KANE PIRIE
Kane is managing director and founder of VIVID Travel, a bespoke online tour operator launched in 2017, and is co-founder and former chief executive of Travel Republic. Pirie started his career in retail before training as an accountant
with Grant Thornton and working in corporate finance and private equity for KPMG and Baird. He returned to retail and travel, co-founding Travel Republic in 2005 and leading the sale of the then-leading OTA to dnata in 2011. He served as an Abta board member from 2010-12, and in
2009 successfully defended a landmark court case brought by the CAA over an alleged breach of Atol regulations.
He says: “I love working with owner-managed businesses, especially in the early years. There is something incredibly exciting and creative about dreaming up a business and then bringing it to life. “It never runs to the original plan, but that is part of the fun. It always starts and ends with the people, the team. Do they have the drive and determination to dig in or will they give up when the seas get rough? People are complicated but business has to be simple, which creates one of a million challenges to overcome. Don’t expect it easy!”
IRENE HAYS
Irene is chair of the Hays Travel Group Board and has more than four decades’ experience in supporting business start-ups and growth, and major international investments in the UK. She is a former chief executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland city councils and was a director general in Whitehall for local government and regeneration. She is currently a non-executive director with the Department for Education and chair of the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Hays was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award
for Services to Business in the 2018 North East Business Awards and received a CBE in 2008.
She says: “I am passionate about business start-ups and innovative growth ideas – they’re rarely about building a brand-new island off the land mass but colouring in the coastline with a quirky enhancement or a new way of doing things. “I think the Travel Weekly £100k Pitch
is inspired, and I was keen to be involved. “I’m hoping I get to meet the next
industry entrepreneur, someone like Robin Dellar, John Hays or the guys behind Loveholidays – though maybe two ‘John Hays’ might be too much!”
ABOUT OUR ANDREW BOTTERILL INVESTORS STEVE BACON
Andrew is executive chairman of UK travel investment firm Travcorp Holdings, which he is representing on The £100k Pitch panel. The company’s current investments include OTA
Holidaygems.co.uk and long-haul operator
Destination2.co.uk. Botterill was formerly chief executive of dnata Travel Europe
and Stella Travel Services UK, having led the sale of CVC Capital Partners-owned Stella to Emirates-owned dnata in 2015. He is also a previous shareholder and chief executive of The
Global Travel Group and oversaw the sale of the business to Stella Travel Services in 2007.
He says: ‘I’m delighted to be involved in the £100k Pitch competition and on behalf of Travcorp Holdings, I am really excited to see and hear some of the ideas that are looking for help and investment. “Our industry has always been
entrepreneurial, with some real pioneers and trailblazers across many sectors of travel. Innovation and technology are becoming ever- more important in travel and I know that to make a real difference you need to back the right people. I’m looking forward to meeting all our finalists.”
Steve is a former chief financial officer of
Cruise.co.uk and was instrumental in the sale of the business to BDC in 2016 and the subsequent acquisition of Germany-based
Kreuzfahrtberater.de. He joined the travel industry in 2006, worked on the sale of
Gold Medal to Thomas Cook in 2009 and eventually became managing director of Thomas Cook’s scheduled business. Prior to the travel industry, he was finance and IT director for
Home Delivery Network and is currently group chief financial officer at strategic consultancy Kalibrate.
He says: “I am thrilled to be joining The £100k Pitch panel in such a challenging but exciting time for travel. I am looking forward to working with the other investors as we aim to select an innovative game-changing idea and play a significant part in the company’s development plans. “I sincerely hope the winning business will have the vision and energy to put their heart and soul into becoming the travel industry’s next big idea and we can help in fast-tracking it to make it a success.”
PICTURES: Shutterstock; Steve Dunlop; Dave Phillips Photography; Iain Buist
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