Hodge Podge – Page 24

HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry

January 8, 2019 by Tom Berrigan

Jen Schroer has been named by New Mexico’s new governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, to head the New Mexico Department of Tourism. Schroer served in the department for about 11 months during the first term of outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez where she was director of strategic partnerships. Schroer left the department in 2014 to run the New Mexico Hospitality Association. She was executive director of the trade group until March, when she left to manage the chamber of commerce in Davis, Calif.

Contiki has named James Marchant as its new global CEO. Marchant joins Contiki from Second Estates, where he was a marketing, loyalty and strategy consultant for the luxury holiday rental investment company. James will be based at Contiki’s head office in Geneva and responsible for the social travel company’s global network of teams across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Sharon Munro is leaving her job as president of Barrhead Travel, one of the largest travel agency chains in the UK. the Scottish travel agency chain. She became president last year, having previously held the title of chief executive. A 28-year veteran of the company, she is the daughter of Bill Munro, founder of the company, which was sold early in 2018 to the U.S.-based Travel Leaders Group. Jacqueline Dobson, Barrhead’s managing director, will move up to the top job as president.

Mario Antonio, vice president of sales for Grupo Trend—it is a CVC brand—is leaving the company on March 31st. after having served the company for 8 years. He told the Brazilian travel trade publication PANROTAS that he is “analyzing some proposals,” and plans to continue in tourism.

Christophe Jacquet has been named CEO of Havas Voyages, a Paris-based tour operator specializing in tailor made tours. Previously, Jacquet’s career has been primarily in consumers goods and digital marketing. He was the founder, in 2014, of the start-up One4You.com, the first site of French corporate shopping. In 2016, the start-up integrates Crédit Agricole’s Le Village by CA (Paris) innovation center. One4You now has over 200 clients, including Selectour, Société Générale, Maaf and Total

Ken Lawson, who was named president and CEO of Visit Florida following the resignation of Will Seccombe in the wake of a flap over the agency’s contract with rapper Pit Bull, is leaving his post; the state’s new governor, Ron DeSantis has appointed Lawson to be executive director of the Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

Kurt Krause, a long-time veteran of the hotel industry, has been named the new president and CEO of Visit Norfolk. The 63-year-old Krause succeeds Anthony DeFilippo and Sam Rogers, who had served most of 2018 as interim president and CEO. In addition to serving at different hotel properties over a span of three decades, Krause was once worked with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the wake of 9/11.

Long-time Industry veteran Richard Prosser is joining the OTA loveholidays as chairman. He brings almost 40 years of experience in travel including top jobs at First Choice and Tui Travel. Prosser has taken various roles as chairman to private equity-backed businesses since 2010 including Audley Travel.

Tillie Youngs for 26 years at 1000 Islands International Tourism Council

Patricia “Pattie” Baker for 18 years at Dreamscape Vacations

Bernard Metzger for 10 years at Travel & Tourism Foundation

Grace Young Kim for 5 years at JJ USA Tours/Club

Douglas McClain for 4 years at Newport Beach & Company

Phil Hannes for 2 years at San Diego Tourism Authority

Source: LinkedIn

HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry

December 18, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

Sally Berry Davis is leaving her position as global sales and marketing manager at the Corning Museum of Glass at year’s end. Davis, who has been with the attraction for more than eight years, plans on devoting her efforts full time to growing her tourism training and consulting company and on helping others become China ready marketers. Her website is SallyDavisBerry.com. (You can read last month’s interview with Ms. Berry here.)

Christine Valls has been named by American Airlines as its new general sales director for Florida, the Caribbean and the Hispanic market in the United States. A native of Miami, Valls has been with American, and operating out of Miami, for more than 28 years. She began her career at the carrier as a management intern, advancing over the years to her current post.

Kane Webb will resign his position as head of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism at the end of the year, as the department prepares to merge with the Department of Arkansas Heritage. The departure was announced in a press release from Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office, which said that Webb is taking a job as the director of executive communications at Walmart Inc. Hutchinson tapped Webb to head Parks and Tourism in October 2015. Webb served various tenures as an adviser and speechwriter for the Republican governor.

After more than eighteen years, Lucille Yokell is leaving her position as director of sales and marketing of the Wellington Hotel in New York City. A long-time veteran of the tour and travel industry, Yokell had previously operated her own hospitality and consulting firm serving hotels, restaurants, tour operators and shopping venues.

Mark Mitchell, has left Affinion International Travel, where he was senior business director, “to pursue other opportunities.” Mitchell, who joined the company from TUI in 2008, was part of the team which set up Affinion and progressed through the organization to his most recent role as senior business director.

David Peterson is leaving his post as interim director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs to join the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority as its next executive director. At the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Peterson started as chief operations and finance officer in September 2014 before becoming deputy director in January 2017. Prior to that, Peterson was director of research at the Nevada Commission of Tourism, Nevada Department of Tourism, from September 2001 to August 2014.

