Dame Irene dedicates honour to Hays trainees


Travel Weekly reporters


Hays Travel chair Irene Hays has dedicated the damehood she received in the New Year Honours list to the company’s apprentices. Hays received the damehood “for


services to training, to education and to young people”. She has championed apprentice-


ships since supporting trainees on youth programmes in the 1980s, and spearheaded a long-standing invest- ment in young people alongside her husband, the agency’s founder John Hays, who died in November. They also launched the Hays


Travel Foundation, which has invested more than £1 million to support young people. Speaking to Travel Weekly, Hays,


who was awarded a CBE in 2008 and has held a range of senior roles in local and national government, said: “Firstly, I was overwhelmed. Secondly, I thought ‘Oh John would be thrilled’. So it’s bittersweet.” She noted that, before Hays


Travel acquired the Thomas Cook retail estate in 2019, 47% of senior managers had started as apprentices. “I’m absolutely passionate about apprenticeships and training for


Dame Irene Hays, pictured with her late husband John; inset, Marie Shevas, MBE


young people,” she said, adding that “university and college isn’t for everyone”. “I know my name is on this award, but this is a celebration of all the training teams and people who have looked after apprentices in all of the businesses I’ve been involved in.” She said Hays Travel had


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completed interviews for its January intake of apprentices and would continue to invest in young people “even though times are tough”. Two other figures in travel and


hospitality were also honoured. Marie Shevas, founder of agency


Moorelands Travel, in Cowdenbeath, Scotland, was awarded an MBE for


her services to charity, having raised more than £800,000 over 30-plus years for charities such as Children in Need, Breast Cancer Research and Guide Dogs for the Blind. “I never thought this would


happen in my wildest dreams,” said Shevas, who had to close Moorelands’ Kinross branch as a result of Covid-19. She said 2020 had been “such a challenging year” but the award was “a really nice way to end it”. UKHospitality chief executive


Kate Nicholls was awarded an OBE “for services to the hospitality sector,


particularly the Covid-19 response”. i Get Social, page 35


TTNG hails increased clout following Global Travel takeover


The Travel Network Group believes increased scale following its acquisition of The Global Travel Group will give it greater influence over business partners in future. The consortium gained 285 members when


it completed the deal on December 21, taking its membership to 1,125. Global Travel Group will remain a separate entity, alongside the Travel Trust Association, Worldchoice and Independent Travel Experts.


6 7 JANUARY 2021 Speaking on a Travel Weeklywebcast, chief


executive Gary Lewis said the stronger position in future commercial negotiations would be particularly important in light of how some suppliers had dealt with agency partners during the Covid-19 pandemic. He praised Global members for having been


“incredibly engaged and supportive” during the takeover. iWatch the full interview at travelweekly.co.uk/webcasts


‘True visionary’: Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart travelweekly.co.uk


Tributes for Sandals founder Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart


Tributes have been paid to Sandals founder and chairman Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, who died on Monday aged 79. Stewart was credited with creating


the all-inclusive resort concept in the Caribbean and was one of Jamaica’s foremost businessmen, having been born in Kingston. He grew up on the country’s


north coast, where he came to be known as ‘Butch’, a nickname given to him by an American sailor. His death in the US was


confirmed by son Adam Stewart, who told the Jamaica Observer his father had kept a recent health diagnosis private. He described his father as a gifted entrepreneur, marketing genius and talented showman “who could dream bigger and better than anyone”. Karl Thompson, managing


director of Sandals and Beaches’ UK sales and marketing arm Unique Vacations, said: “Not only was Mr Stewart a true visionary but he was also like family to many of us. He had a fabulous sense of humour, was constantly there for support and encouraged us to strive for excellence. He was known for his larger-than-life personality and pioneering ideas.” Jamaica’s prime minister,


Andrew Holness, described Stewart as “one of Jamaica’s most brilliant and transformative business minds”.


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