NEWS THE INTERVIEW QUICK fi ŭ
Where is home? Canterbury, Kent.
The last book you read? I’m reading Blood River by Tim Butcher, in which he goes down the Congo.
Favourite destination? India.
What do you enjoy doing while on holiday? Seeing, doing, experiencing.
Hobbies? Skiing, windsurfing, yoga.
to group CEO in 2015, Pack saw an opportunity to bring those businesses closer together and says they’ve been “much stronger as a unit” since. German and UK markets are very
different, he says, but both put a large emphasis on the trade. “In Germany it’s 98% trade,” he says. “Most UK business is through our agent portal and APIs. It’s about 50%.” Ultimately, he says, “it’s all about
serving the customer” via whichever channel they prefer. “It was easier when we were a wholesaler. It was only aſter that we learnt how to sell.” Trade bookings are more
quantifiable, he suggests. “When you take the bookings yourself, you have to factor in [costs like] TV ads, so you don’t know how much you are making on each booking. With the trade, it’s a much simpler calculation. But we still beat the drum and say travel agents are under-selling extras. “Making it easy for agents to sell”
those extras, whether airport hotels, parking, lounges, car hire, theatre breaks, excursions or insurance, is the key value-add, Pack adds.
travelweekly.co.uk
‘Amazon of add-ons’ Airport parking is Holiday Extras’ biggest product but Pack says hotels with parking are growing and lounges are “very popular at the moment”. But the company’s fastest-growing
area is its recently relaunched insurance product, underwriten by Travel Insurance Facilities, which is “going gangbusters”. Pack appreciates insurance is a tough sell for agents and hopes Holiday Extras’ FCA- accredited training scheme can help them gain confidence selling it. “Te whole thing is much easier since we invested in our system,” he says. With more technology staff than
sales staff, Pack says the company wants to be a sort of ‘Amazon of holiday extras’ by standardising processes and driving up efficiencies. “Every product we sell is sold in a uniform way,” he says, while noting “we still have a litle way to go”. He encourages a techy
environment at work, no more so than at its main office Te Wave, in Newingreen, Kent, where more than 100 employees can write soſtware.
‘Designers’ who work on
improving the systems hot desk and can work from beanbags, but are also trained to jump on the phones to support contact centre staff if needed. To further encourage buy-in from
staff is a literal buy-in. Pack says 9% of the business is owned by employees in a Save As You Earn scheme and that 12.7% of a sale price would go to staff if its 70 shareholders decided to sell the business, which as a group is on course to turn over £500 million this year. “We make sure we look aſter the
team,” he says adding that the working environment he has created has led to a “low churn rate” of staff as well as a booking up to every six seconds. Both his parents are still advisors,
and the senior leadership team is known as a circle not a board. And 36 years aſter his father started the business, Pack admits the founder “sees things coming that I can’t” and is “the most pragmatic guy I know”. Yet Pack is his own man, and runs
the business in a way that he believes is enjoyable for everyone. Otherwise, what would be the point?
What has been your best experience working in travel? Working for
lastminute.com in the early days – it didn’t seem like it at the time but it shaped my approach to life and how to get things done.
Which one thing about the industry would you change? The complexities. I hate all the rules and red tape. It’s not in the best interest of the customer or the business.
What inspired you to work in travel? I love travelling. I spent a year and a half travelling the world. It’s one of the best things you can do with your time and money. I’d rather spend money on a flight than a new watch.
Which three people in travel would you invite to dinner? Phileas Fogg, Michael Palin and Amelia Earhart.
And which three not in travel? Boris Johnson, Bill Gates and Joanna Lumley.
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