Haley Ward has been named sales director at Hudson Yards Experiences in Manhattan, New York City. She joins the organization from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was head of tourism sales and marketing. Ward was with the Museum or four years.

J.D. O’Hara has been named president of Travel Leaders Group, the parent company of 19 major travel agency brands, including Altour, Barrhead Travel, Colletts Travel and others. O’Hara joins from Certares Management, LLC, where he served as senior partner. He was also part of the original management buyout of Carlson Leisure Group from Carlson Companies in January 2008.

Brad Jones, recently left his post as executive director of Visit Rochester (Minn.) to take over as executive director of Visit Bellevue. He had been with Visit Rochester for 13 years. Prior to that, Jones had been executive director of the Macknaw Area CVB.

Zachary Holifield has been named director of leisure business development for Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast. He joins the organization from the state’s Visit Mississippi DMO, where he served for more than four years.

Anita Nuñez Cepollaro has been name national sales manager at Visit Baltimore. A veteran of nearly two decades in sales and business development, she joins the DMO from the Hiltons of Washington D.C., where she was senior sales manager. Nuñez Cepollaro has also served as brand sales manager with Meet Puerto Rico.

Bob Harris has been appointed executive vice president of sales for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, which also serves as the area’s DMO. Harris brings significant CVB sales and marketing experience to the Myrtle Beach area. Harris has worked at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance in leadership roles since 2007. Previously, Harris worked at the Georgia Department of Economic Development as director of global sales and marketing.

Richard Buck for 27 years at AgriTours North America

Donna Keren for 16 years at New York City & Company

Lori Timony for 14 years at Smart Destinations, Inc.

Scott White for 8 years at Greater Palm Springs CVB

John Stine for 5 years at I-Drive 360

Tim McAlpin for 5 years at City of Prescott Department of Tourism

Claudio Liondi for 3 years at Quetal Travel

Source: LinkedIn

HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry

December 11, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

Jerad Bachar has been appointed executive vice president of Visit Pittsburgh, replacing Jason Fulvi, who left several months ago to become president of VisitKC (Kansas City, Mo.). Bachar is returning to familiar territory. He was once national sales director for Visit Pittsburgh, from 2004 to 2008. He was most recently executive director of the Economic Development board for the nation of Bahrain.

Shauna Goodman has been named associate director of destination experience for Visit San Antonio. Most recently, Goodman worked for the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation with SA Works. Previously, she was an account supervisor with GDC Marketing & Ideation, a San Antonio-based marketing and communications firm.

Gary Stogner is retiring as senior marketing director at Visit Tallahassee at the end of the year after working for more than 35 years in the tourism industry. Stogner also worked at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater CVB, the former Florida Division of Tourism and served as the first state tourism director at West Virginia. He has headed up marketing, advertising, sales and promotions in Tallahassee for seven years.

Chris Mottershead (left) is once again taking over leadership of Thomas Cook’s UK business. He replaces Ingo Burmester, who took the job earlier this year, and is moving to DER Touristik to become its CEO for Central Europe. Mottershead joined Thomas Cook from TUI in 2015 and moved to a group-wide role of chief of product and operations in April. He will continue that role as well. A Thomas Cook spokesperson said Burmester has decided to leave to return to his home to Central Europe to be closer to his family. He starts with DER Touristik in Germany in May. He will succeed René Herzog following a one-month handover period. Herzog is leaving the company at his own request. Burmester came to Thomas Cook in early 2017, and moved to the UK to assume the role as chief of source market last April, moving from his position as chief of Thomas Cook’s hotels and resorts business.

Andy LeBouef has been named senior sales manager at ACCENT New Orleans, Inc., a DMC Network Company in New Orleans. LeBouef joins the company from Mardi Gras World, where he was director of sales. Previously, he served in senior sales positions at River City Venues and the NOLA Hotel Group.

Brazil’s largest tour operator/travel agency, CVC Corp., has announced that, starting in January 2019, Valter Patriani, who is leaving the company after 40 years, will start a new stage with the company, as a contracted consultant for the expansion of the company’s brands that operate in Argentina, where the company recently made acquisitions. Last year, Patriani was in charge of CVC Corp.’s Board of Aviation and Maritime Products. He completed the transition plan for his successor Fabio Mader last October.

Heike Pfeiffer has joined the team at Go Global Travel as a sales manager. A long-time veteran of the tour and travel industry, Pfeiffer joins the company from the German National Tourism Office, where she was sales manager for the U.S. Midwest. Pfeiffer spent 18 years with the office.

Anina Grasso has been promoted to the position product developer & contracting manager, Canada, at Destination America, located in Anaheim. She was previously product manager. Before joining Destination America, Grasso was product manager at YMT vacations.

Angus Bond has been appointed head of e-commerce and hotel sourcing at Virgin Holidays. Bond, who has been with Virgin for more than 7 years, has also served as head of product and commercial, and head of product and purchasing.

