Latest news with #youngachievers
TTG
16-07-2025
- Business
- TTG
Introducing the 2025 TTG 30 Under 30
The stars have aligned for another 30 young achievers. It's time to meet the new crop of Tomorrow's Travel Leaders More than 120 nominations and entries from across the travel industry came in for this year's group, which is supported by headline partner Tui, as well as our partner ITT. Meet them all below, find out their achievements and what they hope to gain from being a part of this prestigious programme. Ebose (Eby) Akhigbe, travel content creator, Rhizo As a travel content creator and group trip host, Eby is passionate about sharing practical, budget-friendly tips to help people travel more confidently, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. Through her platform, Explore with Eby – which offers destination guides, visa advice and curated group travel experiences – she's built a community of thousands, helping to make travel feel less intimidating and more inclusive. Her mission is driven by her own experiences – she didn't get on a plane until she was 25, because she didn't see a lot of people like herself travelling and exploring. Eby says: 'TTG's 30 Under 30 is a game-changer for me and the community I represent. I've built a platform making travel more accessible for Black and first-timer travellers, and this recognition will open doors to collaborate with more like-minded travel brands. I plan to collaborate with tourism boards, ethical travel brands and local creators to shift the narrative around who gets to travel, where we go and how we do it.' Boris Bijlstra, founder, Hubby eSim Boris is co-founder of Hubby eSim, a fast-scaling travel technology company, redefining how travel businesses connect with their customers. He completed a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship; volunteered in Medellin, Colombia; and won academic awards at Singapore Management University before entering the professional world. He was recruited by McKinsey & Company, where he worked with some of the world's largest telecom companies across India, the US and Europe. After one year there, he left to found Hubby eSim with his best friend, quickly taking it from an idea to a global business, delivering global connectivity to millions of travellers through partnerships with the likes of Flight Centre and Dertour. As well as delivering commercial growth, he's making a name for himself with thoughtful leadership, by organising the Young Entrepreneurs in Travel panel at the ITT Conference in Sardinia, mentoring students through a university programme in Belgium, and donating eSIMs to civilians and aid workers in Gaza. Boris says: 'I still have so much learn. This recognition from TTG will open more doors so I can make bigger moves, learn faster and help more people in an industry that I love.' Tiggy's passion for marketing grew while studying psychology at university, through work experience with Red Bull's field marketing team. In 2023, she joined Pelorus, which creates private luxury travel experiences, as a marketing intern, and has been promoted twice in 18 months, to marketing assistant and then to marketing executive. During this time, she's grown Pelorus' Instagram following with a 649% increase in engagement. She took a lead role in launching the Pelorus 2024 flagship campaign, transforming children's imaginative travel dreams into tailored journeys. She also project managed the new Pelorus Aviation website, and quickly mastered the fundamentals of SEO, growing Pelorus Travels' organic reach in its key markets. Tiggy's nominator, Pelorus' Tanya Teasdale, says: 'Tiggy champions fresh thinking across the industry. Through the 30 Under 30, she'll actively contribute to meaningful conversations around innovation, creativity and sustainability, and brings these insights to Pelorus, helping to shape and implement forward-thinking campaigns and strategies.' Harriet started out in travel as an apprentice with Hays Travel in 2018. Recognised as a quick learner with leadership potential, she was promoted to assistant manager at a neighbouring branch. In 2023, she joined G Adventures' Global Contact Centre, supporting both customers and agents across international markets. She has outperformed her sales targets, completed four intensive internal leadership modules at G Adventures and is an active member of the True Believer programme, a company-wide initiative that reinforces G Adventures' values and culture. Harriet says: 'I'm a strong advocate for sustainable tourism after volunteering in an elephant sanctuary in Thailand and working in marine conservation in Bali and that's why I came to work for G Adventures. We have G for Good projects run by our charity Planeterra in lots of our destinations. We're so lucky to be able to travel in this amazing world, so it's really important to give back to destinations. I'm feeling very inspired already by the TTG 30 Under 30 and looking forward to hearing everyone's stories.' Savannah Bracewell, media and marketing manager, Savannah was born into the industry, quite literally, she says. Her mother worked at Globespan and used to bring her into the office as a baby in a carry cot. A few years later her mother started her own agency, and took Savannah to World Travel Market for work experience. During the pandemic, she helped her mum redesign the Travelmax website, as a way of future-proofing the business. Previously resistant to join the family business, lest she be accused of