john milburn hays travel

Hays Travel appoints new leadership following death of founder John Hays

Mr Hays and his wife Irene had been working on a succession plan before his sudden death while at work last week

• 13:21, 17 NOV 2020

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Hays Travel has appointed three new directors to take forward its founder’s legacy, days after the travel firm’s leader passed away.

Tributes have poured in for John Hays following his sudden death at the age of 71 last week, 40 years after he first launched Hays Travel in his mother’s clothes shop in Seaham, County Durham.

The Wearside entrepreneur took the business from annual sales of just over £800 to in excess of £1bn during a career which also saw him gain national attention with the takeover of more than 500 former Thomas Cook shops.

It has now emerged that the company was in the process of making new appointments to strengthen its board as part of a succession plan.

Hays Travel has appointed Jonathon Woodall as chief operating officer, saying that he would work with the board and the senior leadership team to take forward its two-year business plan, as Mr Hays and his wife Irene intended.

Mrs Hays, the company’s chair, said: “John was proud of the career success of our loyal, committed and talented people.

“Jonathon has excelled since he started, and while the circumstances of his promotion are not what anyone would have ever wanted, he has the confidence and support of everyone in the business.”

Mr Woodall joined Hays Travel in 2004 and worked closely with Mr Hays for more than 16 years.

He has held a number of positions across the group, including finance manager, head of independence group and head of commercial, and has played a key role in major acquisitions.

He said: “I am privileged to take John’s legacy forward alongside all of the people in Hays Travel who want to do the same.

“Although these are challenging times for the travel industry, we have strong plans in place. Irene and I will continue to reach for excellence in the way we look after our people, our customers and our suppliers.”

The board will be further strengthened with the appointment of John Milburn, currently head of homeworking and telesales, who will become marketing and homeworking director, and Mark Hatton, former senior partner at Ernst & Young, in a non-executive role. They join Mrs Hays and director of retail Jane Schumm and Claire Maith, group finance director.

Following Mr Hays’ death, an online fundraising page has been set up to raise money for the Hays Travel Foundation in his memory.

Founded in 2015, the charity creates opportunities for youngsters to help them achieve their potential, and Mr Hays viewed it as one of his proudest achievements. A GoFundMe page has now been set up inviting people to leave a donation and the total now stands at almost £17,000.

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John Hays, founder of holiday firm Hays Travel, dies 'doing the job he loved'

The 71-year-old, who started the company back in 1980, collapsed while working at its head office in Sunderland.

Saturday 14 November 2020 05:32, UK

The founder of the UK's largest independent travel firm, who saved thousands of Thomas Cook staff from losing their jobs when the holiday giant went bust, has died.

John Hays, who started the company in 1980 out of the back of his mother's childrenswear shop in County Durham, collapsed on Friday while working at its head office in Sunderland.

The 71-year-old died "while doing the job he loved", the company said.

Mr Hays ran the business with his wife Irene.

The couple earned praise in October last year when they prevented thousands of former Thomas Cook staff from redundancy by buying all 555 of the failed tour operator's UK travel agencies .

Hays Travel said in a statement: "It is with the deepest sadness and regret that we have to announce that John Hays, the founder and managing director of Hays Travel, died today while doing the job he loved.

"John, who with his wife and co-owner Irene Hays bought the Thomas Cook retail estate a year ago, was at work in the company's Sunderland head office when he collapsed.

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"John built Hays Travel into the UK's largest independent travel agent providing jobs and careers for thousands of young people over 40 years.

"Throughout this past difficult year he did everything in his power to save jobs and protect the travel industry.

"He was held in immense respect by his staff, colleagues, family and friends and was recognised throughout his life for his many achievements."

"He was equally proud of his loyal staff who, under the direction of the board and senior management team, will ensure that the business continues to serve the customers of the UK's largest independent travel agent as he would have wanted."

More than 7,000 people are employed by the firm, which had a turnover of more than £1bn in 2018.

