Walking and activity specialist HF Holidays has appointed former Collette marketing chief Michelle Laverick as head of sales and marketing, with a brief to grow business through the trade.
Laverick, who was head of marketing at Collette until March, joined Silver Travel Advisor as head of partnerships for non-cruise suppliers and was a consultant for TransIndus Tours.
She will step down from both roles to take up her new position on October 1.
HF Holidays operates guided and self-guided tours of the UK, has 18 of its own UK country houses and a worldwide tour operating programme. It carries 60,000 passengers a year.
Laverick said: “We currently sell through some agents – we have a couple of commercial agreements in place with Hays and Global Travel Group, but there is a huge opportunity. It is fully recognised that we need to explore more routes to market and HF Holidays is very excited about my contacts and background working with the trade.
“The thing that excites me most is that the product [walking and activity holidays] is at the heart of me. It’s everything that I am about.”
Laverick’s appointment follows the recent announcement that HF Holidays’ chief executive for the past five years, Jim Forward, was leaving to join Riviera Travel as commercial director. A replacement is being sought, whom Laverick will report into.
Laverick’s predecessor at HF Holidays, Emma Beattie, left in May to rejoin Butlin’s as sales and marketing manager.
Laverick will continue to sit on the board of the Association of Women Travel Executives.