Advanced Complaints Management

Alex is a director of Hextalls Law and has worked with the travel industry for over 20 years on a wide range of legal issues. He specialises in dispute resolution and assists tour operators, travel agents and their insurers in handling all types of litigation and disputes. He also advises on regulatory issues such as ATOL compliance.

Diana started her travel career working for Flightbookers Ltd in 1999 before joining ABTA in 2000, where she worked for the Member’s Information Bureau. Her work within this role was where her interest in the legal aspect of travel began and her knowledge of the ABTA Code of Conduct was developed. In 2002, Diana changed roles to become Executive Officer where she investigated cases under the Code of Conduct and her legal training began, completing a Diploma in Law as well as a Paralegal Higher Certificate with NALP (National Association of Licensed Paralegal). Diana has worked both within the Customer Support Team and the Legal Services Team and has helped streamline the complaints process, from when ABTA receives a complaint to when it gets investigated. Diana is now the Code of Conduct Manager and advises members on all aspects of upholding the Code of Conduct.

Heather is Head of Financial Services, managing and overseeing two FCA-regulated brokerages, and is speaking in her capacity at Cork Bays & Fisher Insurance & Travel Bonding Brokers.
Her background includes working as an underwriter, specialising in high-risk travel with a focus on traveller-centred risk management and duty of care. This experience gives her a strong understanding of insurer risk appetite and decision-making alongside the practical realities faced by travel businesses.
She works closely with boards, regulators and insurers, with a particular focus on bridging the gap between technical regulatory requirements and day-to-day operational reality. Heather is known for her clear judgement and ability to cut through complexity, supporting businesses to implement proportionate, commercially viable insurance and travel bonding solutions.
She brings a systems-led, real-world perspective grounded in lived operational experience.

Ben Kirby has been at the helm of Enable Holidays since May 2017, leading the UK’s specialist tour operator for disabled travellers and those with limited mobility. With over 29 years in the travel industry, Ben’s career began as a YTS trainee at American Express in Birmingham, studying GNVQs in Business Administration.
He has since gained hands-on experience across customer service, high street travel retail, and managing multi-million-pound corporate travel accounts for a leading TMC. Along the way, he earned industry qualifications including GNVQs in Travel and Tourism, Air Fares & Ticketing, and expertise in BSP and IATA returns, giving him a comprehensive understanding of every facet of the travel sector.
 

Donna started her travel career in Greece in 1999, working for a large UK tour operator in the overseas operations office. After working in a number of summer and winter sun resorts in Europe and a ski season, Donna went on to become Commercial Manager based in Jamaicaand Goa.

After five years working overseas Donna returned to the UK and took up a position as Health and Safety Officer for a large UK tour operator.

In this role Donna travelled extensively carrying out health and safety audits of overseas hotels, excursions and transport providers.

Donna Mehmet joined ABTA in 2010 in the Destinations team where she coordinates activities relating to health, safety, crisis and operational issues affecting destinations for ABTA, its members and the ABTA sub-committees. She is one of a team of four on the ABTA out of hours crisis team.

My role is Contact Centre Manager for TUI UK&I and I oversee our After Travel teams as well as Directors office teams and supplier Reclaims. I have worked for TUI for 14 years with 5 of those in the current role, previously I was a Regional Sales Manager for Retail. Within the last 5 years I have led the teams supporting return to flying following Covid through to current day, including some challenging crisis situations such as Wildfires and Hurricanes. My proudest achievement in this time was at the National Contact Centre awards in 2024 where I proudly received the gold for Complaints Manager of the Year.

Craig began his career in travel with Teletext Holidays in 2014, before moving across to Kuoni in 2015, joining their post-travel Customer Services team. He initially assisted Kuoni's new retail network with handling complaints and conflict, before expanding to include all post-travel feedback. In this role, he also took part in a number of projects to enhance and drive Kuoni's service levels, including a 'buddy' system with overseas DMCs.

In early 2022, Craig was promoted to manage Kuoni's Customer Services function, including all post-travel feedback, complaints and personal injury, reporting, as well as creating and delivering conflict training to several teams internally. In this role, he led a digital transformation of Kuoni's Customer Services and Operations functions, embedding new cloud-based case management technology, and working with team leads to transform and modernise processes. He also transformed Kuoni's post-travel processes, embedding a service-led, 'customer first' approach. He was again promoted to Senior Executive - Customer Services in September 2024, adding responsibilities for maintaining Kuoni's Crisis Management Plan, ownership of customer feedback reporting, and continued systems and process enhancements.

Craig is a long-standing member of Kuoni's 'Your Voice' employee forum, as well as being a member of their 'Stay Proud' LGBTQ+ steering committee, taking part as a community champion.

Emma began her career with Intrepid Travel in 2016, starting in sales and service before moving into Customer Service managerial roles focused on process improvement, training, and customer experience. Early in her career, she supported global initiatives to strengthen service consistency, helping develop onboarding programmes and standard operating procedures that shaped the foundations of Intrepid’s expanding Customer Service teams.
In 2022, Emma moved into her current field of expertise when she became Regional Customer Care Manager, overseeing post travel feedback, complaints handling, and customer experience across multiple regions. In this role, she has led major improvements to the way Intrepid manages customer cases, supported the development of new on trip support structures, and worked closely with global teams to enhance systems, reporting, and cross functional collaboration. She has also designed and delivered training for teams across the business, focusing on complaint handling, communication skills, and customer centric thinking.
Alongside her operational responsibilities, Emma plays a key role in supporting high risk and sensitive cases and is known for her calm, empathetic approach. She has become a central contributor to Intrepid’s service development, mentoring leaders, strengthening team culture, and championing a people first approach to customer care.