Industry stalwart Gary Speirs has been revealed as the final member of a new agent-facing sales team recruited by APT & Travelmarvel.
Glasgow-based Speirs has moved from Barrhead Travel to take over the role of business development manager for north England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from today (March 1).
He spent a decade at the Scottish agency group in marketing and commercial business development roles, specialising in river cruise sales for the past five years.
This background perfectly placed him to build on the work of his predecessor, Koral Lipton, APT said.
The addition of Speirs follows the recent appointment of two new BDMs by the company and comes ahead of the unveiling of APT’s next “game-changing” fleet investments.
He will build relationships with partners, identify new business opportunities and manage third-party retail accounts in areas the operator has identified as being of “enormous potential”.
Head of sales and business development Brad Bennetts said: “I am thrilled to announce that Gary Speirs joins us as BDM north England, Scotland & Northern Ireland.
“His appointment completes our journey to create APT & Travelmarvel’s largest ever UK sales team.
“I made no secret that my ambition was also to use our investment to create the industry’s finest resource for agents. I believe we have now achieved this goal; other operators will struggle to match the quality and efficiency of our trade support.
“Friendly and proactive, Gary combines industry and sector-specific expertise with a proven track record; he stood out immediately as the right person to help us deliver this exacting standard of service to existing and new partners throughout his territories.”
Speirs added: “Being a legacy brand with nearly 100 years under its belt, I always knew of APT & Travelmarvel, but as soon as I specialised in river cruises, the operator really stood out.
“APT is a frontrunner in the market, with fresh, in-demand experiences and I am thrilled my opportunity to join has come at such an exciting time for the brand; in addition to promoting this year’s stunning new river ships, the team is preparing a game-changing announcement about APT’s next fleet investments and product innovation. I cannot wait to share more details with our partners soon.”