Steve Williams, who retired last week, ranks growing company and attracting young talent among career highlights
Leading Fred Olsen Travel through a period of growth and attracting young talent to the sector have been the most rewarding elements of a 36-year career at the company, according to outgoing managing director Steve Williams.
Williams, 64, retired at the end of last week from the Norwegian-owned family business. He joined as an assistant accountant 36 years ago but has spent the last 20 years at the helm of its travel business.
This comprises its retail division of Fred Olsen Travel high street shops, its licensees, and franchisees under the Go Cruise & Travel brand, as well as its tour operating division, comprising Fred Holidays.
“Before becoming MD I had various jobs that enabled me to cut my teeth and show I was up to the travel job – even though I didn’t know anything about travel, I had shown the business acumen,” recalled Williams.
His passion for travel took off and remains just as strong today, having helped steer the expansion of the business from six travel agency shops two decades ago to its current 23-strong network.
“I absolutely love it,” he admitted. “For me it’s seeing the renaissance of retail – here we are at 23 [Fred Olsen Travel] shops – and seeing how Fred Holidays is growing. It’s brilliant,” he said.
Aside from travel, it’s the people-side of the business Williams feels proud of, particularly the culture of the business. “Last year the icing on the cake was to be awarded Investors in People – that’s what the travel business is all about,” he said.
He added: “I have been humbled by the feedback from some senior people in the industry who have said it is such a nice family business and a business to be proud of.
“People need to feel valued and appreciated. It’s not the best paid industry, the least they deserve is to look forward to coming to work. If you are not happy that will come across to your customers.”
Industry challenges during Williams’ time as MD have been numerous – 9/11, the tsunami of 2004 and ash cloud to name a few – but it was the Covid pandemic that proved the hardest to navigate as a business leader.
“It was the uncertainty,” said Williams, who like most people, had no idea the pandemic would last so long. “I didn’t even take my office chair home, I was so convinced it wasn’t going to last.”
The “false dawns” of travel’s restart made the second year of Covid even tougher than the first, but he stressed: “We didn’t let that many people go. A few decided the industry wasn’t for them but we were in pretty good shape staff wise when we came out of Covid because we had the Olsen family’s backing.”
Post-Covid, the business has enjoyed rapid growth, and is now reaping the rewards, according to Williams, of its 2023 strategy review which saw Paul Hardwick become retail director and Tricia Birmingham take on the newly-created role of director of tour operations.
“That [strategy] was key,” he said. “The review, in my opinion, is now starting to work and I feel I am leaving the business in good shape.”
With the group’s high street shop network continuing to grow, thanks in part to “gaps” in the high street from Thomas Cook’s demise in 2019, the group also solved one of its biggest post-pandemic problems – recruitment – by setting up its own training academy.
“This [period post-Covid] was an opportunity to put our foot down [to grow] but trying to find people after Covid was difficult. That was when we decided to create our own travel academy, which has taken on people with transferable skills and apprentices,” he said.
So far, the academy has trained seven apprentices, under provider AS Training, and eight new staff from outside travel.
“We have spent a lot of time post pandemic investing in youth. I am proud we have introduced people into the travel industry,” he said.
His message to those just starting out in travel is simple: “Grasp every opportunity that comes your way.”
Williams admitted he had hoped to stay on longer.
“I wanted to grow the business to £200 million turnover before I retired but that’s proved quite difficult,” he said, citing last year’s £121 million turnover compared with £80 million pre-Covid.
Nevertheless, he insisted: “We are on that growth trajectory and we are in good shape. The timing feels right for me to go.”
A heart attack three years ago has also played a part in Williams’ decision to retire, although he still hopes to work in the industry. “I’d still like to get a non executive role or consultancy and feel part of the travel industry, but I don’t want to be doing 50 hour weeks,” he said.
From a personal point of view, receiving an Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award at the 2023 Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards was one of the “proudest moments” of his two decades in the travel industry. “To get that accolade from the industry was fantastic,” he said.
And with plans for further expansion on the horizon, including two to three more shops a year over the next five years, Williams can leave with his head held high.
“We have become more commercial as a business and we are driven to succeed. My legacy will be for the management team to take this on. We have invested in the people and we have got great brands. It’s a very exciting future,” he said.