Stuart will leave the business on March 15 before taking up a new role with luxury long-haul tour operator Kenwood Travel on March 25.

Marketing manager Alice Kiewiet will also leave the villa specialist at the end of the month to take up a role on April 1 as marketing and communications manager for a London hotel.

Meanwhile, communications and marketing executive James Delger will relocate to Novasol’s base in Virum, near Copenhagen, on an interim basis, taking responsibility for UK operations from there.

Delger has been Novasol’s main point of contact for the UK travel trade since he joined six months ago.

Stuart said the changes would not impact on Novasol operations in the UK so far as agents are concerned, adding he was proud to have contributed to the team doubling business with the trade since he joined two-and-a-quarter years ago.

He told TTG while Novasol’s four-year UK operation was a relatively small portion of the business, its main source market being Germany, it punched well above its weight.

“Novasol have been brilliant,” said Stuart. “I leave with great friends and contacts and am proud of what we’ve achieved. I’m now looking forward to resuming my career in tour operating.

“James will head to Denmark for a few months which means there won’t be anyone here in the UK going forward, but it’s very early days.

"He will have the support of entire 200-plus team out there.”

Stuart said while Novasol’s UK team had historically been small, the growth it achieved had always left the door open to expansion.

“The growth has been fantastic, especially with the trade,” he said.

“We were coming from a low base so the trade growth is phenomenal, especially as it is agents that tend to take those higher value bookings.

"But it was never going to be as big as Novasol’s major source markets like Germany.”

Stuart said agents should continue to deal directly with Delger for trade matters: “James has been there port of call for the past six months since he start here and that arrangement will continue for the time being.”

He added his attentions had now turned to handing over UK operations over the next 10 days.

Novasol dates back 50 years and specialises in villas, cottages and apartments, offering properties across 28 countries, with 50,000 holiday homes in Europe alone.

Its UK arm was set up in November 2015 to service direct sales and foster trade relations.

The brand was owned by Wyndham Worldwide and sat under its European Vacation Rentals.

A $1.3 billion deal was agreed to sell the brands to private equity house Platinum Equity in February 2018.