Barrhead Travel has created two new director positions, both of which have been filled internally.
The agency group’s former head of sales for England and Northern Ireland, Catherine Finlan, has been appointed as the new sales director while Paul Whitters has been promoted to marketing director, following six years in his role as head of marketing.
The creation of the two senior roles comes 12 months after the promotion of current managing director, Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, whose previous position was sales and marketing director for the group.
Finlan is celebrating 30 years in the travel industry this year, after starting her career as an apprentice on the shop floor for West Midlands Co-op Travel.
Rising through the ranks in various retail positions, she became regional sales manager for Thomas Cook in 2016 before joining Barrhead Travel in autumn 2019.
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Whitters’ extensive marketing career spans almost two decades, working across a broad range of marketing disciplines for brands such as Ladbrokes, Optical Express and Avant Homes before joining Barrhead Travel in 2019.
Tempest-Mitchell said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Catherine and Paul to our senior leadership team. Both have been instrumental in the ongoing success of their respective areas and, as we look ahead to another year of growth, their leadership and expertise will be essential for our group success.
“Their appointments also reflect our commitment to developing in-house talent and promoting from within.
“With the upcoming launch of our new brand and further retail expansion earmarked for 2026, it was the perfect time to expand our senior leadership team and create standalone positions within the sales and marketing functions.”
Finlan said: “It’s a hugely exciting time for our sales divisions and I’m incredibly proud to be leading such a talented team during a period of growth. I plan to continue empowering our people to deliver outstanding service to our customers and I’m really looking forward to what the next 12 months holds.
Whitters added: “Travel is one of the most exciting products to market – and our upcoming brand relaunch is going to help us tell that story.
“I’m feeling privileged to continue my journey with Barrhead Travel as a director. Most importantly, I’ve got a fantastic team behind me who are bursting with fresh ideas and innovation to put our business at the front of customer decision-making.”
The new positions increase the senior leadership team to an 11-strong group, with more than half starting their careers as trainees or apprentices within the industry.
