Neil Swanson to take helm at Tui UK

Neil Swanson is stepping up to replace Andrew Flintham as managing director of Tui UK & Ireland.

Swanson was made chief marketing officer for the company in June last year.

He joined Tui in 2001 launching the first websites for the Lunn Poly and Thomson brands. 

More: Tui reconfirms projection to achieve at least a 25% hike in annual profits

This was followed by various e-commerce sales and development roles before taking on the full Tui sales remit of e-commerce, retail and contact centres in 2018. 

He previously worked for Argos marketing division before moving into e-commerce and the creation of the first Argos website.

The change at the top of the UK operator came as Flintham was named managing director of British Airways Holidays at the end of October.

Swanson’s move comes as part of a wider Tui Group restructuring which sees a new operational model.

The new group structure will see the core business of classic packages complemented by dynamic packages and single components. 

Tui aims to increase personalised offers and grow ancillaries through a ‘Markets + Airline’ transformation.

“The successful retail and online direct channels will be at the centre of the group’s growth ambitions,” the company disclosed.

A new operating model for the tour operator will see the creation of a fully integrated functional ‘Marketplace’ for the core business, enabling global scalability at speed, making it more efficient and profitable, according to Tui. 

A separate unit will cover ‘Expansion Businesses’ focusing on new product categories and markets. This unit will act as an incubator and prioritise the introduction of new product platforms, “the attraction of new customer segments”, as well as entering new source markets.

An enlarged commercial function in its airline is also being set up.

All Tui’s regions, including the UK & Ireland, will keep their own profit and loss statements and will report directly to Markets + Airline chief executive David Schelp.

Group chief executive Sebastian Ebel said: “We have reported double-digit growth for the eighth consecutive quarter in underlying EBIT in August. This demonstrates the strength of our business strategy. 

“We will accelerate our growth plans and are therefore now taking the next step in our transformation. 

“Markets + Airline plays a key role in this. In addition to being a successful package tour operator with a strong brand, we will offer a growing portfolio of products, services and destinations. 

“The aim is to sell more products to more customers globally throughout the whole year. 

“The Markets + Airline transformation will help us to grow our Tui smile globally.”

Schelp added: “As the market environment and customer demand are changing, we now will accelerate our transformation to ensure that we deliver our ambitious growth targets. 

“The new organisation will establish clear accountabilities and allow for scalability, more agility and maximisation of our opportunities in the global tourism market. 

“Customers will be able to book more flexibly and choose from an even wider product range. 

“The integrated business model with Holiday Experiences – which includes Hotels & Resorts, Cruises and Activities – and Markets + Airline will further unlock significant value for our shareholders. 

“The transformation will support in delivering our growth ambitions and together with my new leadership team, I look forward to accelerating the transformation and successfully implementing the new set-up.”