Dnata expands trade team with two appointments

Dnata Travel Group has expanded its trade team with two appointments.

This month, Raymond McErlaine will take on the role of trade partnerships manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland, while Kym Coulbeck will become the group’s head of trade support.

McErlaine has more than 20 years’ industry experience, beginning his career as an employee for Travel 2 before moving to Qatar Airways in 2006 to work in the field sales team.

More: Dnata hires second trade partnership manager to help homeworkers

In 2011 he became the partnership development manager at Virgin Atlantic where he stayed until he was made redundant in 2020, after which he worked on the frontline during the pandemic, collecting blood swabs.

He then returned to the industry as an account manager at Newmarket Holidays and will begin his role at dnata on January 9 with a remit to support agent partners and homeworkers.

Coulbeck will return to dnata on January 16 where she worked between 2007 and 2011 prior to her role as a sales development manager for Gold Medal.

She will replace Karen Fletcher, who was recently promoted to trade partnerships director.

Coulbeck’s responsibilities will include managing the agency sales team in Leyland, supporting the field trade partnership team, managing the agent reward scheme, setting up agent fam trips and events, negotiating commercial agreements and brochure distribution.

Fletcher said: “We’re really pleased to have Raymond join the team and to welcome Kym back to the B2B fold.

“They’re both highly respected and talented professionals and together are further evidence of our growing confidence as we enter 2023.

“Travel agents are at the absolute heart of what we do so further expanding the team responsible for making sure their every need is met can only be good news for them.”