TTG Toolkit 30 UNDER 30 Chasing the stars


At TTG we take a keen interest in the career prospects –and paths –of all the members of our Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders family. Katherine Lawrey catches up with two of the original 30 from 2012-2013 and two more recent members


Ben Dean, ancillaries product manager, Tui Group (Class of 2014-15) When Ben Dean was picked as one of TTG’s 30 Under 30, he was part of Tui UK & Ireland’s graduate scheme. During his 18-month Leadership Programme, he rotated between London, Palma, Paris, Alabama and Manchester, learning the ropes in different areas of the Tui Group. Alabama was one placement that


really stood out for him: “That part of the world is so different culturally. I worked for International Expeditions, a small adventure company with about 20 staff. The office is in an old hunting lodge in the middle of a forest.” In Palma he worked on a project


looking at sharing best practice among destinations, and in Paris he gained experience in e-commerce and search engine optimisation. When the graduate programme


came to an end in March 2015 he took a job as ancillaries product manager, based in Luton.


Rebecca Maffeis “We manage anything that you


can add on to a package, such as car hire, extra baggage and reserved seating. It’s not sexy but they’re good profit drivers,” he admits. There’s plenty of travel in the


role as he splits his time between meeting suppliers and ancillary managers in source markets, and it’s a job with plenty of potential: “We’re a team of four with ambitious targets. There are opportunities for us to grow and I’d like manage my own team at some stage.” Although Dean missed the


Ben Dean 30


inaugural Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders meeting last September as he was in Alabama at the time, he’s


20.08.2015


made all the networking dinners since: “They’ve been fantastic, particularly the speakers, who gave us practical day-to-day advice. They all came across as very down to earth and understood our position.”


Rebecca Maffeis, UK managing director, Lagrange Holidays (Class of 2014-15) Originally from California, Rebecca Maffeis moved to London in 2008 because of her husband’s job. Being a French speaker helped her secure a job as a reservations consultant at Lagrange Holidays. After two years she moved into sales and marketing, and two years later, she became UK managing director. She manages a


team of four and reports to the company headquarters in France. “It’s a really varied role,” she explains. “I look after the UK sales and marketing strategy, the administration side, and although the product team is based in France, we do have influence over the products that appeal to UK customers.” For the UK market, the focus is


on France, but they do occasionally sell other European destinations, and the product is a mix of self- catering and hotels for the ski and summer markets. Taking overall responsibility for


the UK business was challenging at first, she admits. “It was a steep learning curve, but I’ve grown into it, and now feel much more capable of making decisions. It’s a small business so [being in charge] feels manageable and rewarding, especially as things I do directly impact the business.” The 30 Under 30 experience has


been an “inspiring” one, says Maffeis. “It’s given me a wider range of contacts, and the fact that the other leaders are all ambitious and talented, and similar in age to me, is a plus. It has also led to more opportunities for the business – I was asked to speak at the Future You conference last WTM and this year I have been invited to speak on a panel about women in leadership.” She encourages the next crop


of 30 Under 30 to take every opportunity and attend every event: “You get out what you put in. It’s amazing to get the recognition, but the greater benefit is the networking and events.”


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