Philippa Baines promoted to Explore agency sales manager

Philippa Baines has been promoted to agency sales manager of Explore as director of sales Ben Ittensohn prepares to relocate to Brisbane to take on a “broader, more global role” from January.

Baines has more than 25 years experience in the industry and began working at Explore in 2012 as a UK trade representative, but left in 2016 to take on roles at Wendy Wu Tours and Intrepid Travel.

She returned to Explore in 2019 as a business development manager and has now taken up the role of agency sales manager.

More: Explore Worldwide claims 50% increase in trade sales

Baines, known as Pip, said: “We already have a fantastic relationship with travel agents in the UK.

“As we move into 2023, these changes herald exciting times at Explore and I look forward to leading our agency sales team into this next phase of growth.”

Ittensohn will move to Brisbane at the start of next year, and plans to “help define the organisation’s trade strategy across global markets”.

“The UK is a key market for us and our trade partnerships are absolutely crucial to Explore’s continued growth,” he said.

“These changes will not only strengthen the team but also help deliver on our overall trade sales strategy and secure our growth ambitions for the business.”

He added: “I’m delighted for Pip who is perfectly placed to lead Explore’s agency sales team. We’ll also be looking to further expand the trade sales team with plans to be announced early 2023.”

Managing director Michael Edwards said: “This is a really significant time for Explore which is strongly positioned as the operator best serving the 40-60 demographic in the adventure sector.

“We’ve seen significant growth in our agent sales this year which would not have been possible without Ben, Pip and the UK trade team as well as our fantastic agent partnerships which are absolutely crucial in our plan for further growth in 2023 and beyond.”