Expert Details
The Travel Industry
ID: 733553
United Kingdom
Prior to this time, Expert was responsible for the online channel of business for Travelport in Western Europe. He has also held a Chief Operations Officer role and most recently was the Director of Strategic Accounts for Travelport in Northern Europe. His commercial background lies in offline and online travel distribution, hotel marketing in particular, and online distribution and sales. He possesses an incisive knowledge of the hotel and wider travel industry; online travel distribution, including B2B, B2C and metasearch; and e-commerce, including SEO, SEM, and Internet and affiliate marketing.
Expert has been consulted upon frequently by investment houses regarding online travel, online distribution and the TripAdvisor business model. He also sat on the panel of industry experts advising investors prior to TripAdvisor's spinoff from Expedia. Expert has successfully worked with a number of the major Online Travel Agencies, digital networks and Internet distribution models.
As a consultant, Expert provides insight into online travel marketing, the OTA landscape, metasearch, and GDS distribution.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1996 | Degree: European Legal Studies LLB Hons | Subject: UK and European law, German, French | Institution: University of Lancaster |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2016 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Director, Strategic Accounts, Northern Europe | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Management of a matrix team of staff across Europe• Extensive travel out of the UK: speaking at industry events, customer and new business meetings • Leading the successful renegotiation of key customer contracts worth over €10m • Commercial stakeholder in steering committees for key customer implementations • Establishing a new approach to key account management planning and structure • Close work within an agile Project Management environment |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2013 to 2016 | Employer: | Title: Director Online Travel Agencies, Western Europe | Department: |
Responsibilities:• Developing a matrix team of European staff to become high and exceptional performers• A company spokesman with media and at leading industry events Europe-wide • Extensive travel in Europe and beyond, attending industry events and customer meetings • Driving double digit growth in the existing portfolio of online business • Key account management of Travelport’s largest regional and international customers • Developing expertise in a number of European travel markets, including use of languages • Implementation of marketing strategy, compiling sales and marketing messaging and material • Negotiation of over €20m of contract renewals and also 20 million flight segments of new business growth |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2009 to 2010 | Employer: | Title: Head of Commercial | Department: |
Responsibilities:- driving a 5% uplift in revenues- overseeing the successful account management and organisation of over 300 Travel partners across the aviation, hotels, holidays, self-catering and transportation travel markets domestically, in Europe and worldwide - detailed and thorough competitor understanding and analysis of the UK, European and worldwide Travel aggregation, Meta and Price Comparison marketplaces, including SWOT analysis, together with tactical usage of Hitwise and conversion and performance data - implementing and measuring commercially strategic and tactical business approaches - input into new product paths and website UI/development - input into technical development and projects - input into SEO and SEM campaigns and strategies - negotiation up to and including Global PLC level - being both a trade and consumer-facing company spokesman across print, broadcast and digital media including BBC News, Radio 5 Live, Channel 5 news, and offline in most national titles including The Telegraph, Times and Guardian together with a number of red top titles and trade and online journals - being one of the public faces of moneysupermarket.com with its charitable duties, including press releases and building relationships within the local community |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2008 to 2010 | Employer: | Title: Hotels Channel Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:The commercial development and growth of the Hotels provision within Travelsupermarket.com, within the commercial team. During this time I achieved a 10% growth in commercial revenue from the Hotels business and a 30% increase in the conversion rate for our key supply partners. I was also an active member of the Senior Management Team within the wider Moneysupermarket.com Financial Group. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2005 to 2008 | Employer: | Title: Manager Partnerships & Affiliates | Department: |
Responsibilities:The building of an extremely successful and industry-recognised in-house affiliate and distribution network. This grew from less than 2% of business to represent 20% of overall business as a stand-alone and profitable unit within the company, at a time when company growth exceeded 50% year-on-year. The role required frequent travel, face-to-face relationship development and management, keen negotiation skills, and a strong team ethos. I also recruited a team of staff and contributed on a senior level with the senior management team at Laterooms. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2003 to 2005 | Employer: | Title: Senior Contracts Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:Overseeing the merger of two MyTravel divisions - Cresta Holidays and Bridge Travel - and the operational running of a contracting team of 8 for key city destinations. The role required frequent travel and use of both German and French in detailed supplier negotiation situations. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1997 to 2001 | Employer: | Title: Educational Tours Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:Responsibility for team of 8 and the contractual, product and operational running of the pan-European Educational Travel arm of this (then) independent direct-sell Tour Operator |
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Additional Experience
| Marketing Experience |
|---|
| Online marketing with Laterooms.com (B2B and B2C), online marketing including managing paid and organic search strategies. Responsibility for all elements of organic and paid search for UK Fuels group. Marketing experience further gained from 3 years within (Undisclosed) (NYSE:TVPT) working across over 13 countries within Europe. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| Computers: Good Windows, Goldmine, Salesforce and Topic database systems. Highly competent with Internet & Email, typing at least 60 WPM Skilled with: Gap negotiation, Solution Sell presentation, media training, MyTravel health and safety training, change management training |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| French | Fluent spoken, good written |
| German | Fluent spoken, good written |