having it handed to her on a plate, this helped Savannah to realise she could join the industry on her own terms. Working with her mother full-time now, she helps lead the business strategy. She's launched a homeworking division, grown the brand's digital presence and achieved recognition through multiple awards programmes. Most recently, was named The Travel Network Group's Best Travel Business in Northern Ireland. Savannah says: 'Anyone in a family business will know, you wear all the hats, so I'm doing a bit of everything. As the next generation of our business, I hope to continue building a national brand that still feels personal, heart-led and deeply rooted in family values. I'm passionate about growing our social media presence to reach new audiences in a new meaningful way, to tell stories, share expert advice and build genuine trust. Long-term I hope to co-direct the business alongside my mum, Maxine, whose work ethic and big heart inspire everything I do.' Hannah Carlisle, senior account director, Rooster PR As part of her Spanish degree course, Hannah had the opportunity to spend a year in Spain, working as junior account executive at Marco de Comunicacion in Madrid. She describes this experience as 'sink or swim' because she was given more responsibility than she'd anticipated when not one but two directors – the only other English speakers – were put out of action. The work included being part of the PR team on the ground at COP22, the UN International Climate Change Conference in Marrakech. Back in the UK after graduation, she joined a fashion-focused agency in London but was put off the industry by its treatment of more junior members of staff. She joined Rooster in 2018 as an account executive and is now account director, leading the agency's international communications offering, juggling up to five different language briefs at a time and managing external agencies around the world. She's also passionate about bringing a new wave of people into the travel PR industry, running Rooster's internship programme, with 10 interns recruited and eight still employed by the business. Hannah says: 'I came from a lower economic family and I didn't do much travelling growing up. I ended up spending all my money, travelling to London to do internships, where I was making people coffee and not learning that much. With our interns, we've focused on bringing people from outside of London, with different backgrounds and perspectives.' While studying for a business management degree with the Open University, Danielle started helping her mum, a Travel Counsellor, with her business admin. A three-month interrailing trip around Europe helped set her heart on joining up with her mum in travel. Initially Danielle set up her own Travel Counsellors business before they took the leap together to set up Case Travel, a registered member of Protected Trust Services. The gamble paid off, with record sales to date. Danielle built their website from scratch, as well as developing a customised in-house system, which includes customer relationship management, booking tracker, supplier database and enquiry logs, which she says has streamlined operations and allowed the business to scale efficiently without relying on expensive third-party tools. Danielle says: 'One of my proudest achievements to date is building Case Travel into a growing luxury travel brand known for its personal, high-touch approach. I've been involved in every layer of the business. Being named one of TTG's 30 Under 30 is an incredible opportunity to connect with and learn from others in the industry who are equally ambitious and driven.' Paige joined Unique Vacations UK in July 2019 on a 12-month placement as part of her BSc in Events and Leisure Marketing at Bournemouth University. She was then welcomed back to the business as marketing assistant in August 2021, working her way up to senior marketing executive by July 2024. She's played a key role in shaping Sandals' consumer marketing strategy, as the driving force behind Sandals' award-winning mural wall campaign in London's Shoreditch and more recently she's project managed Sandals' partnership with Kew the Music. With her latest promotion she's stepped into a more defined leadership role, offering valuable guidance and support to newer team members. In October 2024, she took on a different kind of challenge, taking part in Sandals Island Challenge on St Vincent, which raised more than £100,000 to fund life-saving equipment for St Vincent and the Grenadines' Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. One of 30 participants, Paige ran 54km, sea kayaked 11km and hiked 11km up La Soufriere volcano. Paige says: 'I know within the Sandals team there were three of us who were shortlisted so I'm really privileged to be the one that was chosen. I have a deep passion for learning and development so I'm excited to meet everyone and gain insights from senior leaders and industry experts.' Sacha started out in travel as an overseas rep in Switzerland with Kuoni. She then worked in a number of roles in Kuoni's head office, including health and safety and customer service. She transitioned to sales before spending three months travelling in Australasia. Covid forced her to look for employment outside the industry, but she returned to travel with a product executive role with Exodus. Now she's back at Kuoni in a senior product executive role, looking after the Caribbean. Under her stewardship, the region is outperforming last