Karen Fletcher has been promoted to the position of Trade Partnerships Director at Dnata Travel Group.
Karen will start her new role immediately, leading a trade team of 20 across the UK, including those based at Dnata’s headquarters in Leyland, Lancashire.
They’ll be supporting agents selling Gold Medal, Pure Luxury, Incredible Journeys and Cruise Plus.
Karen joined Gold Medal in 1996, working in the call centre, which was then located in Blackpool – and marked her 26th anniversary just three days ago.
From there, she progressed to Agency Sales and Wholesale Manager from May 2005, managing Gold Medal’s internal agency sales team, and managing all wholesale accounts for Gold Medal GDS self-book and API customers.
In June 2016, she was appointed Head of Trade Support, with responsibility for managing Gold Medal’s agent incentive scheme Farebank, negotiating commercial agreements with trade partners, organising and hosting agent fam trips and events, brochure distribution and support of the Trade Partnership field team.
Managing Director Simon Applebaum said: “Karen’s appointment is another great example of how we develop talent and provide opportunities for career progression.
“She knows our business inside out, and it’s fantastic to have her as part of our leadership team. It goes without saying that her knowledge of our trade partnership network and familiarity with the needs of our valued agent partners across the UK can only be a good thing for them, and she’s extremely well known and highly respected across the industry.”
Karen added: “I’ve been with this company virtually my whole working life, so of course I’m very excited to apply all the experience and knowledge I’ve gained in that time to this new challenge.
“I know our Trade Partnerships Managers and industry partners well, and already have some exciting ideas for how we can deepen those relationships further and make the most of the opportunities ahead. I can’t wait to get out on the road to start make those ideas a reality – especially with Peaks just around the corner.”
