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Role Title: General Manager – Best Served Scandinavia
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Wexas, a London-based travel company, as General Manager – Best Served Scandinavia, reporting to the Product & Commercial Director.
Overall purpose of Position:
Leading the successful development and profitable growth of the Best Served Scandinavia brand, as well as strategic oversight and development of the Scandinavian and Nordic destinations featured under the Wexas and The Luxury Holiday Company brands.
Internally managing and motivating across disciplines (sales, marketing, product and operations) to ensure an outstanding brand experience is delivered from start-to-finish; whilst externally innovating to gain market share and brand presence.
Key Responsibilities/Objectives:
Best Served Scandinavia
- Create the next-stage of the high-growth strategy for Best Served Scandinavia and lead the implementation of this including the introduction of online booking before the end of 2018
- Innovate new itineraries and products to position Best Served Scandinavia as first-to-market ahead of competitors
- Work closely with the Scandinavia product and trade sales manager and air product manager to expand allocations, direct contracts and secure product and programmes that self-booking clients cannot access and at better rates. Oversee rate-of-sale into allocations to profitable capacity
- Constantly monitor competitor activity to ensure Best Served Scandinavian consistently offers a competitive and value-for-money proposition
- Improve conversion rates (especially for direct-clients) to and beyond industry standard benchmarks, working closely with the Head of Leisure sales on sales team development
- Develop and manage consultant product training modules to ensure all current and new Scandinavia consultants are fully trained and knowledgeable on all key products; including the design and planning of consultant product fam trips and how products quickly are accessed and priced by consultants
- Own the delivery and (over-)achievement of the Best Served Scandinavia trading and in-year departures turnover, net margin and bookings
- Oversee the presentation of the Best Served Scandinavia brand, proposition and product through digital, print, PR, social and most importantly people
- Active involvement and liaison with partners and tourist boards to develop joint marketing plans to drive growth and sales, and deliver sponsorship income to Best Served Scandinavia (and other Wexas owned brands)
- Be the face of the brand at external functions and events
- Manage the health and safety strategy for Scandinavian destinations, ensuring that audits are requested and returned in a timely manner
- Lead hands-on management of destination related disruption (including strikes, health related, natural disasters etc.) including providing out-of-hours support as necessary. Be part of the senior management out-of-hours rota
Other Wexas Brands
- Working closely with the Scandinavia product manager continue to profitably develop the Scandinavia and Nordic product range sold under the Wexas and The Luxury Holiday Company brands
Professional/Technical Competencies:
- Significant senior experience in product or sales leadership role for a Scandinavian tour operator
- Proven, strong negotiation skills with direct experience of negotiating allocations with Scandinavian suppliers
- Commercially aware, highly numerate and analytical
- Natural networker with excellent industry connections and contacts
- Experience of developing both direct and agency sales strategies and proven track record of sales delivery
Personal Competencies:
- An enthusiastic leader of all things Scandinavian travel and an ability to engender this passion in others across the Company
- Positive, ‘can-do’ attitude, driven to deliver results and sustainable growth
- Excellent communication, interpersonal & presentation skills, able to build trust and loyalty internally and externally
- Strong organisation skills, able to lead cross-disciplines to deliver projects and new innovations to deadlines
- Flexible, adaptable and embraces change
- Willingness to roll sleeves up and ‘do’ as well as ‘manage’ in a small team environment
- Able to lead agent and client destination trips
About Wexas:
Wexas was established in 1970 and owns five travel brands: Wexas Travel, Best Served Scandinavia, The Luxury Cruise Company, The Luxury Holiday Company and Wexas Travel Management. Aside from Wexas Travel Management, the brands are luxury and tailor-made tour operators. Wexas Travel Management is a business-to-business (B2B) full-service travel solution.
We are based just off South Bank, equidistant from Waterloo, Southwark and Blackfrairs. We have approximately 100 people in our London office, and another office in Bournemouth that comprises some of the Wexas Travel Management team. We are an independent company and foster a dynamic working environment. We were the first travel company in the UK to be Investors in People accredited and still hold this accreditation 20 years later.
We are endorsed by 19 honorary presidents, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, John Simpson and Michael Palin.
How to apply:
Please send a covering letter and a CV to [email protected] with FAO Product & Commercial Director in the subject line.