year's bookings, with Grenada a particular success story after the destination was chosen to host the Kuoni Retail Managers conference in November 2024. Sacha says: 'I've been looking at the Caribbean for the last year in a non-traditional way – yes, we sell a lot of lovely beach holidays there but it's more than that – it's the people, it's the culture, it's a destination. One of the main reasons I enjoy product so much is building relationships with DMCs to add new tours, and that's why I'm looking forward to the 30 Under 30 programme. It's so powerful to connect with peers, to learn more about areas of the industry I am less familiar with.' As an apprentice in Tui retail, Jess seized the opportunity to join the first cohort of the Tui Chartered Management Degree. While studying she gained experience across multiple departments including Marella Cruises and Tui Airways. She was also selected to represent Tui in the House of Lords, contributing to a discussion focused on ending the stigma surrounding apprenticeships in the UK workplace. After graduating, she led a restructure of the Marella Cruises social media team, overseeing recruitment and laying the foundations for future success. In 2022, she became trade relations manager for Marella Cruises, and the strong relationships she built helped pave the way for Tui's trade team expansion, with Jess now leading on Hays Travel, Barrhead Travel and TTNG relationships. She's also an active representative on the Marella Cruises Sustainability Board, supporting the cruise line's long-term sustainability objectives. Jess says: 'I've done lots of different roles in Tui, about 10 different ones, really getting a breadth of the business, from selling the holidays in retail to working in digital marketing, in social media and now I work with our trade partners. I love the industry and working for Tui, but it's really nice to branch out and meet new people in the same sort of situations, who want to take their career that next level.' Daniel Grayburn, senior AWS engineer in IT, Daniel has worked in tech for four years and is new to the travel industry, having joined three months ago. He failed his IT A-level and was preparing to go down the economist route, when he stumbled across a YouTube video, talking about what you can do in tech when you lack coding experience, a gap he says is not addressed in the education system. That motivated him to self-teach during Covid, which led him to work on various projects across the education, public and commercial sectors that have consistently cut costs and boosted operational reliability. At Teesside University, he's enabled on-demand access to high-performance virtual desktops and introduced next-generation learning models. Quickly making his presence felt at Iglu, he helps lead core cloud engineering initiatives, supporting Iglu's mission to innovate in the travel industry through resilient, scalable technology. Daniel says: 'I'm not from the traditional coding background, which is always the assumption with tech. I don't really fit the IT nerd category. And so, I want to use this opportunity to network with people and simplify what is a complex world and make it more accessible to others.' Becky Hampson, account executive, Storrington Collective Becky graduated with a 2.1 in Geography from Kings College London and went on to study for a Masters in Disasters, Adaptation and Development. After joining luxury travel PR agency, Storrington Collective four years ago, she completed her Green Globe qualification in her own time, becoming a certified auditor. This led to her establishing the sustainability consultation of the agency, guiding clients towards more sustainable practices. She has grown Storrington's profile on LinkedIn, with a monthly newsletter attracting more than 500 subscribers in its first few months, and was recently bestowed with the Eco-Conscious PR Visionary Award (UK) 2025 by Acquisition International. Becky says: 'Sustainability is really important to me, because people have said to me, if you want to be more sustainable then just don't fly anywhere. But people rely on tourism in their livelihoods. And I enjoy being part of the movement making travel more sustainable. I hope to get great networking out of TTG's 30 Under 30 – as we're all similar ages – and seeing everyone's journeys as we all move forward. How can we all work together to make the world better for people who are here and make the world better for people yet to come?' Racquel Hardie, sales manager – UK / EU, Intrepid Travel After graduating with a business degree, Racquel worked as a travel consultant at Flight Centre, while studying for a graduate certificate in tourism management. She then moved to London in 2019, working in sales for Topdeck Travel. During the pandemic, she returned to Australia, and worked at TourRadar in customer support, while also studying for a masters in primary school teaching. She participated in diverse placements around Queensland, developing an enthusiasm for teaching students with additional needs. Faced with the choice of developing a teaching career, or stepping up to a team leader role at TourRadar, she chose travel, which eventually drew her back to London, and into a sales manager role with a company she says she'd always put on a pedestal, Intrepid Travel. Racquel says: 'I've been passionate about people development since university. As a sales manager I want to continue growing as a people leader, specifically in coaching. I'm lucky