Robert Hansell for 13 years at Enterprise Travel

Jo Piani for 4 years at VVV Global Marketing

David Filipiak for 2 years at National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey

Source: LinkedIn

HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry

December 4, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has selected a top Marriott hotel executive as its new president and CEO: Chris Tatum, who currently serves as area general manager of Marriott Hawaii, replaces former HTA president and CEO George Szigeti, who left the agency Oct. 31 following the board’s decision to terminate his contract without cause. Tatum was recruited by Marriott straight out of college; since then and has moved 16 times in 34 years. Over the years, he has served in senior management positions at Marriott properties in Hawaii.

Jennifer Haz has been promoted to the post of vice president of communications at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. She previously served as director of media relations for the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Haz has been with the bureau for more than 16 years.

Kelly Craighead, former deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism in the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been named as the new president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). She succeeds Cindy D’Aoust, who announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down after two years on the job. From 1993 to 2001, Craighead served on the White House Staff, working as Deputy Assistant to both President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. She later served as president and managing director of the nonprofit Democracy Alliance.

Former tour operator Claude Blanc has been appointed director of the WTM Portfolio, which is owned by Reed Exhibitions. WTM Portfolio includes the World Travel Market (WTM) London, Travel Forward, the International Travel & Tourism Awards, WTM Africa, Arabian Travel Market and WTM Latin America. Blanc has more than 25 years in top management roles across the tour and travel industry. Until recently, he was CEO at Paris-based Travel & Co, a tour operator group he founded in 2007.

Long time industry veteran Clare Carter has joined the Voyages team at U.S. Tours. Carter’s career includes tenures in key sales positions at several tour and travel companies.

Shavonne Harding has been promoted to the position of regional director of sales for the U.S. central and west coast regions for Visit Baltimore. She joined the organization last March as senior national sales manager. Previously, she held sales positions for Destination DC and the Freeman Company.

Eric Gordon for 15 years at Beyond Times Square Inc.

Leo Yao for 12 years at Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

Randy Fiveash for 10 years at the State of Connecticut

Karen Gonzalez for 1 year at the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.

Source: LinkedIn

HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry

November 27, 2018 by Tom Berrigan

Martha Sheridan has been selected to be the next president and CEO of the Greater Boston CVB. The current president and CEO of the Providence-Warwick CVB, she succeeds the outgoing president CEO, Pat Moscaritolo, who is retiring from the leading the organization after 28 years on Feb. 14, 2019. Beginning January 2, 2019, Sheridan will be president and CEO-elect, a position in which she will work together with Moscaritolo. Sheridan has led the Providence-Warwick CVB since 2005. Previously, she was vice president of sales for Discover Newport Rhode Island.

Hotelbeds has announced the appointment of Jason Soss as the new global head of strategic partnerships. The company’s new strategic partnerships team, led by Soss, focuses on analyzing and generating major business opportunities, developing and implementing new market initiatives, and managing Hotelbeds largest partnerships, particularly in the airline, loyalty, and online travel agency space. Soss, who has over 20 years of experience in the tour and travel industry, was previously the president of global business development for Travel Holdings, which formed part of Tourico Holidays and which was subsequently acquired by Hotelbeds in 2017.

Stephen Hahn has been named senior vice president of convention sales and strategy for New Orleans & Company. A veteran of nearly three decades in the tour, travel and hospitality industry, Hahn previously served with several DMOs, including those in Los Angeles, Anaheim and Long Beach. He was recently market sales leader for Marriott International’s Southwest Area Sales Organization, Western Region.

Kim Wright has been named vice president of business and market development for Hornblower Cruises & Events, overseeing marketing for New York City and the U.S. East Coast. Wright joins Hornblower from The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, where she served for six years. Prior to that, she was director, group sales and tourism, for the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

TUI Airways has announced that Dawn Wilson has been appointed as managing director. She replaces John Murphy beginning Jan. 1, 2019. As Murphy’s replacement, Wilson will join the TUI UK & Ireland board. She joined the industry in 1989 as cabin crew for Britannia Airways and moved through the management structure, becoming general manager of cabin crew, director of ground operations and most recently director of operations for the Northern Region Airlines.

Garry Wilson, former TUI product and purchasing managing director, has joined easyJet as chief executive of its holidays division. In making the move, Wilson rejoins easyJet CEO, Johan Lundgren, who was previously chief executive at TUI (UK). Wilson was named chief executive of easyJet earlier this year.

In Brazil, Maíra Beasucci has been hired as sales manager at São Paulo-based Turnet Operador, a tour operator that sells European, Mediterranean and U.S. product. She has more than a dozen years of experience in the industry.

Also from Brazil, Paulo Biondo, former product coordinator for the United States and Canada for the tour operator Agaxtur, is now general product supervisor. On his team, he now has professionals from the United States and Canada, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Brazil.