Dieter Zümpel has stepped down from his post as the sales and marketing director of Alltours, is leaving the company due to differences of opinion with owner Willi Verhuven. His contract was officially terminated effective January 2017, suggesting that he is likely to remain for some time until a replacement is found. Zümpel, who had been in the post since 2012, previously held senior positions with TUI, Karstadt-Quelle and club operator Magic Life.
In Brazil, CVC has announced the promotion of Ricardo Kaiser to the position of senior sales manager for the Greater Sao Paulo region. Kaiser joined the company a year ago and had worked as a senior product manager in the car rental area. Kaiser will report to the sales director of CVC, Emerson Belan, and will have the responsibility of developing sales strategies for the key São Paulo market.
n Australia, Louise McAlpine has been named head of global product contracting for Excite Holidays, a global online wholesaler. McAlpine joins the company from The Travel Corporation, where she was head of contracting.
Greg Bernd is joining Travel Impressions as vice president of sales. Bernd’s primary responsibilities will be driving and executing the overall sales strategy for the luxury wholesaler. Bernd spent nearly three decades as the major liaison to the travel-agent community at Classic Vacations, where he oversaw the organization’s relationships with major groups. Bernd joined Classic Vacations in 1984, holding several roles at the company, including vice president of sales and co-president.
Craig Thomas has been appointed Etihad Airways’ general manager for the United States—the first GM for the U.S. in the airline’s history. He will be based in New York where he will be responsible for all commercial activity for Etihad, as well as further the carrier’s relationships with trade and corporate partners. Thomas most recently served as Etihad Airways’ General Manager for Canada, based in Toronto. He joined Etihad in 2005. Previously, he held various management roles in airport operations at Virgin Atlantic.
