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Big Red Group appoints Jemma Fastnedge as chief sustainability officer

Big Red Group has appointed Jemma Fastnedge to the newly created role of chief sustainability officer, leading the environmental and social transformation of the platform.

Based in Sydney, Fastnedge will head up the company’s environmental, social, and governance agenda across the organisation and its stable of experience brands including RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Local Agent and Lime&Tonic.

Fastnedge has over 19 years of travel industry experience spanning operations and general management, has held the role of CEO at RedBalloon, co-founded employee engagement program Redii, and most recently was the chief operating officer at Big Red Group, which included ESG within her remit.

“We have a responsibility to protect the natural environments, cultural diversity and heritage we showcase through the experiences we sell, and we’re currently witnessing the industry focus shift from ‘growth at any cost’, to ‘growth compatible with society and environment’,” Fastnedge said.

“I am eager to take the whole organisation on a journey, and also to support our thousands of experience providers to deliver positive change.”

Explora Journeys hires hey APAC roles

Explora Journeys, the new travel brand from MSC Group, has appointed Nicole Costantin (pictured) as head of sales for the Asia Pacific region and Wanda Ferrand (featured image) as Explora experience centre lead.

Costantin was formerly head of sales with Travel Partner Network and previously was employed by Aspire by Travel Associates as general manager. She also spent more than 20 years with Norwegian Cruise Line, latterly as VP of sales and brand for Australia and New Zealand.

Ferrand was operations manager in Australia and New Zealand with Crystal Cruises and she previously served 13 years as customer relations manager for American Express having spent five years prior at Carlson Wagonlit Travel as Customer Services Manager.

The new hires will be based in Sydney and Nicole will report to chief sales officer, Chris Austin.

Azamara snags industry veteran Victoria Chigwidden

Azamara has appointed travel industry veteran Victoria Chigwidden as director of sales for Australia and New Zealand.

Chigwidden comes to Azamara with 25 years of experience and leadership in retail, coach, river, and ocean cruise. She most recently served as district sales manager for South Australia and the Northern Territory at Royal Caribbean Group. Prior to this, Chigwidden held positions at Flight Centre and the Globus family of brands including Avalon Waterways.

Chigwidden officially joined the Azamara team on August 8, following the departure of Belle Osmic, who is stepping away from the cruising industry after more than five years with Azamara to join her husband in their own business.

Silversea welcomes Barry Laaksonen

Silversea has appointed Barry Laaksonen as its new sales manager for Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania.

Laaksonen has come from a long line of work in the airline and hotel sectors with Qatar Airways, TFE Hotels and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.

He is passionate about all things travel and food-related and recently returned from an Arctic expedition aboard Silver Cloud through the fjords of Svalbard.

Destination Canada appoints Julie King & Associates as Aussie sales agent 

Destination Canada (DC) has announced Julie King & Associates (JKA) has been awarded the contract as its general sales agent (GSA) in Australia, effective 1 September 2022.

JKA was formed in Sydney in 2010 by CEO Julie King (pictured), who has more than 35 years of international success in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The JKA team will be responsible for driving visitation to Canada through on-going travel trade education, travel trade key account management, media relations/PR and social media, as well as consumer direct activities in the Australian market.

Philippa (Pip) Macken and Nathan McLoughlin, familiar members of the extended DC family will be joining the JKA team to continue their roles in the market.

“We are seeing strong demand from Australians for Canada’s iconic, memorable, and authentic experiences. While momentum is building, the global tourism market is ferociously competitive and we must be ready to capture the enormous opportunity ahead,” said Maureen Riley, Destination Canada’s Vice President, International.

“We’re looking forward to working with Julie and her team who bring deep market knowledge and expertise that will bolster our efforts in Australia and elevate Canada as the go-to destination amongst our target travellers.”

Outrigger appoints leadership in Hawai‘i Vacation Condos division

Outrigger has announced two leadership appointments in its Hawai‘i Vacation Condos division – Carly Clement (pictured) as vice president of operations – Hawai‘i Vacation Condos and Cynde Vannatta as general manager of Royal Sea Cliff by Outrigger®.

Clement was most recently general manager at the Lotus Honolulu/Hotel Renew. She joined Outrigger in 2019 as resort manager at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach and in 2021 she was promoted to general manager at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort.

Clement holds leadership roles with several philanthropic and industry organizations in Honolulu, including YWCA career coach and this year’s Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association’s Charity Walk chair.

Vannatta comes to Outrigger from Marriott Vacation Club where she was marketing manager for the Waikoloa Ocean Club. She is very familiar with Royal Sea Cliff having been team leader/marketing coordinator, under the Wyndham flag, for the resort.

MSC taps Lisa Teiotu as commercial director 

MSC Cruises Australasia has appointed of Lisa Teiotu as its commercial director to lead the company’s Australia and New Zealand business and further promote the line’s brand in the market to the travel trade community and consumers.

In her new role, Teiotu will be responsible for overseeing local operations and commercial activities across this market.

She was previously sales director for a period of two years and will report to Angelo Capurro, executive director at MSC Cruises’ Geneva, Switzerland-based headquarters.

Prior to this, she was head of business development for Australia & New Zealand at Royal Caribbean. 

Preferred Hotels & Resorts appoints Lori Strasberg as new head of marketing

Preferred Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Lori Strasberg to senior vice president of marketing.

Effective immediately, Strasberg will lead the brand’s global marketing strategy, leveraging the collective talent and regional expertise of its marketing specialists in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Singapore to build brand awareness, drive I Prefer Hotel Rewards member engagement, and innovate for more than 700 hotels, resorts, and residences globally.

Based out of the company’s New York City offices, she reports to Cheryl Williams, chief revenue officer of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

Strasberg brings more than 20 years of multi-disciplinary experience in hotel and loyalty marketing to Preferred with many career highlights taking place at Marriott International.

Chiva-Som appoints Chanyapak Suwankantha as wellness director

Chiva-Som has appointed Chanyapak Suwankantha as wellness director where she will oversee all aspects of the guest wellness experience, helming the resort’s team of world-class experts.

Chanyapak first joined Chiva-Som in 2014 as Manager of Niranlada Medi-Spa, the resort’s aesthetic clinic, catering to a discerning clientele interested in the latest beauty and other medical treatments. In 2020, she was promoted to Resort Operations Manager, overseeing the entire Health & Wellness team and some of the world’s most extensive wellness facilities.

In her new role as Wellness Director, Chanyapak will be responsible for guiding Chiva-Som’s wellness philosophy, as well as developing new programmes and treatments that respond to guests’ needs and goals.

“I am very excited to take on the new role of Wellness Director,” Chanyapak said.

“I look forward to working with my fellow directors to innovate and expand our holistic approach, and to maintain our position as the world’s leading wellness destination”.