Travel Regulations Conference

Oliver Clark joined ABTA as Public Affairs Manager in January 2024. He leads the organisation’s engagement with elected officials across all four UK nations, advocating for the travel industry and building relationships with parliamentarians from across the political spectrum to secure support for ABTA’s policy priorities. Oliver and the wider ABTA Public Affairs Team support members by helping them navigate parliamentary processes, stay informed on policy developments, and address both challenges and opportunities arising from the political landscape.

Chris Wright is Group Managing Director of Sunvil and has served on ABTA's Board of Directors since November 2024. He is a senior travel industry professional with 26 years of experience in strategic management, business development, operations, aviation, retail travel and industry regulation.

Georgina is Group Legal Counsel at DERTOUR UK, supporting a portfolio of 11 specialist travel brands on legal, regulatory and risk-related matters. A qualified lawyer, her areas of expertise include consumer law, compliance, dispute resolution and legal risk management within the travel industry.

Lauren is Head of Legal at On the Beach Group plc, where she supports all areas of the business on a broad range of legal and compliance matters. She also has responsibility for risk management and customer health and safety. Lauren qualified at DLA Piper and spent 10 years in private practice, including at Shoosmiths and Addleshaw Goddard. She then moved in-house to Together Money before joining On the Beach in 2023. 

Rich looks after the compliance and regulatory matters for the travel functions of OurCoop, having joined the Co-op movement back in 1998 and spending time with United Coop and Co-operative Group (including the Future Travel and Freedom Travel Group brands) before its joint venture with Thomas Cook. Rich joined Midcounties Coop where the independent Coop Travel operation existed and had taken advantage of the independent ways of working. 10 years or so later this continues to grow and thrive in the recently merged ‘Our Coop’, where TravelCoop is one of the businesses the society operates, alongside Food, Funeral, Energy, Broadband & Mobile and Childcare.

The role reaches across the travel business of their own ‘TravelCoop' branded high street shops, self-employed homeworking agents under the brand ‘Personal Travel Agents’, Consortium operation of managed agents and their in-house Tour Operation ‘Coop Holidays. Interpreting the regulations and delivering plain English version to the business whilst aiming to shape those new regulations to be fit for the wider industry.

Rich is also Chair of ABTA’s Committee which was formed in 2024 where Membership financial and code of conduct cases are addressed, working with a committee of industry experts and the ABTA secretariat teams to ensure a reasonable and pragmatic approach is taken to matters which arise. 

Craig is an Assistant Director within the Department for Business and Trade and leads the Partnerships and International Consumer Policy Team. His focus since 2018 has been on the international aspects of consumer protection including package travel, where he and his team have worked closely with the industry on its response to the pandemic and on the recent Call for Evidence. In 2024 Craig went part time and responsibility for package travel passed to another part of the team. However, following a recent consumer policy team reorganisation to focus on the new PM’s priorities, he has come back to package travel. He is also responsible for consumer input into the UK’s international trade negotiations and support for advice and enforcement bodies through funding and the Consumer Protection Partnership. He has worked in Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate since 2011 and previously been involved in work on consumer empowerment, secondary ticketing, terms and conditions, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other core consumer legislation.

Before joining CCP, Craig has had a wide range of roles across the department and its predecessors, including the implementation of the EU Services Directive, support for the Automotive industry, employment and skills, and Eastern European trade policy.

Rachel leads ABTA’s financial protection, risk, claims and insurance operations, and is Director of a captive insurance company in Guernsey. She represents ABTA on the CAA’s Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee, and manages relationships with other key stakeholders including the Department for Business and Trade, banks, insurers and merchant acquirers. Her teams help businesses comply with the regulations and manage claims in the event of a financial failure.

Rachel previously specialised in insurance risk and regulation at KPMG and EY, advising some of the world’s largest insurers, and as an Ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service. 
 

Rich looks after the compliance and regulatory matters for the travel functions of OurCoop, having joined the Co-op movement back in 1998 and spending time with United Coop and Co-operative Group (including the Future Travel and Freedom Travel Group brands) before its joint venture with Thomas Cook. Rich joined Midcounties Coop where the independent Coop Travel operation existed and had taken advantage of the independent ways of working. 10 years or so later this continues to grow and thrive in the recently merged ‘Our Coop’, where TravelCoop is one of the businesses the society operates, alongside Food, Funeral, Energy, Broadband & Mobile and Childcare.

The role reaches across the travel business of their own ‘TravelCoop' branded high street shops, self-employed homeworking agents under the brand ‘Personal Travel Agents’, Consortium operation of managed agents and their in-house Tour Operation ‘Coop Holidays. Interpreting the regulations and delivering plain English version to the business whilst aiming to shape those new regulations to be fit for the wider industry.

Rich is also Chair of ABTA’s Committee which was formed in 2024 where Membership financial and code of conduct cases are addressed, working with a committee of industry experts and the ABTA secretariat teams to ensure a reasonable and pragmatic approach is taken to matters which arise. 

