Experience

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  Qualmark New Zealand

  • Auckland, New Zealand

  • Senior Qualmark Specialist

    • Feb 2023 - Present
    • Auckland, New Zealand

    Excited to be on this journey as a Tourism Business Advisor on behalf of Qualmark New Zealand and to raise tourism quality standards. As the industry continues to get back on its feet after some challenging years, it's crucial that together we maintain and improve the quality of our country's offerings to ensure a positive experience for all travellers. This benefits our visitors, helps establish a strong reputation for New Zealand and contributes to the long-term success of the tourism industry.While there are many challenges ahead, there is positive momentum in the tourism industry at present, and I believe that by focusing on quality, we can deliver experiences that are not only memorable but also contribute to a better future for the New Zealand visitor economy and support our local communities to thrive.As an accommodation specialist, some of the challenges that I will be working on with accommodation providers throughout New Zealand are:• Occupancy rates and revenue management• Competitor activity and market trends• Rising costs, including labour and supplies• Maintenance and upkeep of the property• Ensuring guest satisfaction and customer experience• Keeping up with digital advancements and changing customer preferences• Attracting and retaining talented staff• Managing a diverse and multi-generational workforce• Adhering to regulations and industry standards• Managing reputation and online reviews• Balancing guest privacy with security measures.• Waste reduction and conservation • Carbon offsetting • Sustainable procurement

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  Tomahawk

  • Auckland, New Zealand

  • Business Development and Account Manager

    • Oct 2020 - Jan 2023
    • Auckland, New Zealand

    Business Development Identify business opportunities by identifying prospects, evaluating their position in the visitor economy industry, and researching and analyzing partnership opportunities.Work alongside the brand manager to identify a target market and develop brand campaigns to generate online leads from the target audience. Adjusts content of sales presentations based on the needs of potential customers.Develop sales by making an initial presentation, explaining digital products, service enhancements, and additions, and introducing new products and services.Negotiate contract terms with prospective clients and communicate with stakeholdersAttend all industry networking events and conferences to generate new leads and strengthen existing relationships.Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending industry workshops and key national events, reviewing professional publications, and participating in professional industry societies.Account Management Build long-term relationships with assigned client portfolios to build trust. Investigate and determine clients’ business objectives and set up KPIs to track.Develop and implement a comprehensive digital strategy for assigned clients to increase their ROIOversee the client's online presence and identify areas of improvement. Optimize web content to improve SEOPresent effective organic and paid social media strategies and training to clients when needed.Analyze the effectiveness of Search and Social campaigns by tracking metrics such as customer conversion rates and cost-per-click. Prepare and present reports on clients’ progress.Review all digital publications to align strategy with new trends in digital technology.

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  BWH Hotel Group®

  • Auckland, New Zealand

  • Director of Regional Development for New Zealand & Pacific Islands

    • Jan 2019 - Oct 2020
    • Auckland, New Zealand

    Grow the BWH Hotel Group brand footprint and awareness throughout New Zealand & Pacific Islands.Acquire new branded hotels and retain existing hotel members.Acquire new international and domestic partnerships to increase loyalty reward membership.Report and evaluate monthly brand revenue production against a competitive set with company directors.Audit and report on clients presence and positioning on all digital booking and social media channels.Review and make recommendations with business owners on all accommodation facility outlet profitability and service delivery.Increase clients NPS scores through quality assurance initiatives.Review clients distribution and revenue optimization strategy in line with future customer booking and traveller market trends.Train and coach new clients on brand culture and standards.

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  Small Luxury Hotels of the World

  • United Kingdom
  • Hospitality
  • 200 - 300 Employee

  • Area Manager for New Zealand, Australia & Pacific

    • Apr 2016 - Jan 2019

    Drive awareness of brand portfolio to the luxury travel trade and broader industry network.Collaborate with Sales and PR agencies throughout Australasia.Connect properties to global consortia and corporate programs.Acquire new luxury and upper-scale properties into the portfolio.Maximize brand membership through revenue and distribution optimization.Evaluate existing business procedures and recommend improvements.Position SLH brand as a luxury thought leader by attending and participating in key luxury industry events.Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) matches independently-minded guests with independently spirited hotels. The diverse collection of over 500 hotels in more than 80 countries around the world includes everything from cutting-edge design hotels and city center sanctuaries to historic country mansions, and remote private islands – all SLH hotels are consistently different. However, they are all united by the fact that they offer the best locations, the highest quality, personalized service, and a truly authentic way to discover a destination. www.slh.com

