Profile
Languages
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Highly experienced marketing, operations, sales, public relations and customer services professional.
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Wide international exposure. Worked in several countries. Fluent in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
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Held senior posts with management responsibilities over significant budgets and teams of colleagues.
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Planned and implemented strategic marketing and promotional campaigns that delivered notable results.
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Gifted communicator with well-honed customer facing, sales and negotiation skills.
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Competent in researching, preparing and presenting lectures and presentations on various topics
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Confident networker. Able to interact and build lasting relationships with full spectrum of partners.
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Consistently delivers compelling presentations and marketing pitches to individuals and groups.
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Organized, planned and participated in various international trade fairs, road shows and sales missions.
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Comfortable with Public Relations. Media savvy and media friendly. Obliging with interviews.
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Prolific with high quality written communication materials, reports and analytical documents.
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IT literate and proficient with use of MS Office suite. Understanding of digital marketing and social media.
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Culturally aware, worldly, extensively travelled. Sensitive to requirements of global and local clienteles.
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Extensive and current knowledge of travel destinations, world geography and industry and global issues.
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Dynamic, passionate, self-managing and driven. Open minded and empathetic team player.
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Forthcoming with outcome facilitating concepts, ideas and solutions.
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Meticulous, perfectionist and brand aware; with a diplomatic, non-confrontational but firm approach.
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Eager to make a difference to an organization’s overall performance, competitiveness and numerical results by offering sharp analytical and thinking skills, creativity, passion, dedication and extensive real world international experience in the marketing, communications, operations and customer services fields.
English - Native speaker level
French - Native speaker
Spanish - Native speaker
Italian - Fluent
Malay - Conversant
Skills
Lectures and presentations
Destination marketing
Resorts marketing and sales
Public presentations, training
Negotiations, trade relations
Media relations
Copywriting and editing
Reports, statistics, analysis
Events coordination
MS Office Suite
Budget management
Team management
Customer Services
Tour planning, advising, sales
Tour coordination
Tour guiding
Amadeus, TravelBox
Awards
Winner of the 2006 IMEX Academy Award for the Asia – Pacific region.
2010 - present
2010 - present
Work experience
On-board Cultural Lecturer - Costa Crociere S. p. A. (Italy / At Sea)
2016 - Present
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Research, preparation, design and presentation of enrichment and destination lectures to audiences of French, Italian, English and Spanish speaking guest passengers on board Costa Crociere cruise ships sailing various routes across the world's seas and oceans, such as the Mediterranean, across the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.
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Presented lectures on topics such as Greece and Greek mythology, Ancient Egypt and Suez Canal, Hashemite Jordan, Moorish Spain, Imperial Portugal, Megalithic Malta, the Port of Marseille and the Maldives Archipelago, as well as a highly appreciated series of audio visual presentations on ‘Introduction to World Music’. Constantly working on more topics of interest to add to the list.
Freelance Tour Manager, Enrichment Lecturer, Marketing Expert & Brand Ambassador - G Adventures (Just You, Travelsphere), Other UK TOs, 3For, N2O, etc
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Self employed, freelance Tour Manager (aka Tour Leader, Tour Director or Tour Escort), escorting groups of customers to destinations around the world for Tour Operators offering Escorted Tour group packages.
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Presenting Destination and Enrichment (world cultures, world music, world knowledge quizzes) lectures on land and on board ocean and river cruises.
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Offering ample Travel & Tourism marketing expertise for destination, product and services marketing campaigns, TO and TA training, educational and media trips organization.
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Promoting products and brands during customer facing punctual campaigns.
Owner / Developer - Travel With Your Ears.com (International)
2016 - Present
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Travel With Your Ears™ (www.travelwithyourears.com) is a website combining inspiring World Music videos and playlists with Travel, Country and Music information for listening pleasure and travel inspiration.
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Combining twin passions of travel and world music, created and developed the concept of this website, researching and adding content on a regular basis.
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Started as a labour of love and a long time ambition to put to a concrete use the brand Travel With Your Ears™ used years ago for a radio program in Brunei, planning now to find ways to monetize the website and consider possible professional implications.
Marketing & Trade Relations Manager, UK & Europe - Advantage Management Group Ltd (UK)
2014 - 2016
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Managing, coordinating and implementing Advantage Management Group Ltd’s trade relationship and marketing strategy on behalf of clients' portfolio of represented destinations and products, mostly with European markets.
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Attending training events and road shows; conducting presentations, marketing and networking at trade events and making regular face to face sales and marketing calls to Travel Agents and Tour Operators in the UK and Europe.
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Arranging, managing and escorting familiarization trips to destinations and hotels in client portfolio.
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Overseeing and coordinating the production of destination supplements in France, Italy and Germany.
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Achieved greater inclusion in brochures, travel programmes and websites of European travel partners for the represented properties and destinations
Specialist Sales Consultant - Bales Worldwide (UK)
2013 - 2014
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Selling and up-selling luxury leisure trips to trade and direct customers over the phone and emails.
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Preparing and proposing complex tailor made worldwide itineraries, particularly to Latin American destinations.
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Frequently achieved above target sales results
Customer Service Executive - Virgin Holidays (UK)
2013 - 2013
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Provided pre-departure assistance to Virgin's client base and helped improve their experience of Virgin Holidays' worldwide land and cruise products through delivery of knowledgeable and attentive customer services.