to work for a company that focuses on developing their people.' Jenny Higgins, head of marketing, Travel Village Group While studying fashion marketing at university, Jenny supported herself through the pandemic, with varied roles from writing blogs about mattresses for furniture retailers to restocking the toilet roll aisle in Tesco. Six months before graduating she spotted a full-time role advertised at Travel Village Group, and she asked for the chance to prove herself in the role part-time until she graduated. It was during her first fam trip – with Marella Cruises – that she found out she had achieved a First Class honours degree. The role became full time and she rapidly climbed the ladder from marketing executive to head of marketing. She's implemented new strategies from paid digital media to more traditional out of home media, boosting enquiries and sales across the business. As a TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassador, she's organised beach cleans and delivered company-wide seminars on sustainability. Jenny says: 'Across every role I've held – both in and outside of travel, I've consistently been trusted to step up. At 16, I was promoted to team leader at my local chippy after just six months. At 18, I applied for a summer camp role and was appointed two grades above what I'd applied for. I've consistently delivered with energy, creativity, and most importantly – care, despite any obstacles I may have faced. I see TTG's 30 Under 30 as more than a title; it's a chance to develop professionally, connect with forward-thinking people, and be part of shaping where our industry is headed.' Maeve Honey, legal counsel, Travel Counsellors Maeve graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2018 with a law degree, and successfully completed her legal practice course at the University of Law. She took a two-year training contract at national firm Shoosmiths, and continued with them for another two years following qualification. In early 2024, she joined Travel Counsellors, combining her legal skills with a long-standing passion for travel. She now confidently navigates a range of matters from supplier contracts to travel regulations. One of her standout achievements has been leading the development of the company's internal AI policy to ensure it empowers colleagues while safeguarding compliance. She's also been instrumental in onboarding nearly 1,000 corporate clients and has taken ownership of debt collection processes, recovering overdue payments, while maintaining strong client relationships. Maeve says: 'Legal can seem boring, people think we're not fun, we don't get invited to meet suppliers – the only time I speak to suppliers is when I'm negotiating contracts. So for me, this is an opportunity to network and get to know the industry better and meet lots of different people.' Kyle Hughes-Beevers, sales and product director, The Experiential Travel Group – Tripse & The River Cruise Company Kyle began his career, the week after leaving school, as an apprentice in a small, high street travel agency. When the pandemic struck, he made the decision to work as a self-employed homeworker, establishing a customer base from scratch, just as the industry ground to a halt. Despite the challenging economic climate, he successfully expanded his business, by focusing on personalised service and through word-of-mouth referrals. Growing his business to the point where it became a valuable asset, in 2023, Kyle was approached by Denise Parkhouse, founder and owner of Tripse Travel. Together they combined their business ventures to establish The Experiential Travel Group, with Kyle taking on the role of sales and product director. He's introduced innovative products, attracted new customers, and implemented fresh marketing strategies. Recently, Kyle launched a new brand, The River Cruise Company, recognising the growth potential of this sector and the team are now preparing to introduce a third brand within the touring sector. Kyle says: 'We find ourselves in this industry with so many events, we can meet people but then maybe you don't see them for two years, then you stumble across each other and it's like starting from scratch. Whereas being a part of something like the 30 Under 30, it'll be nice to get to know people over the year and hopefully build relationships that are long-standing.' Megan's had a passion for cruising since childhood, going on her first cruise aged six, and growing up with a family working in the industry. This inspired her to study travel and tourism, photography and media at college. She first worked as a booking agent at Celebrity Cruises, before moving to Royal Caribbean's trade support team, becoming a regional sales manager, aged 21. After a short stint in recruitment, she took a Cruise Club development role at the Travel Network Group before joining HX as inside sales executive. Her role has expanded from trade support into event planning, social media, marketing, and sales reporting. In the last two years she's taken the lead on organising ship visits and fam trips and also helped grow the brand's trade Facebook page from 300 to more than 3,700 agents, turning it into a vital tool for communications and trade engagement. Megan says: 'I'm excited about the direction HX is heading and want to grow in tandem with the brand, contributing to its success while further developing my own skill set and leadership capabilities. Being selected as a 30 Under 30 is an incredible step forward