Before you ask, no, Order Up!’s chief commercial officer is not Ian Thorpe’s brother, despite the surname and vague resemblance (if you squint a bit).
What’s your main goal for this year?
This year I’m looking forward to more face-to-face time with the team and Order Up! partners. We’ve got exciting updates planned for 2022 and I’m excited to start rolling them out.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the travel industry?
I love how it’s constantly evolving and there’s so much collaboration. Particularly over the pandemic, it’s been great to see so many people in the industry bringing fresh perspectives and innovation to change the narrative.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I’ve just finished a summer 6-a-side football tournament which we actually won! I’m also just about to start pre-season training for our 11-a-side team. I’m really competitive, so being able to run around a pitch for 90 minutes helps clear the mind and scoring goals always helps!
Have you managed to do any travelling since restrictions began to ease (domestic or international)?
I was fortunate to have the chance to head down to Melbourne to meet with Order Up! partners, and I just returned from beautiful break with my family in Palm Cove, Queensland.
What’s your favourite travel company, besides the one you work for?
Thomas Cook! The UK based company doesn’t exist anymore, but they gave me my first job in the travel industry as an overseas holiday rep on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
If you could invite three famous guests (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you choose?
Will Ferrell, Robin Williams, Muhammed Ali.
What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the global pandemic hit?
Here at Order Up!, we pivoted to be able to help quarantine hotels and their guests access virtual mini-bars and fulfil snack boxes, fresh fruit and even go so far as enabling guests to hire a treadmill to use during their 14-day quarantine period.
In addition, our systems have been helping hotels and establishments such as the Melbourne Racing Group deliver their 5-star restaurant meals and premium produce to homes during lockdowns.
What’s your advice for others in the travel industry on coping with the global pandemic?
Lean into and adopt new technologies like Order Up! which can help you streamline efficiencies and tackle these industry-wide issues we’re all facing at the moment such as staff shortages and indoor density limits.
What book and/or TV show can you not get enough of lately?
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, Author Ben Horowitz. It’s an inside look at the tough decisions and lonely times all CEOs face, before showing you what it takes to build a great organisation and become a world-class leader.
Bingeing “Manifest” on Netflix, It centres on the passengers and crew of a commercial airliner who land safely after a turbulent but routine flight. But in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years!
Do you have any travel goals for 2022?
Currently planning a trip to Fiji with the family, and hoping to get to Qatar for the World Cup in December.
