Deirdre Wells, the government’s head of tourism in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, is taking over as chief executive of UKinbound.
Wells, who has worked at the DCMS for 20 years, was awarded an OBE for her work heading the team which delivered memorial services for the victims of 9/11, Bali, The Asian Tsunami and London 7/7. She has more recently held the post of programme manager for the Olympic Legacy Board.
Appointed head of tourism in 2011, she was instrumental in the delivery of the government’s GREAT marketing campaign.
She will be joining UKinbound members at the organisation’s 2014 convention in Blackpool on Wednesday (February 5) ahead of joining on March 4.
Wells said: “International tourism to the UK is currently booming, contributing hugely to the country’s economic recovery.
“Through my work on major events such as the Millennium Dome, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Liverpool Capital of Culture and more recently, as the Government’s head of tourism, I have been extremely impressed with the capacity of our industry to grow, innovate and respond to customer demand.
“I look forward to working closely with members of UKinbound and the wider tourism sector to champion the cause of inbound tourism and to put the UK firmly at the top of the international visitor’s “must see” list.”
UKinbound chairman Rita Beckwith said: “We are delighted to welcome Deirdre as the new CEO of UKinbound. Her skills, experience and knowledge will lead UKinbound in its next stage of growth and development, as well as ensuring we meet the needs of our members, expand our programme and reach and represent the interests of inbound tourism in the UK.”