  • Director of Member Training and Voice Reservations

    • Mar 2011 - Apr 2016

    Reporting directly to the Global Managing Director and CEO, the Head of Training and Reservations role involves:Reporting directly to the COO and CEO, the Head of Training and Reservations role involves:Creating and implementing the L&D and Reservation strategy in line with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) brand strategy for all internal staff and our 530 hotels in 70 countries worldwide.Manage a £250,000 (NZD $604,000) yearly L&D budget.Create cutting-edge, multilingual training and e-learning materials using Articulate Story Line, Go Animate, Camtasia Studios, Translate Media, PowerPoint, and Adobe products.Create and implement a company Learning Management System.Implement and manage leadership and management programs within the LMS for internal staff.Report recommendations and insights to the COO with leadership and management program analysis. Evaluate training requirements for internal staff, through surveys, one-to-one meetings, and consulting with department managers.Manage two further L&D managers based in New York and Singapore offices.Deliver and facilitate hotel training using online conferencing and face-to-face training methods.Update and maintain SLH hotel's intranet website using EpiServer CMS 5.Work alongside L&D organizations such as Learning Technologies UK and CIPD.I managed seven company-employed staff in the reservation departments in London, Chicago, New York, and Shanghai.Manage brand contracts and liaise with their staff regarding day-to-day running with outsourced communication centers based in Orlando, Frankfurt, and Singapore.Manage indirectly 112 agents and reservation managers worldwide through continual support, reporting, and coaching.Manage the phone line network using the New Voice Media platform and Salesforce CRM tools. Manage all escalated customer care issues.

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  Flight Centre

  • London, United Kingdom

  • Sales Consultant, Leadership and Development Manager

    • Feb 2006 - Mar 2011
    • London, United Kingdom

    One of 2 Training and Development Managers for the development store for Flight Centre UK LTD. Produced 85% of trainee managers and successfully deployed them to various stores nationwide.Provided ongoing support and coaching for 3 months once trainees managers were deployed to stores. Evaluated training through shadowing travel consultants, surveys and one to one meetings.Involved in the writing and delivering training materials relevant to role. Personal Travel Manager to existing leisure clients and handling ongoing cooperate clients.Achieved personal and store targets every year. Managed the shop financial status through daily reporting and monitoring targets. Worked closely with suppliers and tour operators to maximise store profit.

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  LEGO Group

  • United Kingdom

  • Retail Assistant Manager

    • Aug 2005 - Feb 2006
    • United Kingdom

    Reporting directly to the General Manager and a Retail Director placed in charge of 4 stores and over 50 full and part-time staff. Responsible for staff recruiting and training both front liners and team leaders.Managed, motivated, and led the team to achieve sales targets and constantly strive to maximize the sales potential of the 4 LEGO stores.Achieved end-of-season targets with a 4 % increase year on year. Reviewing all financial targets with the manager and director to improve profit margins, stock controls, and staffing budgets.Throughout the financial year, I tracked my performance against the budget and supported my manager in taking appropriate action where required, to ensure we deliver and exceed our budgets.

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  Noel Leeming

  • New Zealand

  • Senior Sales Consultant and Training Assistant

    • Mar 2003 - Jul 2005
    • New Zealand

    Responsible for achieving personal, store and business targets through daily team training on effective selling skills, building customer relationships and improving mystery shopper results. Achieved “millionaires” status 2 years in a row. In 2004 was given the opportunity to travel to Auckland to participate in the train the trainer program. I was then deployed to 2 different stores in the South Island to deliver training on Sales and Customer Service. Feedback from the training evaluation forms was excellent and well received by trainees. The senior role included management of 7-9 staff, facilitating morning meetings and responsible to ensure the store is consistently presented well. Carried out daily sales and customer care responsibilities to a high standard.