Thomas Cook’s managing director of retail sales, Joanna Wild, has resigned from the company.
Travel Weekly has learned that she handed in her notice recently but has been persuaded to stay with the business until November.
Wild, who previously held a number of roles for Thomas Cook Airlines including customer services director and ground services director, has been overseeing the Cook shop network of around 750 branches for two years.
She was given a wider role as retail managing director on the operating board of the Cook/Co-op joint venture in September last year, reporting to the joint venture’s chief executive Simon Robinson.
At the time, Cook said the operating board would review the financial and operational performance of the merged business.
Insiders described Wild as “extremely professional and popular and hugely respected by the retail network” and said that her departure would be a “great loss” for the company.
The news of her resignation comes just weeks before new group chief executive Harriet Green joins the company on July 30.
Robinson said: “We have assembled a very strong leadership team within Thomas Cook Co-operative Travel, and I look forward to confirming Joanna’s successor very shortly.
“I’d like to thank Joanna for her contribution in helping to establish our retail joint venture, and her previous years in our airline before that, and wish her every success for the future.”
Wild declined to comment.