to helping me achieve this.' Harvey began his entrepreneurial journey aged 15, building and selling an e-commerce business to a US investor. While studying finance at Manchester University, he gained experience in operations, business development and product. It was during university, he met his co-founder Prithveesh Reddy, and together they launched Arcube, a passenger intelligence platform that unlocks untapped loyalty and ancillary revenue for airlines post-flight. They initially built this and sold to global airlines while still full-time students. After a successful pilot with Etihad Airways, it was clear their product was in demand, and they transitioned from 'two 20-year-old founders in their dorm rooms' to serious growth mode, managing a team of eight and raising funds from external investors. Since then, Lowe and Reddy have built a pipeline of 16 airlines, representing 300 million passengers and rewriting the way they experience loyalty. Harvey says: 'We generated millions in additional revenue for Etihad Airways purely through personalised ancillaries, and we did this without any external funding, proving that young, first-time founders could compete with, and outperform, legacy players. Being named a 30 Under 30 provides validation from a respected industry voice and opens doors to deeper partnerships throughout the travel ecosystem as we expand beyond airlines into hotels and car rentals.' Allie Mason, copywriter, Steppes Travel After graduating with a masters in research, design and methodology, Allie balanced more corporate roles with writing her first book, The Autistic Guide to Adventure. The success of the book helped establish her credibility in the field and led to speaking engagements including Kendal Mountain Festival and a commission from the Guardian on the subject of travelling with autism. In September 2024, Allie joined Steppes as a copywriter, where she champions diversity and inclusion, and educates colleagues on best practice for supporting disabled and neurodivergent travellers. She's currently writing her second book – a comprehensive neurodivergent guide to travel – addressing specific needs of the community. The impact of her work can be seen through her nomination for the Positive Role Model (Disability) Award at the 2025 National Diversity Awards. Allie says: 'I aim to establish myself as a leading authority on neurodivergent friendly travel within the sector. Ultimately my goal is to bridge my advocacy work with commercial innovation, demonstrating that accessibility is not just socially responsible but also represents a significant business opportunity for forward-thinking travel companies.' Jack started his career aged 17 in Tui's Shrewsbury store. When the pandemic hit and his store closed, he went to support the customer service department and worked there as an agent for two years. He then joined the quality team where he would assess and help other agents. Up for a new challenge, he helped create Tui's first Continuous Service Improvement community, listening to colleagues' feedback for ways to improve, and responding by rolling out new initiatives on the frontline. Jack became one of the first dedicated team members and now delivers multi-million euro projects across Europe. As an original member of a growing team that's proving pivotal to a business in a time of transformation, Jack is ideally placed to take the lead and knock on the doors of management. Jack's nominator, Quentin Bottner, says: 'Jack managed to show the organisation we could do something about the hundreds of thousands of contacts we get annually about luggage allowance and create an AI tool that would generate the insights needed, a tool that no one thought possible. He fuels himself by learning from others and the 30 Under 30 will provide this environment for such a young and talented individual.' Holly Piggott, industry partnerships manager – South, Intrepid Travel After starting her career as an apprentice with Thomas Cook, Holly instantly fell in love with the industry, quickly progressing to branch manager. Eager to gain broader experience, she moved to the tour operator side of the industry with APT, where she led the after-sales department post-pandemic, ensuring operational stability and service excellence during the critical recovery period. This led to her being named employee of the year in 2021 in recognition of this leadership and contribution to business growth. In 2024 she joined Intrepid Travel as partnerships manager, another step along her journey into a more strategic, business development role. Holly says: 'I left school at 16, when I felt uncertain about my future after a challenging few years with my mental health, and so I'm a big advocate for inclusivity, mental health and wellbeing, and I really want to take that forward, supporting other people in the future. I would love support and advice from current leaders, especially as I find real life stories super empowering.' Dillon began his career in data, aged 19, demonstrating a keen eye for detail and a natural affinity for structured, systemic processes. