James
Phillips has been named president of wholesaler Travel Bound and vice president
of sales and marketing for Travel Bound’s parent company, GTA.
Phillips
has been at the company for five years, and was initially responsible for GTA’s
global hotel chain relationships before becoming vice president of sourcing
for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2014, Phillips moved to the U.S.
where he helped to restructure the Americas sourcing division.
Phillips
replaces Elizabeth Crabill, who left the company in July.
In his new job, Phillips will lead GTA’s wholesale FIT sales in the Americas,
encompassing clients in the U.S., Canada, Central America and South America.
Phillips will oversee the sales, marketing, business analysis, and data
management team from the New York City headquarters of GTA/Travel Bound. GTA/Travel Bound works with a network of more than 80,000 travel agents in the U.S.
and Canada.
“The
travel agent network is at the heart of our business in the Americas. We don’t,
and will not, sell direct to consumers. It’s just not what we do,” Phillips
said in a statement. “My immediate priority is to invest in the segment by
building out a sales structure that allows us to better support our travel
agent customers throughout the supply chain.”
A
native of the United Kingdom, Phillips graduated from the University of
Southampton and holds an MBA from Cass Business School in London. He
lives in Connecticut with his family.