Travel 2/Gold Medal’s management team defects to luxury operator
Luxury operator If Only has poached five members of Travel 2 and Gold Medal’s management team, including managing director Andy Freeth.
Also moving from Travel 2 and Gold Medal with Freeth to If Only are fellow directors Matt Appleby, Gordon McCreadie, Tracy Docherty and David Irving.
Freeth will join If Only as chief executive in December while the remainder of the team will join in early September.
They are all currently on gardening leave.
Appleby is currently director of product and commercial at Travel 2, McCreadie is sales and marketing director, Doherty is head of sales and Irving is business manager. All four will take up similar roles at If Only.
If Only said that in addition to the expansion of its management team, it plans to create up to 40 new jobs at its HQ in Milngavie just outside Glasgow, with several recruitment days planned over the coming weeks.
It said it was pushing for a three-fold increase in sales in the next three years.
Brendan Maguire, founder and managing director said: "Following the sustained growth in our established destinations, the successful launch of our Australasia programme last year and repeated requests from agents to expand our portfolio into other parts of the world, we decided this is the right time to expand, while still retaining If Only…’s core values of quality service, in-depth product knowledge and competitive pricing.
"I’m delighted to bring in the new recruits to join our already well established team. With Andy’s passion for supporting agents and his renowned industry experience, I can’t think of a more capable CEO to make all this happen.
"I will be taking up the role of chairman here at If Only…, carefully and sensitively handing over the day to day operation of the company to Andy, while remaining active in the business and keeping an eye on the strategic vision of our brand.”
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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