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Dillon seized the opportunity to join Inghams' flights team. He's now team manager of the aviation and transport portfolio, and through his thoughtful coaching, encouragement, and fair leadership, the previously underperforming team has flourished. Dillon played an instrumental role in managing complex logistics during an operational crisis in February 2025, caused by a rockfall in France that disrupted travel for thousands. He also heads up a team developing flight-free travel initiatives, pushing for Inghams to meet its sustainability goals. Dillon says: 'I've been with the company for 10 years now, and that's where my travel industry journey began, so I feel a bit pigeon-holed, given ski is quite niche. I want to use TTG's 30 Under 30 to learn about the different areas of the industry, from cruise to tech. 'Working for Santa's Lapland, people often ask whether I have met the big man. Well, I met him in December and he was everything you'd dream he'd be.' Kira graduated with First Class honours from London's City University. After interning with Hello magazine, she joined Intrepid Travel's inaugural Diversifying Travel Media press trip to Croatia, where she was mentored by top travel journalists. In January 2024, she embarked on a placement at HTSI, the Financial Times' luxury lifestyle magazine, which was followed by the Travel Media Awards Step Up internship, where she worked at APL Media and Finn Partners. Now she oversees branded content campaigns at National Geographic Traveller, while also writing features and supporting events. She was a finalist in the Media Rising Star of the Year at the TravMedia Awards, recognition she says was incredibly affirming so early in her career. Another highlight was the publication of her first travel feature on in March 2024. Kira says: 'Now that I commission content, I actively seek out new voices, particularly from underrepresented racial, socioeconomic and disability groups. It's rewarding to create opportunities for those who have faced barriers to enter, or remain in, the industry. With only 1.3% of UK journalists from African or Caribbean backgrounds, very few being Black women, I hope to create further opportunities for people of a similar background and show what is possible.' After gaining a distinction in travel and tourism at Worcester College, Rhiannon studied for an apprenticeship at Spires Travel. After spending three years as a chalet host with Ski Armadillo in Switzerland, she returned to Spires Travel as a sales consultant and was promoted to assistant manager. In 2024, she joined dnata as a trade partnership executive, tasked with promoting the different brands to travel agents. She's driven agent engagement to new heights, delivering training and promotional activity in stores, fearlessly presenting at conferences, leading fam trips and through humour and relatability on platforms such as TikTok. With commercial acumen and knack for communication, her career options remain wide open, with moves into product, marketing and commercial roles all touted as meeting her potential. Rhiannon's nominator, Gold Medal's Karen Fletcher, says: 'Rhiannon was the first trade executive employed by Gold Medal and she's been a true role model. It was a risk hiring someone with no field experience but her excellence has paved the way for a fifth trade marketing executive being recruited this year. She's been instrumental in onboarding new agents who haven't booked with us before and her success can easily be measured by the consistent double-digit growth in sales from her region, with many new stores activated.' Harneet Singh Sachdev, account executive (travel trade), Black Diamond With a Masters in International Tourism Management under his belt, Harneet joined Black Diamond as account executive in 2024, in a role that includes trade marketing, sales missions, tour operator relationships, product and data analysis, and event delivery. His background spans international education, tech start-ups and hands-on hospitality, which have helped foster his entrepreneurial drive and strategic thinking in a fast-paced environment. He's managed UK travel trade events for Visit California and Visit Qatar, delivering high-impact sales missions and forging strategic partnerships with UK tour operators. He was one of two employees selected for a company-wide exchange scheme with BD's partner agency GCE Global in Frankfurt, this summer, and he's the only account executive on the strategic team championing the agency's integration of technology and AI. Harneet says: 'Coming from start-ups, I do want to build something of my own in the long run. I want something that connects cultures, social sustainability to be precise, so I want to get to know everybody and build my network, which is really exciting. I ended up working at Black Diamond, after becoming an ITT Future You Student Ambassador, and that was all down to the power of networking.' Rebecca fell into travel, working for Wendy Wu Tours in Australia as a reception and operations executive, while studying accounting at university. She built Australia's tailor-made division from scratch, and during Covid, she held responsibility for reservations and operations across the country, managing crisis repatriations, before driving recovery and restructuring from the ground up. She's now the company's UK-based head of product and projects, leading global product launches, such as Wendy Wu's Rail Collection, as well as strategic business transformation. Rebecca says: 'I have a special interest in sustainability, and obviously [Wendy Wu's key destination] China has a very big impact on the rest of the world, and I'm very interested in how to make it a positive one, especially with a lot of the communities that we visit. I also have a special interest in people, I think there's space for everyone