
The new appointment comes as the company celebrates record-breaking results, with its corporate arm delivering 17% growth in 2019 with sales of £180m globally.
Hartwell’s role as new Corporate MD will include shaping strategy to scale Travel Counsellors for Business over the next five years, identifying the right investments to support Travel Counsellors’ growing network of corporate travel specialists and clients, and acting as the global leader for the corporate travel arm.
Hartwell brings over a decade of corporate travel experience in senior positions to the role, including Chief Commercial Officer for global TMC Travel and Transport, and President at Radius Travel.
Hartwell’s role follows the new appointment of Travel Counsellors first COO, Mark O’Donoghue, earlier this year, and the secondary management buyout from private equity company Vitruvian Partners in 2018.
Travel Counsellors’ CEO Steve Byrne said: “Kieran’s appointment is evidence of our commitment to recruiting the very best talent from across the globe to support our business owners, so they can provide the best experiences possible for their clients.
“We are focused on providing a platform that supports a global community to be the very best they can be, alongside a clear, unwavering commitment to champion the human touch and redefine what personal service means in both leisure and corporate travel.
“We’re delighted that we have found someone that shares our values and will drive forward our plans to build on the continued success of Travel Counsellors for Business by further improving our offering for corporate businesses and attracting more TMCs to be part of our community and use our model to support their clients and build their businesses.”
Travel Counsellors has more than 800 corporate travel specialists across the globe who use the company’s platform to provide personalised corporate travel and booking experiences to 400,000 customers a year.