TUI UK & Ireland has today announced two new appointments to its Distribution and Cruise business. Richard Sofer is the new Managing Director of Thomson Cruises and Mark Bather is the new Retail Director, both starting with immediate effect.
Richard joins from GLH Hotels, with his most recent role being Chief Executive of Thistle & every hotels. Mark joins from Telefonica o2 where he was Head of Stores for the UK and Ireland, leading the retail estate and managing Commercial and Trade.
Reporting to TUI UK and Ireland’s Distribution and Cruise Director Helen Caron, Richard will drive the performance of the Thomson Cruise business and deliver the modernisation plan, which will see three ships join the fleet in the next three years.
Also reporting to Helen, Mark will lead the 600-strong retail estate to deliver outstanding customer service and develop the future of the retail estate for TUI UK and Ireland.
Helen Caron, Distribution and Cruise Director for TUI UK and Ireland said: “Richard and Mark are both great hires for our business, bringing with them a wealth of experience from senior roles at some of Britain’s leading businesses. This external influence and experience will prove invaluable as we continue with our growth and modernisation plans for our business.
“Richard will lead the cruise team during the next stage of our modernisation strategy, with a focus on continually improving the customer experience delivering tailored and contemporary end-to-end experiences for our customers.
“Mark will be focussed on leading our incredible team of retail experts, to inspire them to deliver an outstanding service to our customers. He will also develop the future of our retail estate and the evolution of our stores.
“I’m delighted that Richard and Mark have joined at such an exciting time for the business.”
Previously, Richard spent five years with GLH Hotels across a number of senior roles including Chief Executive of Thistle & every hotels, where he was a member of the Executive Board. During this time Richard was responsible for the development and launch of new hotel brands, as well as being accountable for the profits on existing hotels. Richard spent five years with Home Retail Group across a number of senior finance roles, including Head of Retail Finance, with responsibility for the management of a c£1bn cost base, full accounting for 750 stores and planning and management of the £100m capex transformational rebrand project. Prior to this, Richard spent a further five years with Whitbread across a number of finance roles, developing strategic agendas and improving operating brands performance, across the Pub restaurant, hotels (Premier Inn) and Health Club (David Lloyd) businesses.
Mark enjoyed a 26-year career with Tesco, starting in 1988 where he completed a management training Course and held several Senior Management positions in stores. He led the New Store opening programme for the UK and held roles including Retail Director for Northern Ireland and Customer Service Director UK and Ireland. Mark joined Telefonica o2 in Sept 2014 as their Head of Stores for UK and Ireland, leading the retail estate and managing Commercial and Trade. Here, Mark drove the retail strategy, putting it clearly on the Telefonica agenda, developing Excellence Programs for Service, Store Standards and Sales.
ENDS
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