Thomas Cook has announced its latest managerial shake-up including a new special projects role for Hotels4U founder Haim Perry who will remain with the group for at least the next six months.
A raft of changes were announced internally last week by chief executive Harriet Green as part of what the group said were ongoing changes at senior level.
An internal ‘Organisation Announcement’ issued last week informed staff that Stephan Braun would head up hotel purchasing activity in the UK and Europe from November 1.
Perry, who sold Hotels4U to Thomas Cook in 2008 for £21.8 million, will stay with Cook for at least the next six months, Travel Weekly was told, after working on special projects, reporting directly to UK chief executive Peter Fankhauser.
The announcement said: “We’d like to thank Haim Perry, director of purchasing and destination management for the substantial contribution he’s made to the UK Division, and for his support in helping to create this new international Hotel team under Stephan.”
Perry took up the group-wide role in a shake-up announced in November 2012. Before that he continued to run the merged Hotels4u MedHotels operation based in Egham. Cook followed up its purchase of Hotels4U with the buyout of lastminute.com-owned MedHotels in 2009 for an undisclosed sum.
Other management changes announced last week included:
- Nicolas Delord will join Thomas Cook France on October 28 and succeeding Hervé Chabrerie as Directeur Général;
- James Sandford to become director of digital operations reporting to Kate Samje from September 23;
- Paul Callaghan, who joined Thomas Cook earlier this year to lead Cost Out activities was promoted to become head of transformation reporting to Green;
- Nik Kirner will revert to leading group procurement on a full-time basis, reporting to Michael Healy, group chief financial officer;
- Andrew Lewis will join Cook’s financial planning and analysis team from Green former employer Premier Farnell on November 4 as director reporting to Nigel Arthur, UK finance director;
- UK HR development and change director Anne Billson-Ross will leave on September 30. Responsibilities will be handed to Rachael Prior, HR director UK and Ireland;
- Tim Van Genechten, takes a new sales and marketing director role in Belgium created to combine two previous roles and bring online and offline sales into one division. He was previously marketing and e-commerce director.
In the announcement Green said: “These are exciting times as we continue to drive our Transformation at pace and start to see real momentum building across the Group as we come together more and more to work as one team.
“Let’s support all of those undertaking new responsibilities and focus on delivering the results we need to close the year powerfully and start the second year of our Transformation on a positive note.
“Thank you for all you are doing to deliver great results and delight our customers.”