Gary Speirs joins as BDM North England, Scotland Northern Ireland today, 1 March 2024. Having recently announced the appointment of three new Business Development Managers (BDMs), APT Travelmarvel has revealed that the final member of its all-new, agent-facing sales team is industry stalwart, Gary Speirs. Glasgow-based, Gary takes over the role of BDM North England, Scotland Northern Ireland from 1 March 2024.
Gary joins APT Travelmarvel from Barrhead Travel, where he spent 10 years in marketing and commercial business development roles. For the last five, Gary specialised in river cruise sales, perfectly placing him to build on the excellent work of his predecessor, Koral Lipton. With extensive insight into the market, Gary will hit the ground running, building awareness of the luxury APT and flexible Travelmarvel brands in his territories, and helping the trade to capitalise on an exciting pipeline of new products, including the MS Estrela, launching on the Douro River this summer.
Reporting into Brad Bennetts, APT Travelmarvel's Head of Sales Business Development, Gary will build relationships with partners, identify new business opportunities, and manage third-party retail accounts. The operator sees enormous potential for existing and new partners in the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Gary will help agents in those regions to maximise sales of APT Travelmarvel's five-star Trustpilot rated river cruises, yachting holidays, and tours with first-class service, engaging training, impactful campaigns, and comprehensive toolkits of assets.
Welcoming Gary, Brad said: "I am thrilled to announce that Gary Speirs joins us as BDM North England, Scotland Northern Ireland. His appointment completes our journey to create APT Travelmarvel's largest ever UK sales team. I made no secret that my ambition was also to use our investment to create the industry's finest resource for agents. I believe we have now achieved this goal; other operators will struggle to match the quality and efficiency of our trade support. Friendly and proactive, Gary combines industry and sector-specific expertise with a proven track record; he stood out immediately as the right person to help us deliver this exacting standard of service to existing and new partners throughout his territories."
"Being a legacy brand with nearly 100 years under its belt, I always knew of APT Travelmarvel, but as soon as I specialised in river cruises, the operator really stood out." said Gary. "APT is a frontrunner in the market, with fresh, in-demand experiences and I am thrilled my opportunity to join has come at such an exciting time for the brand; in addition to promoting this year's stunning new river ships, the team is preparing a game-changing announcement about APTs next fleet investments and product innovation. I cannot wait to share more details with our partners soon."
