The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) has restructured following its 10th anniversary this year.
"Our company grew organically over the past 10 years where we saw consistent growth, adjusting our organization and processes as we grew the company – including the addition of our India division. But to get ready for the next 10 years we will be looking at even more support for the staff and our agent partners through this restructuring," said Flemming Friisdahl, founder and CEO.
"With the retirement of our VP Agent Experience, Penny Martin this coming July, we believe now is a good time to reorganize the company to prepare it for the future. "
Industry executive Jeff Element will become chief operating officer based in Toronto and oversee marketing and training, finance, support, and operations.
Element was president of The Travel Corporation for many years until recently, overseeing Contiki, Insight and Trafalgar brands as well as the call center and accounting departments.
He has also held the position of chairman at CATO and has been a board member at TICO. Additionally, he holds both CMA and CTM credentials.
"I have very much enjoyed these last five months getting to know this business," said Element.
"I particularly enjoy the positive atmosphere and the level of dedication and integrity of the TTAND team."
He added: "I look forward to being part of this team and contributing to TTAND's continued success."
Chris Senior, CPA, CMA, joins TTAND as CFO.
Senior has been in the industry for many years, holding finance roles at TICO, TTI Travel as VP of Finance, and HRG North America as director of Financial Analysis.
The management team consists of Rhonda Stanley, VP Talent Development; Kuldeep Gautam, manager, India Division; Raj Gautam, Technology head; Christine Ufniak, director of Marketing & Training; Nicola Gowe, director of Finance; Roxanne Jeffries, senior accounting manager; and James Nuygen, senior manager, Agent Support Team in Canada.
Flemming Friisdahl will continue as founder and CEO, and Supplier Relations, Technology & IT, and Talent Development will report directly to him.
"I'm confident our leadership team is in a strong position to take TTAND forward into its next decade," said Friisdahl.
"We want to leverage the legacy we have built into continued growth and innovation."
The Travel Agent Next Door currently has 70 employees in Canada and India, responsible for supporting over 1,300 travel agent partners. It is the largest host agency in Canada.
