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people profile

open to question: Jonathan Garfield, Amadeus

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Job title: sales director, Amadeus UK

Age: 46.

Born: SanFrancisco.

Lives: Horley, Surrey.

Status: married.

Education: Menlow Atherton High School, Santa Cruz; University of California

Path to career: vice-president of sales forMarketron Inc from 1977-1986. Joined Sigma Design Inc in 1986 as director of North American sales. In 1989 joined General Electric Information Services as senior account executive, GEConsulting. Joined Oce Engineering Systems in 1990 then left to join Amadeus Global Travel Distribution working in Madrid and Nice as market development manager, Middle East and Africa. Promoted to current position in June this year.

industry talk

&#42 What was your first job in travel and how much did you get paid?

Market development manager for Amadeus Global Travel Distribution in Madrid responsible for business development throughout the Middle East and Africa. The pay was never enough.

&#42 What has been your biggest challenge in the travel industry?

Functioning intelligently after my frequent all-night flights.

&#42 Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why?

Jerry Cronin, president and chief executive officerof Marketron Inc. Jerry had confidence in my sales and managerial potential long before I did.

&#42 What’s the best job you’ve had, apart from your current one?

Software systems consultant for Marketron. We were young, crazy with big expense accounts to spend, while travelling the US working with our often mad and eccentric customers in radio and TV.

&#42 Which company, apart from your own, do you most admire and why?

General Electric for its sheer longevity and the ability to continually reinvent itself in order to remain number one and number two in the world across an incredibly diverse portfolio of industries.

&#42 If you weren’t in travel, what would you be doing?

Business development in an Information Technology based pre-initial public offering start-up.

&#42 What single thing have you achieved at work which has given you the most satisfaction?

Building a team and launching a new national marketing company for Amadeus in a new country.

&#42 What advice would you give to someone starting out in the travel industry?

Be flexible, patient and in touch with the present and future needs of your customers. Think ‘out of the envelope’ and concentrate on adding the maximum value to your services while embracing the new emerging travel technologies which will help you do so.

&#42 Make one prediction about travel in the 21st century:

Explosive growth.

personal talk

&#42 What is your star sign?

Scorpio.

&#42 What would you change about yourself?

My height. I have always wanted to be six foot.

&#42 What is your greatest regret?

Not staying in touch with some of my early school mates.

&#42 What is your greatest extravagance?

Frequent West End shows and dining.

&#42 If you could be anyone for the day who would you be and why?

Robin Williams to experience what it would be like to possess such an artistic and comical talent.

&#42 What are your hobbies?

Scuba, running, tennis and travelling.

&#42 What is the most memorable destination you’ve visited and why?

French Polynesia for its tropical beauty, lovely people and great diving.

&#42 What type of holiday would you avoid at all costs?

A clubbing holiday.

&#42 What is your favourite TV programme/film/book?

My favourite programme is MASH, the film is Lawrence of Arabia and the book is Lord of the Rings.

&#42 What’s your idea of a great night out?

Great food, great show, with great company, not necessarily in that order.

&#42 What would you have put on your gravestone?

Worked hard, played harder to the end.