Griffiths-Barrasso, director of PR whose roles will now be fully focused on the UK.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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