It comes after Silver Travel Advisor owner McAuley, who was appointed to the board of Hays Travel in November 2021, was this week named the agency’s new director of strategy.

Marketing director Gallagher joined Silver Travel Advisor in December 2021 after nearly eight years with Gold Medal and Travel 2 parent dnata B2B UK, where she worked with McAuley.

Silver Travel Advisor said Gallagher had played "a pivotal role" driving several growth initiatives supporting the brand’s strategic vision, including the introduction of a booking service and retail team.

In her new role, Gallagher will lead "the next phase of growth" across Silver Travel Advisor’s publishing and retail arms, with specific focus on acquisition, membership benefits, customer experience and product development.

Gallagher will be supported in her new role by Penny Worthy, who has been promoted from business development director to a newly-created commercial and partnerships development role.

“Having worked with Kerry for a number of years now, I am confident she can bring the experience and skills needed to take the brand forward," said McAuley.

"She has been an integral part of the Silver Travel Advisor journey in recent years, so this promotion is well-deserved. We’ve achieved so much since I purchased the business in 2020, so I am excited to see this continue under Kerry’s leadership.”

Gallagher added: “We’ve made such strides in growing our brand awareness, proposition and sales under Lisa’s guidance, so I feel incredibly honoured to be given the opportunity to take the reins. I look forward to working with our partners, stakeholders and the entire Silver Travel Advisor team to build on our achievements and drive the business to new heights.

"The over-50s travel market is buoyant and our customers show no signs of slowing down, in fact they are looking for more unique holiday experiences and personalised service, so it’s an incredibly exciting time for the brand.”

Gallagher joined Gold Medal in 2014 as marketing manager before going on to head up marketing across dnata’s UK B2B brands. She was joined there in 2018 by McAuley, who went on to head up B2B at dnata in the UK.

McAuley left dnata in July 2021 after taking a majority share in Silver Travel Advisor earlier in the year, and brought Gallagher into the business in late 2021 as marketing director.