In brief...

I studied travel and tourism at college as a school leaver and went straight into the hospitality sector. I took a break from the industry and worked within technical service; I formed a love of processes and waste management and progressed to business management consultancy. I was approached by a TMC in 2012 to apply Lean working practices throughout their business – the Lean Way includes implementing principles that improve workplace efficiency – and I haven’t left corporate travel since. I have worked with Focus in one capacity or another since 2015, taking on the CEO role late 2019.

What has your career in the travel industry incorporated to date?

Tell us about recent developments at Focus.

This year we have welcomed non-executive chairman Adrian Parkes to our board, whose unrivalled experience in our sector is a great asset. We have also become the first partnership organisation to join the Business Travel Association and have further invested in technology. Firstly, Travelogix has developed Farecast uniquely for Focus. This data solution allows us to manage and analyse sales data in real time and the bespoke technology has allowed us to be proactive during the Covid-19 crisis.

*This interview took place in the week beginning March 23