First Class Holidays chief operating officer and co-founder Sharon Mason is to retire after almost 30 years with the business.
Mason will step down from her role in August and move to a non-executive board position at the tour operator, which she set up with co-founder Paul Ainsworth, also a non-executive director.
She said: “Back in 1995 Paul and I took a leap of faith, left our previous employer, and founded First Class Holidays. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved and the team we built, but after almost 30 years it’s time for me to step back and focus on some personal time.
“Our main goal when we launched First Class was to build trust and loyal relationships by offering the best possible service levels and this remains our key focus to this day.”
Mason credited the business with having “an amazing team”, many of who have been with the business since the early days. She was confident the team would continue to grow the business “keeping those service standards at the heart of everything we do.”
Although she is stepping down from day-to-day operations, Mason said: “I look forward to being part of the future paths and growth.”
Managing director Dan Gathercole said the operator now planned to recruit for a senior operations role, adding the process was “ongoing”.