Lancashire joined the trade-only group as Marketing Director in May 2022 and has since overseen the rebrand and repositioning of its portfolio, which includes the Gold Medal, Pure Luxury, Cruise Plus and Incredible Journeys brands.

She took on the product function on an interim basis in February, and Gold Medal has now confirmed she will continue to lead both teams in the newly created Marketing and Product Director role.

Simon Applebaum, Managing Director of Gold Medal Travel Group, said Lancashire had made "extremely impressive progress" since taking on the additional responsibility.

"When I asked her to take on the product function on an interim basis, the priority was continuity," he said. "What Sarah has delivered goes well beyond that, with the alignment between product and marketing working more effectively than anticipated."

Lancashire said she was "thrilled" and that the appointment was a natural progression of her experience.

"Having spent the past six months working closely with the product team, I've seen firsthand what's possible when marketing and product are pulling in the same direction," she said. "I'm excited to keep driving both teams forward as we expand our portfolio."

This follows the news that Gold Medal had named Olivia Martin as its first Northern Ireland-based Trade Partnerships Executive following feedback from agents.