NEWS THE INTERVIEW


He said reaction so far had been


hugely positive. “There have been a few bugs, but it’s proving to be fantastic – it’s giving better control of data and reducing the amount of time spent on back-office functions – all with the aim of making members more efficient and profitable. We will take all the learnings from each roll-out to make sure it’s smoother each time we give it to members in the future.” The platform will have a bespoke


arm for tour operator and Travel Trust Association members from March/April; Lewis added that the 480 TTA members have specific processes, payments and insurance requirements. About 15% of TTA members operate as tour operators. “We are so excited,” he added.


“It changes the conversations our membership team are having with our members, and that they can have with their customers, and should drive fantastic results.”


Retail strategy Lewis said bringing a retail director into the business was a significant


travelweekly.co.uk


move. Part of Pinkney’s remit will be to take the group’s eight owned shops “to another level”. “When we bought Worldchoice


in 2008, we owned 28 shops. We closed all but one of them because they weren’t profitable,” Lewis said. The group has since taken on


seven more as part of its programme “to help members on their journey”. Lewis said this could involve


helping members to move into homeworking; transition into retirement and pass businesses on to management teams; move into the group’s managed services division; or, in some cases, sell to Lewis and his team. “Having Julie will give us a better


way to manage those conversations and help members on the next stage of their journey,” Lewis said. The group acquired Stourbridge-


based Destina Travel this month but Lewis said there were no more imminent acquisitions. “We have grown organically and


very slowly,” he said. “Having our own shops benefits the group as we can use them as testbeds for new initiatives. But be under no illusion, our prime focus is our members.” That said, he wants the owned


shops to set an example. “Our job is to help members run their business better. If we can’t run our own shops well, we shouldn’t be telling members what to do,” he said.


Dynamic tool Pinkney will also be responsible for running dynamic packaging tool ‘Dynamic’. She brings experience from bed banks and ancillaries such as car hire from previous roles. She will also look after the group’s Cruise Club. Last week, Anna Perrott, who


joined as head of cruise in December 2019, resigned after 20 days in the role, claiming the job had changed, along with reporting lines and responsibilities. Asked if he would be seeking


a replacement, Lewis said: “Julie will make that decision, but there will definitely be a requirement for someone to get the Cruise Club out to members.” Lewis said Pinkney would also


Having our own shops benefits the


group as we can use them as testbeds for new initiatives. But be under no illusion, our prime focus is our members


look at “creating a value product” similar to the Cruise Club, for sectors such as touring and luxury. “We always said one of our core strategies was scale, because with scale you can drive better opportunities for members,” he said. “Growing our membership has always been key and better tech and marketing can drive that.”


30 JANUARY 2020 13


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