Luxury operator Savile Row Travel has appointed Steve Upton to the newly created role of head of Africa.
He spent nearly seven years as a senior travel consultant at Audley Travel before joining global travel company beCuriou as client relations director.
He joins Savile Row Travel as the operator expands its offering for clients amid growing demand for Africa.
Upton said: “I’m looking forward to joining a growing and ambitious travel company and I’m excited to really champion Africa as a destination to our clients.”
Born in Bahrain and growing up between Cape Town and the Arabian gulf, Upton had ticked off all seven continents by age 11.
Richard Lewis, Savile Row Travel’s chief executive, said: “We are excited to now be in a position where we are attracting some of the best talent in the industry in key roles.
“Although we had to wait quite some time for Steve to be able to join us, having the right person in the role is critical, especially as we have seen the demand for safari and the wider African region rapidly grow from our UK and US client base.”
Ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen MBE, shareholder and ambassador for Savile Row Travel, added: “It is exciting to see our business growing with safari, enabling more people to visit this magnificent continent and experience the magic of the animals and what the environment has to offer.”
In February, ex-Scott Dunn and The Turquoise Travel Company consultant Daisy Liston joined the company as a senior travel consultant, bringing with her extensive knowledge of Asia, the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka. Since joining, Daisy has already designed, planned, booked, and managed holidays to the Maldives, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
A consortium led by Lewis and Pietersen acquired the majority stake in the luxury tour operator in November 2021.
The Henley-on-Thames firm returned to profit in the first year following the takeover, and current revenue is 50% up on 2022 numbers.