Travel and tourism PR agency LOTUS has announced an internal restructure.
Sarah Johnson, who set up the company 13 years ago, will move from CEO to founder.
Jules Ugo, current MD, will take on the position of CEO to ‘drive the business forward to the next stage’.
Kate McWilliams will move from deputy MD to MD LATAM, responsible for the growth and management of the Latin American and Spanish speaking division which is one of the agency’s specialist areas.
The restructure, which has been in the planning for some months, comes 18 months after the sale of a majority-stake to Warren Johnson’s W Communications and against a backdrop of an immensely difficult time for the travel industry.
A statement said: "The restructure is designed to allow LOTUS to capitalise on its fast-paced growth since the W Communications partnership. Focusing on the newly defined key divisions of Hotels, Brand, Corporate and Destinations the streamlined approach will allow for an enhanced strategic new-business strategy and more effective operational and financial management and reporting.
"Whilst the travel industry has suffered immeasurably since the outbreak of Covid-19 the board believe the recovery phase will bring opportunities as brands seek to work with trusted, intelligent partners with unrivalled expertise and industry insight."
Ugo added: ‘I’m delighted to be moving into the role of LOTUS CEO. The travel industry faces challenging times ahead and needs consultancies that can offer commercially-driven, data-directed strategies. The next-phase growth of LOTUS will see us continuing to work closely with W and focusing our efforts on new business whilst maintaining the high-level of client service we’re renowned for."