to bring each other up. It's a shame that so many people fall into travel, like I did, and it's not that [industry] that people go for, so I'm definitely interested in how we can make the travel industry more appealing overall, and get even more talented people in.' Joe Sullivan, partnerships manager, Love to Visit Joe did a photography degree, with the dream of becoming a travel photography, but Covid shut that down. He was one of the first people hired by Love to Visit in 2021, before the tech start-up even had a website. The founders used a government Kickstart Scheme, which provided funding to employers to create jobs for 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit. Joe – who had been shielding through Covid – was alerted to the job advert by his career advisor, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He's been promoted twice, he's taken on more responsibility for recruitment and training, he's onboarded big suppliers, and he's made it his mission to understand the back-end tech to help more drive more product through the pipeline faster. Joe says: 'I feel very lucky that I was one of the first people that was hired in the business. We wanted to try and fill the gap in the tourism market for a things to do platform, like Just Eat or Airbnb, but for the UK, so we work with loads of attractions and theatre shows to resell their tickets and help market their brands. I had no experience of partnerships and I've grown a lot with the company, and it's gone from three to 10 of us now, so it's been an interesting four years.' Nora began her career at Jet2holidays as a sales advisor in the call centre, aged 18 in 2018, where she was named travel advisor of the year. She joined the product team a year later, initially working on Lanzarote, then Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca, before earning a promotion to senior product executive in 2023. She has recently moved to the Turkey and Bulgaria team, cementing her experience of Jet2holidays' busiest and most demanding regions. In the role, she looks after hotels, deciding their star rating and how to market them on the website, and she admits her favourite part of the job is going out and testing all the hotels. Nora gained distinction in her level 3 team leader apprenticeship, balancing demanding coursework with her day-to-day responsibilities. More recently she's volunteered to be part of the Customer Contact Mass Disruption support team, showing a willingness to prioritise the needs of the business and consistently offer her support. Nora says: 'I've been at Jet2holidays for seven years, which is impressive because I barely finished school, didn't finish college, didn't go to university, but when I got into travel, that's when I stuck and I knew I really enjoyed where I was. I started in this industry when I was young and I just want to absorb as much as I can from everyone.' Ruari began his career straight out of university, joining a luxury travel start-up where he played a key role in building the business from the ground up. He then joined a graduate scheme in financial broking, gaining a strong foundation in sales, financial structuring and client strategy. Next, he joined a tech start-up, helping develop scalable systems, experience he says now underpins the backbone of his business. He returned to luxury travel in 2021, before launching Whalley & Ross in 2024, a brand designed to deliver seamless, design-led private travel for a global client base. It's on track to hit £1 million in revenue in the first 12 months. Ruari says: 'I also serve as a reserve soldier in a British Army reconnaissance regiment – an experience that sharpens my discipline, planning and leadership under pressure. Over the next five years, I want Whalley & Ross to be recognised as one of the leading names in bespoke luxury travel – a brand that quietly reshapes how high-value clients think about, plan and experience the world. Personally, I want to contribute to the evolution of modern luxury travel through thought leadership, sustainability advocacy, and mentorship.' Leah joined online cruise operator Paramount Cruises in the midst of the pandemic, bringing a wealth of experience from her time as a team leader in the retention team at Love Holidays. Paramount Cruises had only been trading for two years when Leah joined the company and she's built the operations side from the ground up, shaping the team by recruiting experienced professionals from outside the industry while also nurturing talent through the company's apprentice programme. She's overseen the creation of the Paramount Journey platform, a seamless communication framework that engages customers at every stage of their holiday experience. Leah also played a leading role in two of Paramount's most ambitious group travel experiences, the 2024 and 2025 Music Cities and Mardi Gras packages, managing end-to-end logistics for more than 200 guests. Her operational insight is boosted by her frontline experience, leading overseas experiences from Grand Prix packages to the Calgary Stampede. Leah's nominator Paramount Cruises' Patrick Hill says: 'Leah is the kind of person who lifts others as she grows, so this will inspire the people around her too, especially the younger team members and apprentices who look up to her. This was the third year we've nominated her and we truly believed third time would be a charm. She'll absolutely make the most of this opportunity, not just for herself, but to give back too.'
