Wendy Wu Tours has expanded its trade sales team with the creation of four brand-new roles, including a dedicated key account manager for business from the Hays Travel group.
All four roles will be filled by former Thomas Cook staff and come in response – said the south-east Asia specialist – to “significant growth” over the past year.
Caroline Rennie has been appointed head of inside sales and specialist business, while Sandra Foreman will take on a key account manager role for Hays business. Both bring regional management experience to their new roles, the operator said.
Also joining from Cook are Caroline Burroughs and Harry Ryan. Burroughs has been appointed trade support manager, while Ryan joins as personal tailor-made consultant.
All four will report to Wendy Wu global sales director John Warr and will play “an integral role” in a new three-year initiative focusing on the travel trade.
“First and foremost, we’re all absolutely delighted to welcome our new recruits to the team,” said Warr. “There’s no doubt it’s been a challenging year for the industry and a very sad year indeed with the demise of Thomas Cook.
“Thomas Cook had an exceptionally dedicated and hardworking personnel and we are so pleased that we’re able to open our doors to four of its top performers.”
Rennie brings 23 years’ experience working for Thomas Cook to her new role, most recently as a regional manager, while Foreman, said Wendy Wu, arrives with a “first-class track record” delivering sales growth as well as vast “commercial acumen across the trade”.
Burroughs, meanwhile, brings 20 years’ Cook experience, most recently as cluster manager with responsibility for two of Cook’s top stores in Essex. Ryan was among Cook’s top performing consultants in the south-east.