PHILIP Ovendon has quit as Viking Aviation managing director after overseeing the integration of its commercial team into Air 2000.
His decision comes as Viking parent First Choice declared a senior management restructure which sees more focus on its specialist products. Ovendon will be replaced by commercial director Richard Roberts at the end of this month. Group tour operation managing director Dermot Blastland said:”It is an amicable departure.”
The First Choice restructure follows a three-month review of the business and follows Blastland’s promotion to the main board in September when Peter Long became group chief executive (Travel Weekly September 13).
Among the changes is an expanded role for sales director John Wimbleton who, in his new position as sales and distribution director, takes responsibility for Eclipse and e-commerce.
Kevin Ivie, in his role as specialist business managing director, now heads up Meon Villas, Hayes and Jarvis and Sovereign while marketing director Philippa Harris becomes Sovereign managing director. Product director Kyle Haughton joins the First Choice board along with Adrian Woodcraft as planning and trading director.
“I wanted to put more resources into specialist products which, though smaller businesses, achieve higher margins,” said Blastland. “We have taken the mainstream Irish operations of Falcon and JWT out of Kevin Ivie’s portfolio to allow him to concentrate on specialist products.”
Ivie will also chair a specialist business board which will meet monthly. Blastland added that Harris will be responsible for developing Sovereign as a separate business unit.