Adventure operator Explore has announced Joe Ponte as its new managing director.
Ponte joins from Flight Centre, where he has spent more than ten years over two stints, including most recently at in-house touring business Topdeck where he was responsible for 150 staff across sales, marketing, product, operations and finance.
He joins Explore on June 18.
Before relocating to London, Ponte led the Topdeck brand in the Asia-Pacific region, which saw double-digit growth. He worked with B2B partners to increase sales and improve direct distribution.
Prior to that, he served as general manager, sales & marketing for Insider Journeys (formerly Travel IndoChina) where he made changes to push a more customer and online content-focused approach.
Having graduated in business and marketing, Ponte started on the phones at Flight Centre, and was promoted to become marketing manager for their main business in Australia. His previous employment also includes helping establish Brand USA in Australia.
He is married with three children, is passionate about adventure travel and lives in South-West London.
Paul Carter, chief executive of Explore parent Hotelplan UK, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Joe at such an exciting time for Explore. Joe brings a wealth of industry experience and a genuine enthusiasm for adventure travel, and I look forward to working with him and everyone at Explore to further enhance our customer proposition and increase demand for our amazing travel experiences, both in the UK through new agency partnerships and internationally.”
Acting managing director John Telfer will continue as deputy managing director at Explore.
Carter added: “I would like to thank John Telfer for his solid leadership in steering the business over the past six months in his interim role as MD.”
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