'I’ve realised it’s not about age, it’s about skill sets that drive the business'
Jack Prescott, commercial strategy lead at Travel Counsellors and TTG 30 Under 30 member, explains how he’s dealt with imposter syndrome in the boardroom
Studying in Seville for a year as part of his Spanish and business degree at Hull University was the start of Jack’s journey in travel. “It brought me out of my comfort zone,” he says. “I started to appreciate other cultures and how travel opens your eyes.”
After graduating in 2017, there was a touch of serendipity about his first experience with Travel Counsellors. His best friend’s mum, Karen Morris, was operations director, and she offered him a temporary summer job in the commercial department, to help fund his year out in Australia.
“I liked the dynamic of Travel Counsellors and the commerciality of the business – I was there three months and every day felt different,” Jack says.
But he also had other plans to fulfil: “I had booked a one-way flight to Australia. I spent a year there, gaining independence, travelling, working, enjoying the weather, the beaches, the sports.”
On his return to the UK he bumped into Kirsten Hughes, managing director and chief commercial officer at Travel Counsellors, at a wedding, who invited him back to the business.
Jack interviewed for a commercial data and insight role on maternity cover. It was a self-taught role that suited him, learning on the job, picking up as much as he could from the people around him.
When another colleague went on adoption leave, Jack covered the role of connected partner manager, managing relationships with suppliers that feed into Phenix, Travel Counsellors’ in-house booking platform.
The blending of the two roles speeded up Jack’s learning and helped propel him into a more strategic role: “As a commercial strategy leader, I wasn’t just providing the customer insights and travel trends, I was becoming a decision maker too.”
RIPPING UP THE RULEBOOK
Although Covid brought its own challenges, the positive Jack took from that rocky period for the industry is that it allowed Travel Counsellors to rip up the rule book. “All the trends of years gone by, such as the January peaks and the late-booking summer market, they went out the window. No one really knew what was going to happen, but that played into my hands. I felt like I could influence the strategy more.”
Recently, Jack was promoted to commercial strategy lead, helping drive Travel Counsellors’ booking journey, such as sourcing and pricing products, and understanding how best they are delivered to agent homeworkers, all driven by his background in data analytics and keen interest in travel trends.
At 27, Jack was added to the senior leadership community at Travel Counsellors. “At first I had imposter syndrome,” the now 28-year-old admits. “What was I doing in a room with all these business leaders? But I’ve realised it’s not about age, it’s about skill sets that drive the business, and my role has a great deal of impact, because I deal in the data that’s key to understanding our customers, and that’s a continuous thing.”
After five years at Travel Counsellors, Jack is now mentoring graduate starters in an unofficial capacity alongside the more structured mentor scheme the company has in place. “When I started, I didn’t know where I wanted my career to go, but I’ve found a home in the commercial and strategy side of the business. The graduates know I’m here to help, whether they want general career pointers or something more specific like guidance on presenting to the board.”
He has his sights on moving up the leadership ladder. “I have aspirations to be one of the youngest members of the exec team; Travel Counsellors offers so many opportunities to build leadership skills and grow as a person. It’s not a corporate working establishment – the exec team say their doors are always open and they mean it – there’s so much collaborative working between departments and leaders, it’s easy to soak up knowledge like a sponge.”
Read more 30 Under 30 profiles from the 2023-24 intake: Tui’s Molly Attwell; Travel Counsellor and CheerTravel owner Stephanie Needley
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