Mr Hays, an Oxford University mathematics graduate, was also a former vice-chairman of Sunderland AFC, and was awarded the freedom of the city in 2016.

The football club said in a statement: "John was a champion of the North East and the city of Sunderland. Our thoughts are with his wife Irene, his family and his friends at this time."

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel trade organisation ABTA, said: "We were shocked and saddened to hear this afternoon's news that John Hays has passed away.

"John was a major figure in the travel industry over many years, and created one of the industry's most successful companies.

"Hays Travel is a longstanding ABTA member, and John was known to many of us. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his wife Irene and his family, colleagues and friends at this very sad time."

Derek Jones, chief executive of luxury travel company Kuoni, said: "John was an inspiration and a true legend of the industry, but more importantly he was a great friend."

Hays Travel appoints directors to take forward founder's legacy

The firm's founder John Hays died suddenly last Friday 40 years after launching in a small section of his mother's childrenswear shop

• 13:24, 17 NOV 2020
• Updated 15:00, 17 NOV 2020

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North East independent travel firm Hays Travel has appointed three new directors to take forward the business forward, following the sudden death of its founder.

John Hays passed away last Friday while working in the company’s Sunderland head office, 40 years after first setting it in motion in the back of his mother’s clothes shop in County Durham.

Tributes have flooded in from the business community following Mr Hays’ death, which happened just over a year after he and his wife Irene, Hays Travel’s chair, were thrown into the national spotlight when they saved more than 2,000 jobs by acquiring shops and staff from collapsed holiday company Thomas Cook.

Over his career Mr Hays took the business from first year annual sales of £812 to in excess of £1bn in 2017/18.

It has now emerged that the company has been in the process of making new appointments to strengthen its board as part of a succession plan.

Hays Travel has today announced the promotion of Jonathon Woodall to chief operating officer, to work with the board and the senior leadership team to take forward its two-year business plan, as John and Irene Hays intended.

Mrs Hays, the company’s chair said: “John was proud of the career success of our loyal, committed and talented people.

“Jonathon has excelled since he started, and while the circumstances of his promotion are not what anyone would have ever wanted, he has the confidence and support of everyone in the business.”

Mr Woodall joined Hays Travel in 2004 and worked closely with John for more than 16 years.

He has held positions across the group, including finance manager, head of independence group and head of commercial, and has played a key role in major acquisitions.

He said: “I am privileged to take John’s legacy forward alongside all of the people in Hays Travel who want to do the same.

“Although these are challenging times for the travel industry, we have strong plans in place. Irene and I will continue to reach for excellence in the way we look after our people, our customers and our suppliers.”

The board will be further strengthened with the appointment of John Milburn, currently head of homeworking and telesales, who will become marketing and homeworking director, and Mark Hatton, former senior partner at Ernst & Young, in a non-executive role. They join Mrs Hay and Jane Schumm, director of retail and Claire Maith, group finance director.

Following Mr Hays’ death, an online fundraising page has been set up to raise money for the Hays Travel Foundation in his memory and the total now stands at almost £17,000.

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Traveltek’s long-term partner Hays Travel scoops industry award for for ‘Best Travel Agent Site’

By Cressida Sergeant

UK’s largest independent travel agency group smashes the OTA competition with its successful B2C website, powered by the Glasgow-headquartered tech firm

Traveltek Group Ltd’s long term client,  Hays Travel , has scooped an industry award for the ‘Best Travel Agent Site’, staving off competition from two OTA heavyweights.

The UK’s largest independent travel agency group beat fellow finalists Love Holidays and Travel Republic in this highly-contested category at the recent  TravelMole UK Awards 2017 .

It’s an accolade Hays Travel’s Head of Digital & Selling Systems, John Milburn, has attributed to the agency’s omni-channel approach and its progressive web strategy, developed in partnership with Traveltek.

“We were honoured to be shortlisted alongside two major OTAs and to win was an absolute surprise, but it is testament to the hard work of our teams, which has seen us grow our digital presence over the last few years. It has resonated extremely well with consumers, opening our brand to new audiences and allowing us to market to them cost effectively,” he said.