With over a decade as an ATOL Analyst in the CAA’s Consumer Protection Group, Simon brings a deep understanding of travel regulation and a passion for helping businesses thrive. Since joining TTC in 2012, he’s been the go-to expert for travel companies navigating the complexities of ATOL, IATA and PTR compliance.

Simon works with everyone from ambitious start-ups to global brands, helping them tackle regulatory and strategic challenges – or expand confidently into the UK market. He’s particularly known for his expertise in the Package Travel Regulations and the European Package Travel Directive, and he’s a regular speaker at major industry events including TTC’s monthly Travelcast.

Outside of work, Simon also likes a challenge, often putting himself forward for hikes, half marathons, and anything that tests both physical endurance and mental resilience, even if parts of both are showing signs of wear & tear. He’s also a keen traveller, having recently ticked Colombia and Peru off his list, and is looking forward to exploring Vietnam next.

Craig is an Assistant Director within the Department for Business and Trade and leads the Partnerships and International Consumer Policy Team. His focus since 2018 has been on the international aspects of consumer protection including package travel, where he and his team have worked closely with the industry on its response to the pandemic and on the recent Call for Evidence. In 2024 Craig went part time and responsibility for package travel passed to another part of the team. However, following a recent consumer policy team reorganisation to focus on the new PM’s priorities, he has come back to package travel. He is also responsible for consumer input into the UK’s international trade negotiations and support for advice and enforcement bodies through funding and the Consumer Protection Partnership. He has worked in Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate since 2011 and previously been involved in work on consumer empowerment, secondary ticketing, terms and conditions, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other core consumer legislation.

Before joining CCP, Craig has had a wide range of roles across the department and its predecessors, including the implementation of the EU Services Directive, support for the Automotive industry, employment and skills, and Eastern European trade policy.

Paula qualified as a solicitor in 2000 at a commercial legal firm and then moved in-house to be an ABTA solicitor, before moving up to senior solicitor. She has over 20 years’ experience in travel law, including package travel, ATOL, consumer law, booking conditions, advertising and websites. She runs ABTA's code of conduct processes and writes the extensive, practical guidance available for Members on compliance with the Code and their legal obligations. In her spare time Paula loves travelling and football and believes that someday soon she'll be able to combine the two and go to a World Cup to support Scotland.
 

Paula qualified as a solicitor in 2000 at a commercial legal firm and then moved in-house to be an ABTA solicitor, before moving up to senior solicitor. She has over 20 years’ experience in travel law, including package travel, ATOL, consumer law, booking conditions, advertising and websites. She runs ABTA's code of conduct processes and writes the extensive, practical guidance available for Members on compliance with the Code and their legal obligations. In her spare time Paula loves travelling and football and believes that someday soon she'll be able to combine the two and go to a World Cup to support Scotland.

Ezequiel T. Condoluci Santa Maria is the Founder and Head of Advisory at Santa Maria Legal Advisory.

He brings over 18 years of senior international legal experience gained across the UK, Europe, the Americas and globally — built from within global organisations, not from the outside looking in.

At American Express Global Business Travel, he drove and delivered strategic legal initiatives across multiple jurisdictions in Europe and globally. As Head of Legal for Mediterranean Shipping Company Group in South America, he built and ran the legal function across the region. Earlier in his career, he held strategic legal roles at Brödermann Jahn in Germany and Volkswagen in Argentina. Most recently, he served as Legal Director at Hill Dickinson LLP in London, one of the UK's leading international law firms.

This in-house background means he understands what General Counsel and legal teams actually need: clear, commercial advice with no padding, delivered by someone who has sat on the same side of the table.

He is dual-qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and as Abogado in Argentina, and advises clients in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. He has advised on transactions and regulatory matters spanning three continents and multiple legal systems.

Justin is a Partner in our London office. He qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1996.

Justin represents tour operators, hotels, and other companies providing travel services to UK customers. He specialises in claims against tour operators under the package travel regulations worldwide, and also handles a whole range of employers’ and public liability matters.

He manages a range of personal injury matters. These include high profile matters, such as the inquests into the Tunisian beach massacre and associated civil claims, other high profile inquests, and advising and assisting with the management and strategic response to ‘holiday sickness’ claims.

Justin regularly speaks at industry events, for specific tour operators or through ABTA. He is an author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, and is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

Anirudh is building a broad practice in civil and public law. His core practice areas include data protection, human rights and judicial review, police law, inquests, clinical negligence, personal injury (both domestic and cross border) and the Court of Protection.

He is ranked as a “rising star” (Legal 500) and “up and coming” (Chambers and Partners). He is described as someone who is “always well prepared for the fight”, “clear, knowledgeable and informative to clients”, “very bright”, “a future star…really impressive, very conscientious and level-headed”, with a “kind touch with all clients to give them reassurance and support”.