Wendy Kavanagh, business development manager, UK and Ireland, Carnival Cruise Lines
Education: five O’ levels plus various vocational training and skills courses.
First travel job: in the summer of 1985 Wendy joined AT Mays in Stockton-on-Tees as a trainee counter clerk on a Youth Training Scheme.
Career path: in April 1988, Wendy joined Thomas Cook. Two years later, she left for Unijet, where she held the position of key account manager north for more than four years before moving to CTC Cruise Lines as sales manager north. In January 1996, Wendy was appointed cruise manager at Security Travel in Chingford. In June 1996 she joined Carnival Cruise Lines as sales manager south and was promoted in February 1998 to her current position, in which she is responsible for developing business and relationships with Carnival’s travel agent and tour operator partners.Wendy negotiates with management to support strategic and tactical advertising, trade incentives and promotions, and controls a budget in excess of £100,000.
Advice for people wishing to develop a career in travel: “Firstly, make sure you have the right qualities: a great sense of humour, a friendly personality and plenty of patience. Before any job interview, research the company (and if possible, the people) thoroughly. Travel is a relatively small industry, so always try to remain on good terms with everyone. It’s a good idea to move around the industry at first to ensure you have a broad range of experience and knowledge.”