“This is by no means the finished article and we have very ambitious plans going forward, but we have built strong foundations that focus on engaging and useful content, without losing that ‘travel agent’ feel.”

Milburn added: “We have been partners with Traveltek for more than nine years and this great working relationship continues to help us drive forward our web strategy.”

Traveltek has been building B2B and B2C travel websites for almost two decades, transforming offline agencies with small information-based sites into e-commerce giants.

Hays Travel is one of the travel technology specialist’s biggest success stories, according to Neil Welsh, Head of Sales EMEA Region, Traveltek Group Ltd.

“Hays Travel has established a strong web presence as a crucial facet of its omni-channel approach, harnessing our technology to reach out to new clients and improve the customer experience,” he said.

“At the same time, the company has not lost sight of the need to provide a personalised service and in addition to our web technology, has made use of our suite of solutions including iSell , iBOS and iTour, to support travel agency staff in a number of ways, from user-friendly search and booking tools to helping them create and package bespoke itineraries for their clients.”

Traveltek offers travel agents and tour operators mobile-friendly web solutions and is currently rolling out new data-driven UX (User Experience) and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) services designed to help them capitalise on the surge in mobile device and smartphone usage.

These new features will help travel agents and tour operators drive up conversion rates by optimising the front-end user journeys on their B2C travel websites.

Traveltek appoints industry personality Chris Brown

“travel agents are humans too”, says traveltek’s chris brown.

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Over £11,000 Raised in memory of John Hays

The late John Hays; daughter, Helen Hays issued thanks to the people who have made donations to the Go Fund Me campaign in memory of her Father who passed away suddenly last week

The late John Hays; daughter, Helen Hays issued thanks to the people who have made donations to the Go Fund Me campaign in memory of her Father who passed away suddenly last week .

Helen took to Twitter yesterday saying: “Following the death of my dad I’ve been quiet on social because I’ve been looking after my mum. We aren’t far off £10,000 which is incredible and just means so much. Just thank you.”

Organiser John Milburn said: “If anyone would like to make a donation in his memory, Irene would be grateful for a £5 donation (no more) to be made to the Hays Travel Foundation, which was one of John’s proudest achievements.”

The Hays Travel Foundation was set up in 2015 and has donated almost £1 million to good causes so far. You can donate by clicking here .

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Hays Travel reveals new leadership team after founder’s death

North East Times

November 17, 2020

A travel agency has made a senior appointment following the death of its founder and managing director.

Hays Travel has announced Jonathon Woodall [pictured left] as chief operating officer.

His appointment comes after the sudden death of John Hays last week.

Bosses at the Sunderland-headquartered firm, which operates as the UK’s largest independent travel agent, say Jonathon will continue to take forward a two-year business plan started by John and his wife and co-owner Irene.

Having joined Hays Travel in 2004, Jonathon worked closely with John for more than 16 years, holding positions including finance manager and head of commercial.

Irene, who is also company chair, said: “John was proud of the career success of our loyal, committed and talented people.

“Jonathon has excelled since he started, and while the circumstances of his promotion are not what anyone would have ever wanted, he has the confidence and support of everyone in the business.”

Jonathon added: “I am privileged to take John’s legacy forward alongside all of the people in Hays Travel who want to do the same.

“Although these are challenging times for the travel industry, we have strong plans in place.

“Irene and I will continue to reach for excellence in the way we look after our people, our customers and our suppliers.”

Having founded the business 40 years ago in a store in Seaham, County Durham, John, alongside Irene, worked across the decades to build its presence.

The couple attracted national headlines last year when they bought Thomas Cook’ 555-shop empire following the operator’s collapse, saving in the process more than 2000 jobs UK-wide.

Alongside Jonathon’s appointment, the company has made two further managerial changes.

Head of homeworking and telesales John Milburn will become marketing and homeworking director, with Mark Hatton, a former senior partner at Ernst & Young, taking on a non-executive board role.

