Noel Josephides Q&A
You’ve always been quite vocal in the industry. Will we now be seeing a different Noel Josephides?
Yes, as chairman I do not have the same freedom of speech as I would have as an individual outside looking in. People have said to me that my freedom to say what I want is going to be curtailed. I am now a spokesman for the ABTA Board. I will have my opinions, of course, and there will certainly be lively discussions at Board meetings, but ultimately it’s a Board decision, not mine. All ABTA decisions are subject to a board. It’s not a presidential role where I can dictate. Those days are long since gone.
How do you feel about following in the footsteps of John McEwan?
John was a very capable chairman but I have a very different personality to John. We’re very different type of people and we have different styles. John has worked in large companies and I suppose I risk my own money every day, so I have a different view on how things happen and what it takes to make things happen.
What would you say to retail members who are worried that you are mainly a tour operator, not an agent
Nobody expressed any worries from tour operators about John McEwan being a retailer! I have a lot of support from retailers. We are a retailer ourselves, we have a small retail agency with a turnover of £1 million. I am very familiar with the worries of small retail agents, so I will definitely fight that corner as well.
Were you surprised by the result?
I knew it was going to be close, but it’s something that could have gone either way depending on the turn-out. I always felt my chances were better if the turn-out was good. 41% is pretty average, the same as the last election.