Customer Support Advisor - Eurostar Contact Center (UK)
2012 - 2013
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Provided sales and after sales support for English and French speaking customers, using product knowledge, personal initiative and various CRM systems to ensure customer satisfaction while upholding Eurostar’s brand values.
Director of Marketing and Promotion - Brunei Tourism (Brunei Darussalam)
2003 - 2012
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Government role reporting to Head of Department, with remit being to raise Brunei’s profile, position and performance as a tourist destination, and to facilitate growth of the sector’s economic importance. Planning, implementation, staff (8 colleagues), budget (up to £2.1 million yearly) and project management responsibilities.
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Led team efforts to achieve 11.7% yearly growth in tourist arrivals through targeted integrated campaigns
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Increased destination’s market share by 69%, average length of stay by 25.2% and tourism revenue by 165%
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Launched “Treasures of Brunei”, “Wings of Borneo” and “Islamic Tourism” thematic packages for trade and consumer promotion in partnership with airlines, hotels and travel agents’ consortia
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Produced “Brunei Information Kit” and “Islamic Tourism” brochures. Conceived “Green Heart of Borneo” tagline. Created advertisement copy, media features, press releases and destination presentations
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Developed Brunei’s first B2B and B2C digital marketing campaigns across banner and newsletter platforms
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Successfully coordinated the Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) portion of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 in Brunei, with over 1,200 international tourism trade delegates in attendance
Director of Marketing and Promotion - Sarawak Tourism Board (Malaysia)
1995 - 2003
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Statutory body position reporting to CEO and Chairman, tasked to develop and draw terms of reference, action plans and performance parameters for newly created state level tourism marketing organization. Was involved in a wide range of projects and organization of events. Advised officials and stakeholders on tourism development issues.
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Drove team of 7 colleagues to reach a yearly 7% average growth in visitor numbers through implementation and active participation in planned and budgeted (£1.2 million / year) B2B and B2C marketing activities
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Charted Sarawak Tourism Board’s distinctive operating style, resulting in organization receiving 18 international awards for branding creativity, marketing excellence and trade fair pavilion design
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Negotiated numerous joint marketing activities and partnership projects with key trade partners in target markets. Achieved manifold increases in wholesale and retail presence and length of tour programs offered
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Organized, coordinated and led participation in international trade exhibitions, road shows and sales missions, winning multiple new accounts for the destination and increasing awareness among target markets
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Chaired Rainforest World Music Festival organizing committee in 2001, nudged the Festival towards its success formula that has seen it become Malaysia’s premier annual cultural event
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Planned the organization of the PATA Board of Directors Meeting and International Ecotourism Colloquium held in Kuching in 2002, as well as a number of other trade, sporting and cultural events
Marketing and Operations Manager - Interworld Travel (Sarawak - Malaysia)
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Trade and consumer marketing, data base management, client communications, preparation of itineraries, design and writing of brochures.
Tourist Guide & Tour Leader - Freelance (Hong Kong / Malaysia)
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Multilingual tour guide / interpreter for local and international tour companies; guided with excellence international visitors from all backgrounds, including VVIPs.
Tourist Representative - Mirabelle Tours (Dominican Republic)
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Cared after guests’ wellbeing at an all-inclusive resort, arranging charter movements, hotel dispatching, holiday activities and sales of optional tour products.
G.O. Excursions - Club Med (France / International)
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Tour Guide / Tour Leader at various Club Med resorts in Tunisa, Mexico, Senegal, Morocco, Haiti and Sicily; consistently achieved over 90% guest satisfaction returns. Promoted and sold optional tours to resort guests. Took part in stage performances. Participated in general PR and guest entertainment duties.
Customer Services / Sales - Various (Peru / France / Italy / Spain)
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Direct customer service functions at the Front Office of the Hotel Treviso in Italy. Started up and managed Archeo Tours, a niche tour operation in Lima, Peru. Brief stints in several sales positions in retail sales, door-to-door publication sales and telemarketing of advertisement space, in France, Italy and Spain.
Education & Certification
C.E.C.E.L.E. (Centre d'Études du Commerce Extérieur et des Langues Étrangères)
Paris - France
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Certificate sanctioning course in External Commerce and Foreign Languages, followed by practical training in tour operations at the CTV–CEDRI Tour Operator and Incentive House, in Paris – France
WFTGA (World Federation of Tourist Guides Associations)
Nicosia - Cyprus based
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Certified Tour Guide and Trainer (Part I & Part II Train the Trainer Course)
Basic Safety Training and Medical Fitness Certificates for personnel working on board passenger carrying vessels
Colossal Training - United Kingdom
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STCW ’78 (as amended) Basic Safety Training, Security Awareness and Crowd Control certificates
Self Improvement
Malaysia / Brunei
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Attended various continuous education courses, seminars and training exercises on marketing techniques, computer use and work efficiency improvement
Interests
- Passionate about travel, world cultures, exploring new horizons and living new experiences
- Geography, history, scientific news, current events, social issues, acquiring general knowledge
- International cuisine, World Music, Cinema
- Enjoying life pleasures, motorcycle riding
My Travels
