FORMER
Hayes and Jarvis managing director Chris May will head up InterArgo Group’s
long-haul operations in a bid to turn its recently acquired specialists into
market leaders, writes
Juliet
Dennis.
The
group owns Greece and Cyprus operator Argo Holidays and two long-haul
specialists – Jetlife and AsiaWorld/CaribWorld.
May,
who left Hayes and Jarvis last June, will be InterArgo Group long-haul managing
director across all brands, reporting to group chief financial officer Akis
Christoforou.
He
will primarily concentrate on the US, Asia and the Caribbean. There are no
plans to introduce long-haul destinations to Argo but it has not been ruled
out.
May
said: “We’re examining how to make the brands stronger to become the number one
specialists in their fields. We’re not looking to replicate existing
operators.”
He
ruled out a worldwide programme but hopes to cash in on a shift away from
vertically integrated long-haul brands to the “expertise” of smaller
specialists.
Duplication
across brands will be reviewed to cut costs. For example, CaribWorld may take
over Jetlife’s Caribbean extensions from Florida behind the scenes.