Michael Healy, CTM’s General Manager Northern England & Scotland, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year 2021 Honours list.
The honour was awarded due to CTM’s work to repatriate 38,000 travellers on behalf of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the start of the pandemic crisis.
“Back in March, the potential scale of the project was unknown,” said CTM Europe CEO Debbie Carling. “What was understood was that, if it were to be a success, it needed to be ground-breaking with new processes and systems put in place in an incredibly short amount of time.
“It would also need a committed, expert and agile team working under exceptional leadership from Michael, who successfully united up to 180 people across CTM at any one time.
“Focused solely on the FCDO’s repatriation project, they were deployed across a shift pattern on a 24-hour rota to mirror that of the FCDO. This was a huge project with significant operational challenges and complexities supporting many thousands of distressed and anxious British nationals desperate to get home. Michael and the team did an incredible job bringing it all together for CTM.”
Michael Healy added: ‘It was an incredibly proud moment for myself and my family to be recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. It was a massive shock initially, but also hugely appreciated.
“Whilst the honour is in my name, I have accepted it in recognition of all of my colleagues across CTM, FCDO, Crown Commercial Service and our airline partners who worked in true partnership to successfully deliver a very challenging programme.
“Given the nature of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the project operated at a fast pace and my award would not have been possible without the energy and passion of the wider team who demonstrated such tremendous commitment in contributing to the effective Government response to a national crisis.”
Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, said in a letter to Jamie Pherous, CTM’s Managing Director: “I would like to extend my personal gratitude to you and all your staff who have supported our Charter Repatriation Programme in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
He said the scale of this repatriation effort was unprecedented for all parties.
“CTM’s ability to find solutions against tight deadlines, and to work in close partnership with the FCDO, were critical to our ability to operate a series of complex flights. I am grateful for the speed and flexibility with which CTM responded, and for your creativity and commitment throughout. Thank you for being our partner in this historic event.”
Healy joined CTM in 2015 and has held senior strategic roles in a variety of industries for more than 30 years.
Meanwhile, Amanda Owen, Heathrow Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director, was awarded an MBE for ‘Services to Transport, particularly during the Covid-19 Response’.
