Martyn Sumners will join the trade association’s board next month ahead of Kenward’s departure after 10 years.

Derek Moore, Aito chairman, said he looked forward to introducing Sumners to members at Aito’s annual general meeting on February 27.

Sumners previously headed the Association of British Travel Organisers to France (Abtof) until 2013 and has since worked as an event management consultant and a corporate training provider specialising in business negotiation skills for large corporate organisations.

Moore said: “We had a number of strong contenders for the role but Martyn Sumners’ previous experience with Abtof meant that he understood Aito’s requirements as a consumer-facing travel trade association particularly well.

“He’s also worked for Aito member companies in the past, including Keycamp and Serenity Holidays, which gives him a rounded perspective from the member side of the fence, which we see as a key added bonus.”

Before Sumners officially joins Aito, Moore will work alongside John Tangney, Chris Rowles and Aito’s head office team to “keep things moving forward smoothly as we plan the forthcoming year and assist our members to face the challenges of Brexit”.