Weetman will take up the role of head of trade partnerships on 12 September, while Child, who has spent 25 years in marketing across a range of brands including Tui, John Lewis, Pepsi and Aviva, joins Kuoni on 7 August.
In addition, Darren Grahame-Betts will take on an expanded role as sales and operations director, taking responsibility for running Kuoni’s virtual call centres.
Kuoni managing director Mark Duguid said the appointments had been made as part of a new strategic plan “to grow business, re-engage with trade partners and maximise the iconic Kuoni brand”.
“I’ve now got a complete leadership team in place to drive us forward with a blend of enviable experience. We’ve promoted talent from within and brought in people from outside the travel industry who will bring a commercial edge and new dynamic to our business as look to the future,” said Duguid.
In a recent interview with TTG, Duguid, who was appointed last November, said his priorities for the luxury operator included its trade and product strategies and retail network.
After scaling back its trade operation during the pandemic, Duguid said he was committed to “picking things up” and bolstering Kuoni’s trade presence by delivering a “more proactive” approach with agent partners.
Weetman joined Travelsphere and Just You’s parent company in 2018 as head of trade sales before being promoted to sales director in March 2022. She was previously head of retail UK & Ireland at Royal Caribbean International.
She said: “It’s an exciting time at Kuoni and I am thrilled to become part of the family. I am looking forward to working with trade partners and helping them grow their business and take it from strength to strength with an award winning, leading luxury travel brand.”
In Child’s new role, she will lead Kuoni’s marketing strategy and activity across all channels, while Grahame-Betts, who has spent the past 15 years with the company, will head its virtual call centre and tailor-made sales teams.
The three appointments form part of a new-look Kuoni leadership team alongside Marco Rocha, commercial and product director, Donna Hynes, who is due to join as retail director, Andy Peacock as head of finance and Rachel O’Reilly, the operator’s director of communications.
