ABTA APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS
Date published: 11 June 2008ABTA has today announced the appointment of a new Head of Communications, Casia Zajac.
The new post has been created following an internal reorganisation of the ABTA Management Team by Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer. Casia, currently Chief Executive of the Inverness Chamber of Commerce, will join ABTA on 1 September.
Casia said:
“I am delighted to be joining ABTA at such an exciting time in its history particularly with the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) amalgamation recently completed. ABTA, as a brand, has huge recognition and it is my intention to build on that success.”
ABTA Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer, said:
“I am delighted that Casia will be joining the ABTA team. Her experience will be invaluable in helping us to ensure that we communicate effectively to our many partners and audiences, and that ABTA continues to build on its position as one of the UK’s leading brands.”
The new Head of Communications will have overall responsibility for communications including the PR and Media Relations Unit.
David Marshall, the current Head of Policy and Communications, will be devoting more of his time developing and implementing ABTA’s policies within both the UK and Europe.
Biographical Details:
Currently, Chief Executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, Casia was the Head of Communications at The Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board before the merger with VisitScotland where she was press manager then Director of the London Office.
During her 7 years in tourism she capitalised on the profile for the Highlands tourist board when Madonna and Guy Ritchie married at Skibo Castle with the subsequent ‘Romantic Scotland Campaign’. Spearheading several successful consumer campaigns, Casia also sat on the communications team advising on the merger of 14 area tourist boards with VisitScotland and gained a reputation for delivering informed communications messages to member businesses during the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001. More recently, she was responsible for reviewing the London operation of VisitScotland and was instrumental in its change of strategy in London.
For further information
For further information contact:
Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7307 1902/1900
Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel: 020 7307 1903/1900
David Marshall, Head of Policy and Communications, tel: 020 7307 1912 Mobile: 07894 073010
Out of Hours: Contact the Duty Press Officer via pager: 07659 190987
E-mail: press@abta.co.uk
Web: www.abta.com
Notes to editors
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.
