Member Article

Travcorp Holdings Ltd strengthens senior team with Sykes Holiday Cottages hire

BGF-backed Travcorp Holdings Ltd has strengthened its senior team, with the appointment of Kate Wadeson from Sykes Holiday Cottages.

Kate joins the online travel operator as Head of Marketing, after 13 years at Sykes Holiday Cottages and brings over 20 years’ experience in travel marketing to the role – from direct mail to omni-channel contact strategies. Having previously worked with The Cooperative Travel Group, Kate has a strong understanding of short haul, long haul and cruise markets.

At Travcorp Holdings Ltd, she’ll be responsible for leading the company’s marketing activity, including customer-centric marketing, loyalty, lifecycle-management, segmentation and brand awareness.

Andrew Botterill, Chief Executive Officer at Travcorp Holdings Ltd, commented: “We are delighted to welcome someone of Kate’s calibre to Travcorp, after searching for many months for the ideal candidate to fill this vital role within our growing business.

“Our ambition is to become one of the largest B2C tour operators in the UK and this newly created position will be pivotal in ensuring we reach the next stage of our growth journey. Our marketing team is already benefiting from part of the multi-million pound investment BGF made into our business last November and over the next few months we expect to see positive changes as we look to expand our team further to help meet our strategic aims.”

Travcorp Holdings Ltd specialises in packaged holidays via its consumer brands Destination2.co.uk and HolidayGems.co.uk. The brands service a diverse holiday market, from premium, long-haul holidays to destinations such as Barbados, Dubai and the Maldives, to low-cost, short-haul packages to locations, including the Canary Islands, Balearics, Turkey and Greece.

Botterill added: “Over the next 12 months, our aim is to launch our brands into new and major marketing channels, with the sole intention of increasing brand recognition and ultimately resulting in increased sales. Kate will also be focusing on how we achieve higher levels of repeat custom with the planned introduction of many new initiatives.”

Last year, Travcorp Holdings Ltd raised £3.7 million in equity funding, led by BGF. BGF’s backing, which is supported by a significant co-investment by Travcorp’s management team, is enabling the company to invest heavily in technology, marketing and new destinations as it continues to capitalise on a resurgence in the travel market.

Spencer Woods, investor at BGF and a member of the Travcorp Holdings Ltd board, said: “This is an exciting and crucial hire for the business and very much part of the strategic plans laid out when we invested in Travcorp in November 2021. Investing in key areas of the business, such as marketing and technology, will enable the company to cement its position in the online travel operator market and build on the strong trading results already achieved post-pandemic.”

Travcorp Holdings Ltd has been shortlisted for ‘Rising Brand of the Year’ at the Travolution Awards 2022 and will go head-to-head with major brands, including easyJet Holidays, Blue Bay Travel, and MagicBreaks, at an awards ceremony in November.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Jones .