Drawn from across the industry, young achievers from travel businesses large and small have made this year’s programme, showcasing a wide range of specialisms from sales and marketing to accountancy, and from product management to sustainability and accessible travel.
More than 100 nominations and entries from across the travel industry came in for this year’s group, which is supported by headline partner Tui, as well as our partner ITT – the Institute of Travel and Tourism.
Meeting in June this year, our judging panel included Richard Sofer, Tui’s commercial business development director, and Claire Steiner, director of education at ITT.
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The panel was chaired by TTG Media CEO Daniel Pearce, who said: “This is an exclusive club we’ve created, and over the years, we’ve seen business relationships form and genuine friendships spark up through the programme. Every year we are genuinely excited to see a new group come together like this.”
Sofer added: “Everyone at Tui is so proud to be the TTG 30 Under 30 headline sponsor for the third year running. This year, the level of entries has been outstanding, which is great for our industry, but makes choosing just 30 standout individuals a difficult task.
“At Tui, we are passionate about growing talent, supporting individuals through their personal development and helping our future leaders reach their full potential. Why? Because nurturing talent is the right thing to do – for the individual, their organisation and the industry as a whole.”
The reveal coincides with the start, on Monday, of TTG’s second Fairer Travel Week, which will culminate with TTG Travel Pride on Thursday (6 July).
As part of the programme, the 30 Under 30 attend exclusive dinners with guest speakers and social events organised by TTG. They also become members of the ITT and the Association of Women Travel Executives, and gain invitations to their events.
Upon meeting this year’s 30 Under 30 all together for the first time, Sofer encouraged them to make the most of the networking opportunities the programme presents.
“Networking is a skill that needs to be learnt,” he said. "At the start of my career, I found walking into a room of people uncomfortable and a little overwhelming. Over time I have learnt that the key to good networking is to be yourself and listen.
“A good networking event can yield advice, ideas and opportunities. Ask lots of questions and take all the answers on board – little nuggets of information can crystalise into something big.”
The judging panel also featured two former members of the TTG 30 Under 30 – Charitable Travel’s Ally Ware and Royal Caribbean’s Megan Smith, as well as TTG Media managing director Matt Roclawski, features editor Katherine Masters and customer success manager Angie Jackson.
