SHG recruits two senior sales staff from Classic Collection

The Specialist Holidays Group has recruited two former Classic Collection sales staff as it looks to fill the gap left by the operator’s closure in the short-haul luxury sector.

 

Jorge Quibell (pictured) and Kim Sellman will join the sales team at SHG, owned by Travcorp Holdings, in the new roles of head of trade partnerships and trade partnerships manager respectively. SHG includes the brands American Holidays, Citalia and Sovereign Luxury Travel.

 

At Classic, Quibell was head of trade distribution and Sellman was key account manager until the recent decision by parent company On The Beach to wind down the tour operation.

 

Travcorp group managing director Andy Freeth said it made sense to recruit experienced senior staff at a time when SHG wanted to raise its profile among agents and increase trade distribution.

 

He said: “Following the obvious gap in the luxury short haul space as a result of On The Beach’s decision not to sell through the trade, we are capitalising on the opportunity.

 

“We want to retain great talent in the industry and this will help with SHG’s strategy of growth and product expansion.”

 

He said Quibell, who will report directly into UK & Ireland sales director Simon Garrido, was well-known and liked among agents and understood the trade.

 

He previously worked in various roles at Classic including head of sales and prior to that held positions at  If Only and Thomas Cook, where he started as a travel consultant.

 

Sellman will report into Quibell and work alongside Luke Swarbrook, who joined the sales team last year and will also report to Jorge.

 

Her previous roles at Classic include homeworking account manager. Sellman began her career as an apprentice and worked her way up to manager, working at both Bath Travel and Hays Travel.

 

Garrido said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to move quickly to secure these valuable appointments. Jorge and Kim, two respected industry colleagues, bring great knowledge and experience to our trade team.

 

“Alongside Luke, we can now fast-track our trade strategy and promote our brands more widely with our travel partners. This is a great result for everyone involved.”

 

The trade currently accounts for around half of Citalia’s sales, around 15% of Sovereign’s overall sales, and 30% of American Holidays’ sales.

 

Freeth added that the group hoped to re-establish Sovereign in the trade as offering “affordable luxury” packages and elevate Citalia’s profile.

 

He stressed the importance and value of agents as a distribution channel despite the growth of technology, particularly artificial intelligence.

 

“I still think there is a massive need for that human element; that good service and relationship with someone in a shop or at home and the support for the customer when they search for a holiday, to the booking, in resort and when they get back,” he noted.