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Owner of Russian travel giant enters UK market with new tour operation

Holiday Best is focusing on short-haul favourites Turkey, Greece, Spain and Egypt, but also offers a range of other destinations.

Documents filed with Companies House show that the sole shareholder of Holiday Best is Ramazan Akpinar, a Turkish businessman and the sole owner of Moscow-based Pegas Touristik, which also specializes in travel to Turkey, as well as Thailand, Vietnam, China, UAE and Israel.

Pegas owns Russia-based leisure carrier Nordwind Airlines and is affiliated to a new Turkish airline, Southwind, which launched in Antalya last August, initially offering flights between Turkey and Russia.

Holiday Best has an ATOL licence to carry almost 81,000 up to March 2024.

Pictured is Swandor Hotel & Resorts Topkapi Palace in Turkey, a Holiday Best destination

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We are the UK’s largest independent travel agent and the nation’s favourite. We provide excellent value, service, and choice in holidays across land and sea. With more than 40 years’ experience and 470 high street branches, we are proud to be the UK’s largest independent travel agent.

We are also honoured to be the nation’s favourite.

Thanks to public vote Hays Travel won three gold British Travel Awards 2023: Best National Travel Retailer, Best Travel Agency for Cruise Holidays, and Best Retailer for Forex/Travel Money. As a family-owned independent agency, what sets Hays Travel apart is our friendly and professional colleagues; we value our people, our customers and the communities where we operate . Being independent, we can offer our customers impartial advice and an extensive range of travel opportunities from hundreds of suppliers, whether in our branches, via our contact centre, through our network of homeworkers, or via our franchisees and independence group members.

Our community support

Throughout our history, staff across Hays Travel have worked hard to help the communities where we operate. Each year every one of our branches receives £500 to invest in their local community and in 2023 we have invested over £208,000 in local causes and activities, with a specific focus on supporting young people’s mental health.

Our Hays Travel Foundation

We established our Hays Travel Foundation in 2015, with a mission to help young people achieve and be the best that they can be in their health, sport, the arts and education. Working with a wide range of organisations and charities, the Foundation creates opportunities for young people who need a little help to develop to their full potential. To date our Hays Travel Foundation has donated: £1,374,306.

How Hays Travel began is legendary

In 1980, from the back of his mum’s babywear shop in Seaham County Durham, John Hays began selling holidays from a laminated dressing table. From this humble beginning Hays Travel expanded steadily with shops opening up across the north-east. In 1990 the first Hays Travel call centre opened, and in 1995 the Hays Travel Independence Group was formed. Consortium members retain their own independence and branding, but benefit from Hays Travel’s buying power, technology, and back-office support. In 1997, the company diversified into homeworking, and today has three different options to suit those who prefer more flexibility in their lives. In 2013 our retail estate expanded hugely with the acquisition of southern England’s largest independent travel agency, Bath Travel. Founded in 1924 and based in Bournemouth, Bath Travel had over 60 branches and 330 employees who joined the Hays Travel family. The acquisition represented a substantial growth in the company’s retail network, with Hays Travel branches now covering Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Sussex. A year later, in 2014, Hays Travel took on its first franchise in the north-west of England, a 14-branch travel agency formerly known as Just Go. Rapid expansion meant that Hays Travel now had almost 49 across three different franchises.

