Stuart Simmons is leaving Hays Travel to become head of trade partnerships for dnata Travel Group B2B.
The agency’s regional sales manager for the southeast and acting project manager for the Hays call centre joins the dnata trade-only brands from May 15.
He will work across Gold Medal, Pure Luxury, Cruise Plus and Incredible Journeys and be responsible for further developing the group’s trade relations strategy.
Prior to joining Hays Travel in 2019, Simmons worked for Thomas Cook, where he held a number of roles, including regional sales manager and deputy head of retail.
He will work alongside both head of trade partnerships Clare Weatherall and head of trade support Kym Coulbeck and provide leadership for five of dnata Travel Group B2B trade partnerships managers, with the remaining four reporting to Weatherall.
Trade partnership director Karen Fletcher said: “We are delighted that Stuart is joining us in this important role.
“He brings to the team a wealth of industry knowledge and connections from working with some of the UK’s biggest brands in travel, and we have every confidence that he will be an exceptional addition to an already incredibly strong team.
‘The relationships we have with our trade partners are pivotal to our overall success as a business, and we remain committed to ensuring we have the best team available to our trade partners.”
Simmons added: “I will be working across a fantastic portfolio of brands that I have always had a great deal of respect for, and I am looking forward to being part of their team going forward.”