Audley Travel promotes Greg Thurston and expands trade team

Audley Travel has promoted Greg Thurston to the newly created role of head of trade sales.

The tailormade operator is also in the process of recruiting a new business development manager to look after travel agent relationships in the north of the UK.

The BDM for the north is a newly created role. The operator already has a BDM for the south and a trade sales executive working alongside Thurston in the trade team.

Thurston joined Audley Travel as trade sales manager in 2020 and has been promoted to the new role because of “significant” growth in sales through travel agents since his arrival.

In this new role as head of trade sales, Thurston will be responsible for managing an expanding trade sales team, overseeing Audley’s strategic direction for B2B sales growth and fostering close working relationships with agent partners.

Thurston said: “I’m so incredibly proud of what we have achieved at Audley in the last five years. When I first joined the company our sales with agents were minimal, now we have a thriving community of engaged agent partners, a super-supportive and hard-working trade sales team, and a commitment to becoming UK travel agents’ favourite tailor-made tour operator.”

Managing director Mark Hanson added: “We’re delighted with the progress Greg has made with our trade partners since joining us in 2020.

“This promotion recognises this feat and supports our commitment to growth with our trade partners over the coming years.”

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