Humble beginnings to high-street heroes

In 2019, John and Irene Hays became ‘Heroes of the high street’ when Hays Travel acquired a lease to operate the former Thomas Cook shops, providing re-employment opportunities to 2,500 staff who were made redundant following the collapse. Another year later in 2020, Hays Travel took over all 20 Tailor Made Travel shops as well as retaining around 100 employees. The period from 2021 to 2022 was the most challenging in Hays Travel’s history, when it lost its beloved founder John Hays and weathered a global pandemic. January 2023 saw the biggest trading day in Hays Travel’s history, when customers well and truly returned to travel. The positive start to the turn of year continued and Hays Travel returned to strategic acquisition, first acquiring 45 of franchisee Just Go branches in the North West of England in September, closely followed by a further 16 shops in South Wales when it acquired Travel House. In addition to these acquisitions Hays Travel also opened new branches in Northern Ireland, Leeds Briggate area, and Gainsborough, and refurbished and relocated others as part of its retail and sustainability strategy. Hays Travel is committed to ‘growing its own’ and has received many awards for its apprenticeship scheme, which attracts thousands of applicants every year to work in branches across the UK and in each department in its Sunderland Head Office. Apprentices study while earning a salary, gaining valuable on-the-job experience, and achieving a nationally recognised certificate, Hays Travel’s programme retained its good rating following an Ofsted inspection in 2023, with an ‘outstanding’ rating for outcomes for young people. Today, Hays Travel has huge buying power and invests heavily in state-of-the-art technology. The company has an award-winning in-house training programme, won Large High Street Agency at the Agent Achievement Awards 2023, and is eleventh in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list for 2023. Fully ABTA, ATOL and IATA bonded, it offers customers complete financial security, and its independent status means staff can provide impartial advice and an extensive range of travel opportunities.

• 1980 John Hays opens the first branch of Hays Travel at the back of his mum’s children’s wear shop in Seaham, Co Durham
• 1982 Hays Travel opens second shop in Sunderland, where the company has its headquarters today
• 1984 Third shop opens in Washington, Tyne and Wear
• 1987 Expansion reaches seven shops in the North East
• 1990 First Hays Travel call centre opens
• 1997 The company diversifies into homeworking
• 2006 Hays Travel recognised as one of the Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies to Work For in the UK
• 2007 Hays Travel Group hit £300 million turnover
• 2008 John Hays honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at the Agent Achievement Awards
• 2009 John Hays picks up the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Globes
• 2010 Celebrate 30 years and John Hays’ inauguration into the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame
• 2012 Turnover hits the £500 million mark
• 2013 Acquisition of Bath Travel, the South of England’s largest independent travel agency
• 2014 Hays Travel Academy launched
• 2016 Another inclusion in the Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies to Work For list whilst John Hays is awarded Freedom of the City of Sunderland
• 2017 Turnover reaches £850 million
• 2018 Turnover passes the £1 billion mark
• 2019 Thomas Cook retail estate acquisition
• 2021 Recruited additional 100 HTOL employees

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Homeworking Guide: Getting started as a travel homeworker

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Becoming your own boss is a big step. So it’s understandable for anyone embarking on a career as a self-employed travel homeworker to feel anxious.

“Becoming a homeworker for the first time is a very exciting and ambitious move,” says Abbie Heaton, sales manager of Blue Bay Travel’s new homeworking division, Personal Travel Consultants. However, Heaton admits: “Starting out can be the hardest part.”

Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt agrees. “It’s natural to feel daunted, but when you join you realise you’re not alone. It’s like a big family,” he says.

Step one: Planning

One of the first and most important steps when starting out is to write a business plan – this is the foundation on which to build the business.

It should feature short and long-term targets including a realistic end goal, financial planning, strategy, marketing and customer service.

Witt says: “It’s important to have it right from the start to help you stay on track.”

Without a plan, homeworkers are in danger of ending up with “a lack of direction” and under-achieving, says InteleTravel UK director Tricia Handley-Hughes. She stresses: “Be realistic with your ambition.”

Heaton suggests homeworkers create a plan for years one to three, including how to gain turnover in quiet times and how to prepare for peaks. She says that many firms ask homeworkers to write a plan as part of their application to decide if they are “right for each other”.

Holidaysplease brand and business growth executive Cat Reeves says the plan is discussed at the interview stage and revisited over the next two years to ensure agents are “on the right path”.

Importantly, it needs to be written “honestly and realistically”, she adds.

