Johannesburg, 7 July 2022 – With the recent creation of The Travel Corporation (TTC) Tour Brands combined with the success of North America and Oceania, the departure of UK/Europe Managing Director, Donna Jeavons, opened up an opportunity for the world’s leading privately-owned travel company, to look at its UK, Europe, Ireland and South African offices.
As a result TTC has created a newly formed EMEA region combining the talents of two teams into one dynamic powerhouse. Kelly Jackson has been appointed as Managing Director of the EMEA region. Jackson, who has been with TTC for 15 years and based in South Africa, will be dusting off her British passport and returning to her roots as she travels frequently between the two regions to ensure that both are firmly on a path of strategic growth. This new structure will allow TTC to fuel growth with purpose through collaboration, knowledge-sharing and innovation.
With this new structure, TTC is also pleased to announce that UK-based Becky Francis has been appointed as the Director of Sales for EMEA. Francis, like Jackson, will be travelling frequently between the two regions and supporting this new structure which has already seen the successful implementation of the EMEA Contact Centre.
Gavin Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation, affirms that while the company has its sight set on driving innovation, stability and growth, it is essential to have the right roles, and the best-suited people for those roles, in place. “These new roles were created to enable more efficiency in our structure and to further strengthen the integrity of our award-winning brands – all to serve our trade partners better. The knowledge, skill set and experience that Kelly and Becky hold, bring immense value at a time where we (TTC) are on a path of very intentional growth,” Tollman notes.
Tollman added “Kelly has over 25 years of experience in the travel industry – 15 of which have been with TTC – and brings a wealth of knowledge to this new structure. After leading Contiki as General Manager in South Africa for 11 years, she was appointed as Head of Sales for TTC – a position she held for three years. In 2020 she was promoted to Managing Director of TTC in South Africa and has rebuilt the South African business post-Covid from a team of 15 to a team of 53. Becky has exceptional trade relationships and knowledge of the UK industry, and, like Jackson, started her career at Contiki and worked her way up. I know both of these executives have the drive and ability to take the newly formed EMEA region to even greater heights.”
Jackson is looking forward to the journey ahead in this new role and intends on embracing all opportunities and any challenges on the path toward growth for the company. “I am thrilled to be leading the TTC EMEA region for our incredible Tour Brands. I am confident in this new structure and the incredible team that is in place for the EMEA region – we could not be stronger or better suited and it is without a doubt that this new structure is designed to seamlessly support our valued travel agents. I look forward to meeting our UK, Europe and Ireland partners and introducing Becky to our South African trade partners very soon,” Jackson says.
Francis is equally excited about the opportunity: “As TTC forges ahead to develop our strategic plan, it’s essential that we have the right structure in place to achieve our goals, and the creation of the EMEA region within the company is an invaluable part of the process. I am truly grateful for the opportunity and am delighted to be working alongside Kelly in her new role and am thrilled to be getting to work alongside our TTC team in South Africa and meeting their valued trade partners,” says Francis.
ABOUT THE TRAVEL CORPORATION
The Travel Corporation (TTC) is a highly successful, stable, and solvent family-owned and passionately run international group of 40 award-winning brands, which celebrated its first 100th Anniversary in 2020. Our exceptional portfolio of brands spans across 70 countries and offers an extensive selection of international travel and tourism companies, encompassing a variety of guided travel experiences, independent holiday packages, boutique river cruising, luxury hotels and safaris. We are committed to consistently delivering outstanding service, experiences and value to each and every one of our guests and we do so through continuous innovation. Beyond our commitment to provide the world’s leading holiday experiences, TTC reassures travellers in these uncertain times that their future travels are safe with us. The financial strength and future longevity of the business is backed by the transparent exposure of the companies Red Carnation Hotels unencumbered fixed assets in excess of US$300,000,000 as of December 31, 2019. For more information, please visit TTC.com or follow us on Twitter and Instagram while using our hashtags #TravelWithTTC and #MakeTravelMatter.