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Meet Alex Gavalda, our Commercial Director

With a strong background in premium leisure, Alex joined our community in June to head up our commercial team. We caught up with him to find out how he and his team empower our Travel Counsellors via our unrivalled product inventory, strong supplier relationships, and world-class systems.

Alex Gavalda

Welcome to Travel Counsellors, Alex! Could you start by telling us a bit about your career before coming to Travel Counsellors?

I started my career at Kuoni in France as an Assistant Product Manager and worked hard to become Product Manager and Head of Product in France. During my time there, I mainly covered single-centre beach destinations in addition to East Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.

I then moved to the UK in 2010 and became a Global Buyer for the Kuoni Group, specifically for Indian Ocean and UAE. Buying for six different markets was very insightful and challenging, as not only did I need to keep up-to-date with European consumer buying habits, but I also had to adapt my negotiation style to suit the different local cultures. I learned a lot about the importance of adapting to different people and their needs – compromising when possible but still maintaining commercial acumen.

I then worked for Kuoni UK, exclusively managing the product team including aviation and commercial.

After 15 years at Kuoni, I decided to join a start-up called Vivid Travel which was a B2C operator selling offline experiential holidays to high-net-worth clients.

I then joined Classic Collection in 2019 as Product and Commercial Director, with the objective of launching long-haul and developing the short-haul product line

After around five years with Classic Collection, I joined Travel Counsellor in June 2024 as Commercial Director.

Why did you want to work for Travel Counsellors?

I only want to work for companies that have a great reputation with customers and suppliers, and who are ambitious, customer-centric, and care about their company culture and team members. Travel Counsellors ticks all those boxes .

How would you describe the product breadth that Travel Counsellors can sell to their customers?

It’s probably the broadest range of product I’ve seen. We have it all, from niche and experiential to luxury. We can cater to all segments of customers with different holiday types.

We will be working on product gaps and innovation over the next few months, with a clear focus on premium product.

How would you describe the relationships that Travel Counsellors have with suppliers and DMCs?

We have strong and healthy relationships with our valued supplier partners. We are honest and transparent, we manage their expectations, and we deliver volume.

What opportunities do our franchisees have to learn more about products and suppliers?

There’s a lot of digital content on suppliers that’s shared weekly, as well as evergreen training content that Travel Counsellors can access any time. Plus, we offer multiple opportunities for fam trips throughout the year, as well as ‘takeover days’ where our business owners can meet suppliers from various destinations, and the opportunity to attend trade shows and events – such as the CLIA Conference.

As a commercial team, it’s important for us to have a view of where the needs are in terms of learning and development so we can set up appropriate opportunities for our Travel Counsellors to learn – and ultimately sell in-house via Phenix.

Why do you think suppliers love working with Travel Counsellors?

Firstly, because we create meaningful relationships with suppliers – just like Travel Counsellors do with their customers. There’s a real passion for meeting new people.

Then from a business point of view, there’s transparency, honesty, and, of course, bookings made – so suppliers can easily see the return on investment from working with us.

We receive messages on a weekly basis from new suppliers who want to work with Travel Counsellors because of what they’ve heard about us and how we work.

What exciting developments do the commercial team have in the pipeline for the next 12-18 months?

There are plenty of ongoing new projects, particularly connectivity projects which will allow Travel Counsellors access to the best rates available – while increasing our inventory and allowing us to be more efficient.

We’ll also be making it easier for our business owners to book through our DMC partners, as well as enhancing the service standard for customers so they have a better experience. We’ll increase the number of direct contracts worldwide and put a focus in being the most competitive in the market.

In addition, we’re looking into ways to improve benefits for both the customers and the Travel Counsellors, exploring destination and product innovation, and improving how competitive we are via net rates and offers.

And of course, we’ll continue with our ongoing improvements to Phenix in terms of platform and content.

What are you looking forward to most in your role at Travel Counsellors?

I’m looking forward to sharing my passion and expertise to drive the success of the team and the wider business, as well as helping to enhance the experience for customers and franchisees.

What do you think sets Travel Counsellors apart from other franchises from a commercial perspective?

I think it’s the people-first mindset and the focus on delivering outstanding experiences to end customers, as well as support for our Travel Counsellors. It’s all about relationships, rather than transactions.

The senior team work hard to constantly improve processes and support to Travel Counsellors in order for them to sell at volume and pace – and to make a good living from running their businesses.

Finally, Phenix is the best platform you can find in the industry, and the continual improvements are constantly making it even better.

From a diverse range of products to strong relationships with suppliers and continuous improvements in technology, Travel Counsellors offers unparalleled support for their Travel Counsellors. So, what are you waiting for? Take the first step towards becoming one of our independent business owners by signing up to one of our upcoming Discovery events – they're a great way to get a feel for our community, without any pressure. Book your place today.