Travel Specialists by Advantage asks applicants to work out minimum monthly earning expectations and a monthly marketing plan to acquire new customers, while Hays Travel Homeworking has introduced pre‑interview ‘insight’ sessions where a business plan can be discussed or worked on collaboratively.

Hays Travel Homeworking marketing and homeworking director John Milburn says: “We find these sessions to be powerful, giving applicants realistic expectations.”

Step two: Setting up an office

During the pandemic, kitchen tables have become the new desks, but the key to any home office is comfort.

“As long as homeworkers can be comfortable and concentrate, then anything goes,” says Kelly Cookes, leisure director for The Advantage Travel Partnership.

There needs to be space for a laptop and phone, but Reeves also suggests homeworkers find somewhere they feel “inspired”.

And while a kitchen table can work initially, most firms agree a space away from distractions is sensible in the longer term.

Heaton says: “Find an area, ideally a room, where you can create a professional office area.”

Witt advises homeworkers to create an office they “want to be in”, using inspirational travel pictures, maps or family photos.

Step three; Generate leads

What stage homeworkers reach after six months will depend on the time and effort put into the job. “You’ll get out of it what you put in,” says Milburn.

Handley-Hughes believes training is key for travel newcomers. “Allocate your training hours as a discipline,” she says.

Teaming up with local businesses such as wedding venues for joint promotions and building a social media ‘shop window’ is key early on.

Cookes says: “Start with one social media platform and get that right, rather than launching on all of them at once.”

Marketing can be cheap, even free, by networking with businesses, sports teams or special-interest groups, but acquiring customers is likely to take up much of a homeworker’s time in the first few months.

Agents should aim to have a contacts database and be making daily sales, says Witt. “Everyone you speak to is a potential customer,” he adds.

Heaton says product knowledge, being comfortable selling and offering the “right fit” for clients is crucial to success. She encourages agents to work hard on creating relationships, asking friends to spread the word and focusing on small gestures such as birthday cards and ‘welcome home’ notes.

“Sweat the small stuff,” she says. “Customers will remember that for next time.”

Step four: Analyse and adapt

After six months to a year, most homeworkers should have settled into a routine while starting to earn commissions and gaining loyal clients.

For those on instant commissions, earnings will start to come in soon after bookings are made. Reeves says: “By six months, agents start to see some customers travelling too, so the income can begin to grow more quickly.”

Now is a good time for homeworkers to start making the business their own.

Heaton suggests identifying booking patterns or marketing opportunities. “It’ll still be tough, but the resilience will pay off,” she says.

A strategy to generate last-minute and future bookings is wise to maintain income levels as this can be a tricky stage for homeworkers who have prioritised holidays with long lead-in times.

“Homeworkers will have put a lot of time into their businesses but may not yet be seeing huge amounts of income,” warns Cookes.

Handley-Hughes’ advice is to build customer relationships. “Understand your customers so that you can adapt marketing and products to suit them,” she adds.

Step five: Long-term goals

Repeat bookers and customer referrals are a sure bet to generate income in the long term.

Looking after clients through having regular communication and advice that they cannot get elsewhere is vital. “They will have no reason not to return,” says Witt.

Existing customers are also agents’ biggest advocates. As well as asking customers to give recommendations, Cookes suggests encouraging clients to post positive reviews.

Homeworkers should look to further local relationships through networking or social media and consider investing in professional marketing material or merchandise to promote their business.

“Spread your business further,” says Heaton. “Offer incentives to local firms to book with you and support them in return.”

Debbie Mynard, Travel expert, Holidaysplease

Q. Why did you become a homeworker during the pandemic? A. I started in November 2020. My employer, Voyager Travel Direct, had gone into liquidation and my father died in April after contracting Covid. I had redundancy money as well as inheritance, but missed the buzz of travel.

Q. How difficult has it been? A. It was a challenge! I’ve had to put everything into it. I didn’t have many customers so I set up appointments for my first day from the enquiry pool [sales leads] at Holidaysplease. They are ‘lookers’ and I had to turn them into ‘bookers’.

