Advantage CEO John McEwan announces his retirement from Advantage Travel Centres

Advantage CEO John McEwan announces his retirement from Advantage Travel Centres     

 Having successfully led the Advantage Travel Centres organisation for the last eight years, CEO John McEwan has decided that the time is now right to retire from the business, confident that he is leaving the company in the strong and capable hands of Executive Directors Julia Lo Bue-Said, Ken McLeod, Colin O’Neill and the central team in London.

The announcement also coincides with John McEwan stepping down from the role of ABTA Chairman, a position he has held for the last four years.

Commenting on his decision to retire John said: "I have given this matter some considerable thought over the last few months, particularly over recent weeks while I have been on leave. Whilst I will miss leading Advantage, I think the time is right for me to retire given I am celebrating 50 years in the industry this year too.

 "I have long said that I have had the privilege of leading one of the strongest management teams in the industry and I am confident that they will continue to keep Advantage at the forefront of the independent travel sector.

  "Although I am stepping down from the Advantage role, I do wish to remain within the industry offering my skills to businesses in a non-executive capacity; and from a personal perspective, I have recently become a grand-parent and wish to spend more time with my family and close friends within the industry."

 Advantage Chairman Ron Marks paid tribute to the role that John McEwan has played within the organisation: "We have a great deal to thank John for during his time at Advantage and he has been a very high-profile and passionate supporter for the independent trade both in his role for Advantage and for ABTA."Above all, John leaves Advantage in excellent shape with a clear plan for the future, a strong membership base in both the leisure and corporate sectors of the market and a central team with the talent to take the organisation to the next stage of development."

  John McEwan leaves the organisation on 30 April 2013

Concerning the immediate future for Advantage, it is planned that the Executive Directors at Advantage will manage the business on a day-to-day basis, with Advantage Chairman Ron Marks overseeing the activities of the central team on behalf of the Advantage membership. Given that team has been instrumental in both the creation and delivery of the current three-year plan, there is no obvious imperative to change the current operating structure.