MARTIN BROUGHTON TO OPEN THE TRAVEL CONVENTION
Date published: 07 July 2008The keynote address at this year’s Travel Convention in Gran Canaria will be given by Martin Broughton, President of the CBI and Chairman of British Airways.
The theme of this year’s Convention is Innovation. Martin’s presentation - part of a wider series of sessions connected to the theme - will set the scene and context for the Convention as a whole. In recent years, British Airways, BAA and the aviation industry have all had difficult PR issues to manage, to do with charging structures, airport congestion and the environment. In Martin’s unique role as President of the CBI, chairman of BA and former chairman of BAT (British American Tobacco), Martin will give delegates a unique insight into innovation, reputation, risk and investment and how he sees the future of British business – while sharing the pressures facing the national carrier.
For further information
Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel. 020 7307 1902/1900Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel. 020 7307 1903/1900
David Marshall, Head of Policy & Communications, tel. 020 7307 1912 or mobile 07894 073 010
Out of Hours: Contact the Duty Press Officer via pager: 07659 190 987
Notes to editors
Martin Broughton became Chairman of British Airways in July 2004 having joined the Board in 2000 as a Non-Executive Director. He became President of the CBI in January 2007. He chaired the British Horseracing Board from 2004-2007, having joined as an independent director in 1999. Until 2004, he was Chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT), a role he took on in 1998, having previously been Group Chief Executive and deputy chairman since 1993. Earlier he had been chairman of the Wiggins Teape Group, Chairman of Eagle Star and Group Managing Director of BAT Industries’ Financial Services. He is the European Chair of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue and is a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists.
ABTA was founded in 1950 and currently has over 1,500 Members with 6,000 outlets. Members include travel agents, tour operators and support services right across the spectrum from small family-owned businesses to the largest tour operators.
ABTA is the largest travel association in the UK and its Members provide 90% of the foreign package holidays in the UK as well as selling millions of independent travel arrangements. As part of its comprehensive package of services to Members, ABTA, as a non-party political organisation, also provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its Members to government and key opinion formers at the highest levels. In the UK, these include, government ministers, constituency MPs, Select Committee members, senior civil servants and members of the political opposition parties in both Westminster and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Europe, ABTA is forming close ties with members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and staff within the Director Generals’ Secretariats. ABTA works in partnership with ECTAA (the European grouping of travel agents and tour operators’ associations) to lobby on interests relevant to its Members.
