Dnata Travel Group B2B has appointed Stuart Simmons as Head of Trade Partnerships.

Stuart, who starts on 15 May, joins from Hays Travel where he is Regional Sales Manager for the South East and acting as Project Manager for the Hays Call Centre.

Prior to joining Hays Travel in 2019, Stuart worked for Thomas Cook, where he held a number of roles, including Regional Sales Manager and Deputy Head of Retail.

At dnata, he will work across all four of the specialist brands, including Gold Medal, Pure Luxury, Cruise Plus and Incredible Journeys.

Stuart will also be responsible for further developing the Group’s trade relations strategy. 

Reporting to Karen Fletcher, Trade Partnership Director, he will work alongside Clare Weatherall, Head of Trade Partnerships, and Kym Coulbeck, Head of Trade Support, and provide leadership for a team of five of dnata Travel Group B2B’s Trade Partnerships Managers, with the remaining four reporting to Weatherall. 

Karen said: “We are delighted that Stuart is joining us in this important role. He brings to the team a wealth of industry knowledge and connections from working with some of the UK’s biggest brands in travel, and we have every confidence that he will be an exceptional addition to an already incredibly strong team. The relationships we have with our trade partners are pivotal to our overall success as a business, and we remain committed to ensuring we have the best team available to our trade partners.”

Stuart added: “I am really excited to be joining the dnata Travel Group B2B Trade Partnerships team. I will be working across a fantastic portfolio of brands that I have always had a great deal of respect for, and I am looking forward to being part of their team going forward.”