Abercrombie & Kent has appointed James Coughlan as its new director of sales and business development.
Coughlan will join the luxury tour operator in November, replacing Simon Lynch who left the business in June to join Scott Dunn.
He will be responsible for sales, operations and business development, working across the company’s Cheltenham and London offices.
He joins from the telecoms industry but has a long history of working in the travel sector, most recently at Holiday Malta, which he left in 2016 after a management reshuffle.
His travel career includes six years at Thomas Cook where he led the company’s retail team in the north of England as well as two contact centre teams and online sales to deliver revenues in excess of £100 million.
Coughlan has also held senior roles at a number of travel companies including Holiday Malta Company & Flexi Vacations; Affinion International and Cendant Vacation Rental Group, and led partnerships with brands such as Vodafone and Carnival Cruises.
A&K managing director Kerry Golds said: “James’ experience will be invaluable as A&K moves into a new era of pushing the boundaries of luxury travel. We’re thrilled to have him join.”
Coughlan added: “I’ve always admired A&K as a brand, so I’m excited to be joiningl. Kerry has been known to the industry for many years and I’m confident we can do great things together.”
The news comes just over a month after the appointment of business lawyer and former Silversee boss Amerigo Perasso as chief executive of the A&K Group.