Cookes, who currently holds the position of leisure director, has become the consortium’s chief commercial officer, while Nunn, its operations director, becomes chief operating officer.
The changes follow the appointment last month of Guy Snelgar to the newly created position of global business travel director and Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said confirmed a further senior appointment will be announced in the coming weeks.
As chief commercial officer, Cookes will concentrate on leveraging Advantage’s global buying power and “driving improved commercial benefit” across the group. She will look for opportunities to develop additional products and services for its membership and focus on “maximising membership recruitment and retention” working alongside her senior management team.
Meanwhile Nunn, who has worked for Advantage for 20 years, will provide leadership of all operational aspects in his new role of chief operating officer.
He will oversee IT, regulatory and compliance departments of Advantage, as well as work with the consortium’s wider global team to deliver “critical” business solutions to its membership, including bonding and insurance products and services.
Lo Bue-Said said: “Whilst the last two years has tested and challenged us, it has also made us mature as a business. The pandemic forced us to look at how we operate, build resilience in all we do and kept us laser-focused on supporting our members. It also gave us an opportunity to raise the awareness of Advantage as a media go-to brand and a consumer champion, whilst consistently advocating the benefit of using a travel agent for both business and leisure travel.
“As our global business continues to grow and diversify, we now need to better support the strategic framework we have set ourselves going forward. Both Kelly and Paul have delivered over and above during the last few years, and I am delighted to be offering them these well-deserved promotions.”
“I truly believe that the breadth of knowledge, expertise, drive and ambition across my senior team, together with the unwavering support and commitment that we have from our membership, means we can move forward with vigour and confidence to face the next phase of our development,” she added.
