The duo, who founded Hays Travel, were among the business leaders honoured at this year’s North East Entrepreneurial Awards.
They were acknowledged for their longstanding contribution to the region, particularly within Sunderland where the Hays headquarters is based, and for saving thousands of jobs when they purchased the Thomas Cook retail operation.
The company, launched in 1980 by John, is now the largest independently owned travel agency in the UK, with reported sales of over £1 billion per annum, 7,500 employees and 450 retail branches.
