Travellers Choice member shareholders appointed two of their fellow travel agents to the company’s Board of Directors during the group’s Annual General Meeting, held last week in Sydney.
Benjamin Apsey from Globetrotters Travel & Cruise in Toowoomba and Naome Burdon from Argyle Travel and Cruise in Naracoorte now occupy two of the four Member Director positions on the Board of Travellers Choice, a public unlisted company owned exclusively by its members.
Apsey is Managing Director of Globetrotters Travel & Cruise, which opened at its current address in Toowoomba in 1949, making it one of Queensland’s longest continuously operating travel agencies. He brings to the Board a wealth of experience across the hospitality and travel sectors, along with a keen interest in issues impacting small business operators.
Burdon has more than 30 years’ experience in the travel industry and founded her company, South Australia’s Argyle Travel and Cruise, almost 25 years ago. She is a passionate advocate for small businesses operators on the Limestone Coast, having served on several local business associations.
The two Member Director positions became available this year after Phil Dalley from Travel Makers (ACT) and Trinity Hastwell from Hastwell Travel & Cruise (South Australia) stepped down after 11 years on the Travellers Choice Board.
Chairman Trent Bartlett paid tribute to Dalley and Hastwell for helping steer the company through one of the most successful and eventful periods in its 48-year history.
“Phil and Trinity have shown exceptional commitment to Travellers Choice since they joined the Board in 2013 and have been instrumental in helping our organisation achieve sustained growth,” said Bartlett.
“Over the past few years, they also helped successfully steer Travellers Choice through the one of the most challenging periods in the Australian travel industry’s history.
“On behalf of all Travellers Choice member shareholders I would like to express my enduring gratitude.”