The Royal Horticultural Society has appointed Manuel Mascarenhas as head of corporate partnerships and travel.
Mascarenhas will have responsibility for developing the RHS Garden Holidays brand, which features domestic, short-haul and long-haul garden-themed holidays and cruises in partnership with tour operators. He will lead the corporate partnerships team and manage existing and developing commercial relationships.
With more than 30 years in corporate and leisure sales, marketing and e-commerce, Mascarenhas started his career with British Airways and was most recently at Wendy Wu Tours.
He joined Wendy Wu from Kuoni where he was director of sales and has also had roles with Thomas Cook and Tui.
Sue Biggs, RHS director general, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Manuel on board. I have known him for many years given my background in the travel industry and I have seen his combination of sales and marketing expertise, management and leadership ability, and of course his extensive travel experience will bring great value to the RHS.
“The head of corporate partnerships and travel role is multi-faceted and works across all aspects of the RHS, from our world class Flower Shows to our beautiful gardens and of course our superb RHS Garden Holidays.
“As a charity, the strength of our relationships with our Corporate Partners is of the utmost importance to use, and I look forward to seeing these develop still further under Manuel’s leadership.”
Mascarenhas said: “I am very excited about my new role at the RHS. As a keen gardener in my spare time as well as a seasoned traveller, it enables me to work in two areas that I am really passionate about – gardening and travel.
“It also offers the chance to be a part of the fantastic charitable works that the RHS undertakes in its Shows and in the community as well as through educational projects such as The Campaign for School Gardening – all of which hold huge appeal.
“RHS Garden Holidays is now established as a leading brand in garden holidays, with our partnerships with Collette, Titan, Wendy Wu and All Leisure Group, and I am really looking forward to developing this area still further.
“Within the broader Corporate Partnerships role, I am also excited by the prospect of working with the RHS’s diverse range of Corporate Partners, ensuring that we continue to nurture existing relationships and establish new ones for the future.”
He takes up his role on March 17.
The RHS is also looking to appoint a product and marketing manager to support its developing travel team.