Chris Thelen and Julie Cope have launched TakeTwo Travel Solutions, a new UK and Europe based travel management company (TMC).
Thelen, who has 30 years of experience in the travel management sector, will take up the role of chief executive and ex-European operations director of Chambers Travel Group Julie Cope will become managing director.
TakeTwo, which currently employees 20 staff members across the UK and Europe, aims to provide "high-level, personalised" global travel services to international small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Thelen said the reason behind the company’s launch "is because there is a clear gap in the market for a client-centric, independently owned TMC who can deliver bespoke service to international SME clients where travel is a vital component of how their business operates, as well as provide premium services to high-net-worth individuals".
"In the post Covid era, these clients need confidence that their TMC partner understands their needs and can deliver high touch, personal service from highly-experienced people," he added.
“Another reason for establishing TakeTwo is to safeguard talent in the business travel industry and create jobs for highly-experienced business travel professionals who had been made redundant by former employers."