Q. What was your first sale? A. One of my first bookings was the biggest I’ve ever done, a £17,000 ski booking. In the end, it couldn’t go ahead due to Covid, but the client has since booked with me. It’s not been easy but now there’s more hope.

Q. How quickly did you start earning? A. We get half the commission upfront in the month after booking. I took a booking in December 2020 for 12 people going to Mauritius, and was paid half in January and will get the other half this November.

Q. What does it take to be a homeworker? A. You have to be disciplined and have a strong sales drive.

Cheryl Mallon, Homeworker, The Holiday Village

Q. Had you thought of becoming a homeworker before now? A. I’d flirted with the idea over the years but timing, financial circumstances and working in a specialist area of tour operations for years meant it never struck me as the right thing to pursue until recently.

Q. What hours do you work? A. I work around my customers so I don’t set an open and close time. I manage what comes in and react to it.

Q. What is the key difference between your previous job and now? A. In previous roles I worked with suppliers and ground handlers directly, so it’s taken a bit of getting used to being a customer of the tour operator.

Q. Was it harder than you thought to get started as a homeworker? A. Understanding the different media and what works was a puzzle initially, as was adapting to being on the other side of the fence after many years on the tour operator side. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy during the pandemic, but I thrive on challenging myself.

Q. What’s the best thing about homeworking? A. The flexibility, knowing that my passion is my success, and having an amazing, supportive team behind me.

Q. Will you stay in it for the long term? A. Absolutely. After 30-plus years in various travel roles, I know I’ve made the right decision.

Travel homeworking: Ask the experts

Paul Harrison co-founder, Not Just Travel “Pick a company to work with that has a proven track record. No matter how experienced you are, ensure that whoever you choose to work with has the team, tools and support to help accelerate your business to the next level.”

Tricia Handley-Hughes, UK director, InteleTravel “Create a business plan and keep it to hand. Good admin will help you keep on top of payment deadlines; use files for your customer bookings and documentation.”

Mark Smith head of business development, Simplexity Travel “With working from home the ‘new normal’ there has never been a better time to consider a remote position. To succeed, you need discipline, self-motivation and drive. We’ll help with the rest.”

Sarah Hillard premier homeworker, Hays Travel “Have a dedicated workspace, plan but be flexible and work with your company for results. Most importantly, enjoy it. You have the freedom to be your own boss and build a business. Don’t be impatient, your hard work will pay off!”

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Steven reilly to head up explorer travel.

Former Thomas Cook regional manager Steven Reilly has been appointed franchise general manager of Hays Travel-owned homeworking firm Explorer Travel.

Reilly joined Hays following Cook’s collapse in September 2019 and the subsequent acquisition of the iconic travel firm’s retail arm by Hays a month later.

He steps up to the role at Explorer, which was acquired by Hays in June having previously been a member of its Independence Group, from his current post of regional sales manager – east Scotland.

Hays said Reilly would bring more than 30 years’ retail travel experience to the role, 15 of which he has spent in regional manager posts.

As franchise general manager, Reilly will be responsible for the day-to-day management and business development of Explorer’s franchise division.

This includes the end-to-end recruitment of new franchisees, as well as supporting franchisees in building their business and databases, while also offering a range of tailored training and business development sessions.

Explorer admin manager Deborah Gannon and operations manager Steve Heaton have also both been employed by Hays in new business development roles to support Reilly.

John Milburn, Hays’ marketing and homeworking director, said: “We always knew Explorer was a great business, as they were part of the Hays Travel Independence Group. Now that they are fully part of the Hays Travel family, we will be looking to support existing franchisees grow and develop their business while at the same time welcoming new Explorers."

Reilly added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to be driving this new venture from the start. I have been excited to learn about our current franchisees’ businesses and how I can work in partnership with them to support them reach full potential, with all the added benefits of being part of the wider Hays Travel family.

"Having Deborah and Steve onboard with their combined knowledge of Explorer has supported a smooth transition."

James Chapple

Read TTG April 2024

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