When Louise Cottar and Andrew Dixon started packing to spend four weeks in each other’s homes, you could be forgiven for assuming they were each preparing for a jolly lovely month-long holiday. Louise is chief executive and co-owner of Cottar’s Safaris in Kenya, and so Andrew was headed to a traditional yet luxurious tented camp in Maasai Mara, while he is the co-founder of two Indonesian barefoot island escapes, Nikoi and Cempedak, so Louise had signed up to experience private island seclusion, about 50 miles from Singapore.
The CEO exchange: 'How we improved our hotels by swapping jobs for a month'
Business advice
Katherine Masters
6 July 2026
Two leaders swapped roles for a month, with Louise Cottar heading to twin marine resorts in Indonesia and Andrew Dixon managing a safari camp in Kenya. In this exclusive interview, they share how the experience strengthened their leadership and helped foster innovation in the travel industry
Louise Cottar / Andrew Dixon
Two members of The Long Run have taken part in an innovative CEO exchange between their properties
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