News24
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Surprise at the palace: George and Amal Clooney join King Charles for King's Trust Awards reception
George and Amal Clooney made a surprise appearance at a special Buckingham Palace reception for 2025 King's Trust Awards winners. The event celebrated inspiring young achievers and featured King Charles alongside celebrity attendees, including the Clooneys and The Sugarbabes. The Amal Clooney Women's Empowerment Award, introduced by the King's Trust in 2019, recognises exceptional young women making a global impact. On Wednesday, Hollywood and British royalty mingled when George and Amal Clooney made a surprise appearance at Buckingham Palace. The A-list couple was among the guests at a special reception for the 2025 King's Trust Awards winners. According to the organisation, the awards recognise young people who have improved their chances in life and positively impacted their local community. In a video posted on the Royal Family Instagram account, King Charles warmly greets and chats with the couple. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) The pair is also featured in the group with award winners and fellow supporters, including TV presenter Declan Donnelly, Joseph Fiennes, and members of the pop group The Sugarbabes. 'Today, our King's Trust Award winners and Celebrity Ambassadors had the honour of attending a special reception with our Royal Founding president, His Majesty The King, at Buckingham Palace. 'This memorable event celebrated their remarkable achievements ahead of tomorrow's award show. We are immensely proud of the extraordinary accomplishments of our young people and volunteers - their courage and commitment continues to inspire us all,' reads the caption. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The King's Trust (@kingstrust) According to the DailyMail, the Amal Clooney Women's Empowerment Award, presented by the Trust in 2019, celebrates the achievements of inspirational female youngsters worldwide. Stefan Rousseau-Stefan Rousseau-This is not the first time the Clooneys have rubbed shoulders with the royals. In March 2019, the couple attended dinner at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the same charity that was known as the Prince's Trust before Charles ascended the throne, reports People. The couple were also guests at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in May 2018, where George reportedly showed off his bartending skills at the reception.
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Get An Adrenaline Rush From The Tenth Edition Of The 30 Under 30 Asia List In Forbes Asia's June Issue
Forbes Asia June 2025 cover Often a key ingredient of a successful enterprise is having a founder or CEO with an infectious can-do spirit. Who sees any setback not as the end of the road but as an opportunity to forge a new path. Examples of such indefatigable, innovative individuals abound in these pages. Manu Chopra: Harshith Dambekodi for Forbes Asia, BINI: Josh Tolentino/Artists & Company Manila for Forbes Asia, Ardy Ferguson: Jocelyn Tam for Forbes Asia, Anshita Mehrotra: Karan Nevatia for Forbes Asia, Jia Haojun & Yi Gang: Tim Gao for Forbes Asia, Gaby Rosenberg: Brendon Thorne for Forbes Asia, Jin Kim: Douglas Levy for Forbes Asia, Woo Qiyun: Munster Cheong for Forbes Asia, Hu Yao-chieh & Hang Meng-tse: Sung Tzu Fan for Forbes Asia At the starting gate is the 300-strong cohort of our 30 Under 30 Asia list, now in its tenth edition. The class of 2025 features up-and-comers of different stripes—entrepreneurs, artists and athletes—from which five notables grace the magazine cover. Curating this list every year since its launch in 2016 is editorial director Rana Wehbe Watson, supported by a tireless team of editors and reporters across the region, with an external panel of experts weighing in on the final selection. The sheer volume of nominations received each year—4,500 in this round—illustrates how much Asia's young achievers aspire for this badge of honor. The distinctively vibrant look of this 16-page package is the handiwork of our creative design crew. An accompanying section featuring successful alumni of past 30 Under 30 lists ties in with our traditional wealth coverage. Australia's Melanie Perkins (class of 2016), cofounder and CEO of design software giant Canva became a multibillionaire and debuted on the World Billionaires List in 2022. Refer also to our story on Harshil Mathur (Class of 2021), cofounder and CEO of Indian payment gateway Razorpay, who's a more recent entrant to the three-comma club. Billionaires abound in the two wealth collations featured this month: Taiwan's 50 Richest and Japan's 50 Richest. Members of both these lists are seasoned entrepreneurs, who despite the tariff threat from the U.S. are collectively worth more than they were a year ago. U-Next Holdings President and CEO, Yasuhide Uno Robust chip sales drove up fortunes and minted two newcomers linked to that sector in Taiwan. Over in Japan, the biggest gainer this year is Uniqlo billionaire Tadashi Yanai, the country's richest person for seven years in the past decade, whose net worth hit an all-time high of $48.2 billion. An accompanying story features Yasuhide Uno, president and CEO of U-Next Holdings, who built a homegrown streaming rival to Netflix in Japan from a struggling business he inherited as a reluctant successor. Sunny Varkey, the Indian-born chairman of Dubai-based GEMS Education. A lesson in resilience can also be drawn from the story of Indian education billionaire Sunny Varkey, one of the world's largest operators of K-12 schools, whose Dubai-based GEMS Education took a hit in the pandemic. Now cashing in on Dubai's expat influx, Varkey is rolling out new schools and simultaneously expanding the GEMS brand in his native India in partnership with Gautam Adani, the country's second-richest person. From rising startups to mature businesses, from tomorrow's tycoons to today's business leaders, we cover the full spectrum in this prime-time edition. As always, comments welcome at executiveeditor@
