Travel Counsellors has appointed Kieran Hartwell as its first managing director for Travel Counsellors for business.
The group said the appointment marks a ‘significant moment’ as its corporate arm reported 17% growth in 2019 with sales of £180 million globally.
Hartwell was previously chief commercial officer for US-based Travel and Transport, and president at global travel management company Radius Travel.
In his new role he will shape strategy to scale Travel Counsellors for Business over the next five years.
"I’m delighted to join a forward-thinking, high-growth company with a very special culture and focus on people," said Hartwell.
"Its recent successes show that we have the solid foundations in place to significantly scale this arm of the business, supporting our corporate travel business owners, many of whom are now using the company’s platform to provide enhanced client experiences through employing assistants~ and working in teams and shared workspaces, ultimately building their own successful travel management businesses."
Travel Counsellors is a franchise operation with more than 1,900 independent travel business owners, including over 800 corporate travel specialists.
It appointed its first COO, Mark O’Donoghue, earlier this year and completed a secondary management buyout from private equity company Vitruvian Partners in 2018.
Last year its total transaction value topped £650 million for the first time since its launch in 1994, with total sales in 2020 expected to exceed £700 million.
