Kieran Hartwell has been appointed as Travel Counsellors’ first managing director for Business and, as new Corporate md, his role will include shaping strategy to scale Travel Counsellors for Business over the next five years, identifying the right investments to support Travel Counsellors’ growing network of corporate travel specialists and clients, and acting as the global leader for the corporate travel arm.
Kieran comes to the role with over a decade of corporate travel experience in senior positions, including recent roles as chief commercial officer for US-based Travel and Transport, and president at global travel management company Radius Travel.
Operating a franchise business model, over 1,900 independent travel business owners including 800 corporate travel specialists across the globe now use Travel Counsellors support platform to provide highly personalised corporate travel and booking experiences to over 400,000 customers a year.
Commenting on his new appointment, Kieran said: “I’m delighted to join a forward-thinking, high-growth company with a very special culture and focus on people. The business has a proven track record in providing the very best support model for travel management professionals, who in turn are committed to providing outstanding personalised experiences for their portfolio of corporate clients.
“Its recent successes show that we have the solid foundations in place to significantly scale this arm of the business, supporting our corporate travel business owners, many of whom are now using the company’s platform to provide enhanced client experiences through employing assistants, working in teams and shared workspaces, ultimately building their own successful travel management businesses. With no limits to growth for corporate travel counsellors, I’m pleased to be an active part of the TC community and work with the incredible talent across the business to drive our corporate travel offering forward.”
Travel Counsellors’ total transaction value surpassed $1.26b for the first time since its launch in 1994 for the company trading period 01 January – 20 December 2019, with total sales in 2020 expected to exceed $1.36b.
IMAGE: Kieran Hartwell