I have spent nearly five decades building, leading and advising businesses across international travel, tourism, destinations, visitor experiences and technology.
My career has taken me from frontline touring and destination operations to more than thirty years in CEO and President roles, including over twenty years leading Insight Vacations globally. Along the way I have worked across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, through periods of growth, reinvention, disruption and profound change.
Today, I work with boards, leadership teams, founders and investors across the visitor economy, bringing together strategic perspective, operational experience and an independent view of what will actually work in practice.
What has remained constant is a fascination with how people experience places, how businesses create something genuinely distinctive, and how good ideas are turned into sustainable commercial reality.
I have worked through periods of growth, disruption, innovation and reinvention, across businesses, markets and cultures that were often changing faster than the industry around them.
Those experiences have taught me that lasting success rarely comes from following trends alone. More often, it comes from understanding what makes an organisation distinctive, creating clarity around its purpose, and bringing people together behind a shared direction.
That belief continues to shape the way I work today.
A career fashioned by people, places and the belief that travel can create lasting value.
The way I work is grounded in experience, not theory
Good decisions rarely come from theory alone. They come from experience, context and recognising patterns. I bring judgement developed through decades of building, leading and advising organisations, with a practical sense of what works.
I work best alongside people, not above them. That means listening carefully, challenging constructively and building shared understanding and ownership rather than imposing answers.
Complexity is part of modern business, but confusion does not have to be. I help identify what really matters, simplify complexity and create clarity around strategy, priorities and direction.
Successful change depends on helping people understand the opportunity and their role within it. I aim to build alignment, create momentum and bring people with me.
TheTravellingMan.org is a personal space for ideas, observations and conversations gathered across a lifetime in travel.
Some of what you will find here is reflective, some practical, and much of it grows from conversations with people working across tourism, culture, technology and experience-led businesses around the world.
It is where I write, explore ideas and occasionally capture thoughts before they are fully formed. Not everything here is intended to lead to work. Sometimes it is simply about curiosity, perspective and keeping the conversation moving.
Thoughts, conversations and observations drawn from a life in travel and the people met along the way.
Journeys, ideas and conversations gathered across a lifetime in travel.
My career began as a Tour Director, working closely with guests, local guides and suppliers across Europe. It gave me an early understanding of the practical realities of delivering travel experiences day by day, from service and logistics to problem-solving and human connection. That grounding has influenced everything that followed.
As my responsibilities grew, I moved through operations, product, marketing and management into international leadership, ownership and governance. I built businesses, led multicultural teams and worked across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
For over twenty years, I served as Global Chief Executive of Insight Vacations, leading one of the world’s foremost premium escorted touring businesses through international expansion, innovation and sustained growth. A defining part of that period was developing a more distinctive guest proposition, including premium touring concepts, Signature Hotels, Signature Experiences and Signature Dining.
Since leaving full-time corporate leadership, my work has broadened across strategy, destinations, visitor experience, partnerships and technology. Through advisory, board and ambassadorial roles, I have worked with tourism businesses, cultural institutions, destinations and technology providers on growth, change and the practical application of new ideas.
What continues to matter most to me is the connection between strategy and delivery: understanding what a direction means not just in the boardroom, but for the people creating the experience on the ground.
Today, I advise, speak, write, mentor and represent organisations across travel, tourism and the wider visitor economy, bringing together operational experience, international leadership and a practical understanding of how organisations create lasting value.
MSP Concepts Ltd is the company through which I conduct my professional and commercial activities.
Its work falls into two complementary areas. TheTravellingMan.org brings together my advisory, board, speaking, writing and industry work across travel, tourism and the visitor economy. MySignatureParty.com creates and delivers bespoke events, celebrations and live experiences for private and corporate clients.
Different audiences, different work, but a shared foundation: thoughtful planning, practical delivery and an understanding of how people experience places, events and organisations.
Strategy, creativity and practical delivery across travel, advisory and live events.
My platform for advisory, board, writing, speaking and industry work across travel, tourism, destinations, culture and technology.
I work with leadership teams, boards, founders and investors on growth, change, positioning, visitor experience and strategic direction, bringing independent judgement and practical experience.
Creates and delivers bespoke events, celebrations and engagement programmes for private and corporate clients, from leadership gatherings and launches to celebrations and one-off experiences.
The hands-on delivery work of our team keeps me close to the practical realities of creating memorable experiences.
