I started out working for the Home Retail Group, which includes companies such as Argos and Homebase. What started as a part-time job in-store eventually led to the role of national technical development manager. My first job in travel was as a regional sales manager for Virgin Holidays.

The best career decision I’ve made was to come to Virgin Holidays.
I’d been on a very clear career path in my previous job and I’d made good progression at a young age, so it was a risk for me to give that up and start again somewhere new. However, it was a great time to join Virgin Holidays and I think the business is absolutely the right fit for me.

I’ve been part of two emerging leaders programmes. These formed the backbone of my career at the time. Virgin Holidays’ one really helped me to understand myself, my management style and my resilience. It also allowed me to touch on a number of different areas of the business, from PR and politics to the retail selling strategy.

You never know where a chance opportunity could lead. In my early career, I was in-store early when a place became available on a training course – someone had pulled out last minute – and I was the only one willing to go. It resulted in my first residential work trip. The skills I learnt on that one course meant that by the time I was 20 I was the top UK sales person.

My first manager taught me about paying attention to detail. I spent a good half day constructing a retail stand. My manager, a chap called Guy Edwards, pulled it down when he noticed a small bit of dust
on a shelf. I was working into the early hours redoing it. It was frustrating at the time, but that one moment set up a mindset for the rest of my career. 

Every day I make decisions based on my previous experience. We work in an industry that is very annualised – January will always be our peak, with the rest of the year tending to follow a similar pattern to the one before. So I tailor the lessons I learnt during seasonal campaigns working on the frontline and selling to the way I motivate my teams today. I still make a point of spending time in stores and in our contact centre, ensuring we’re always fully understanding the exact needs of our customers.

Make mistakes, but never make the same mistake twice. That’s something my boss Mark Anderson says to me, and one of the best pieces of advice I give to my team. I believe that if you’re not making mistakes then you’re not learning and you’re not stretching yourself. We’re an innovative business and to innovate we need to push ourselves, and sometimes mistakes happen along the way.

There’s always an opportunity to learn, so soak up as much information as you can. Look at people in the industry and their career paths, read as much as you can and put yourself on courses. One of the best books I read was by Richard Branson – which was even more fitting when I was offered the job at Virgin Holidays.

Digital detoxes are important. We work in a global industry and if you want to work 24/7 you can. Just because you’re not in the office doesn’t mean you’re not working, so sometimes it’s important to fully switch off. I love spending time with my wife and kids and having a hobby is good to ensure your mind isn’t always focused on work.

Where will I be in 10 years’ time? Remaining successful in the travel industry and still driving change and innovation for customers like we do today. Travel is a really great industry to work in. You just need to look around at the amazing talent and industry leaders to see that.