It is now six months since holiday autos was acquired by lastminute.com and during that time we have been working hard on the integration of the two businesses with a focus on creating efficiencies and delivering maximum business benefits across the combined group. As a result of the integration process there are several role changes being made at both board level and within the senior management team of holiday autos that are effective from 1 October.
Clive Jacobs remains committed to his position as Vice Chairman of lastminute.com and CEO of holiday autos. However, as Clive is spending an increasing amount of his time focusing on strategic issues for the overall lastminute.com Group, Doug Sawers will now take on much greater responsibility in the role of Deputy CEO for the holiday autos Group. In this exciting new position, Doug will have responsibility for major country businesses and coordination of holiday autos Group strategy. Doug's experience of managing and developing the UK holiday autos business over the last two and a half years will be invaluable in his new role. Doug will report directly to Ian McCaig, COO of lastminute.com, alongside various continued responsibilities to Clive Jacobs as CEO of holiday autos Group.
We are delighted to announce that Mat Hart, previously Deputy Managing Director, UK, has been promoted to Managing Director UK & Ireland taking on the responsibility of the day-to-day management of our largest market. Mat will continue to work closely with Doug as we grow the UK business.
Simon Terry, previously holiday autos' Group Commercial Director, has been promoted to Director of Global Products at lastminute.com. This is a new position, and Simon will run the purchasing of all travel related products including hotels, flights, tour operating, insurance, car parking and of course car rental, working closely with the existing lastminute.com global product teams. Simon will report to Andrew Windsor, lastminute.com's Group Commercial Director.
As a result of Simon's move, Jenny Brydon has been promoted to General Manager Car Rental based in Camberley, and will now manage the total car rental supplier base. Jenny will report to Simon Terry in his new role.
Naz Musa, holiday autos' Managing Director of International, will now report to Andrew Windsor and will continue to focus on the development of the Group's emerging markets.
The integration project, led by Brian Farrugia, holiday autos' Chief Operating Officer, is well on target and is now nearing completion. As a result Brian has decided that it is time to seek new challenges and will be leaving the business on 30th September 2003. He has played a major part in shaping the company into the business it is today, and we wish him all success for the future.
Sara Needham, having been with holiday autos for eight years, mostly as PA to Clive Jacobs and more recently as holiday autos Group Communications Manager, will move to the role of Executive Assistant to Ian McCaig and Andrew Windsor based at lastminute.com.
These changes have been implemented to ensure that our primary focus remains on growing holiday autos business, maintaining our position as the leisure car rental market leader and continuing to build car rental as one of lastminute.com's key product categories.
For further information please contact:
Claire Williams, PR Manager, holiday autos UK & Ireland tel 01276
413 929
About Holiday Autos
Holiday Autos is the world's largest leisure car rental broker. Founded in 1987, the innovative company revolutionised the car rental industry by introducing fully inclusive rental prices, and, a few years later, was among the first to enmbrace e-commerce by developing the website as a key distribution channel. Today more than 40% of business is transacted on-line.
The Holiday Autos Group operates through a mix of corporate offices, joint ventures and sales agents in 40 countries worldwide. In 2002 the group turnover was £ 154million.
In March 2003 Holiday Autos was bought by lastminute.com for £ 40 million. Company founder Clive Jacobs retains the position of chief executive and has joined the board of lastminute.com as vice chairman.
About lastminute.com
lastminute.com is Europe 's leading online provider of travel and leisure solutions. Based on the idea of matching supply and demand, it offers consumers last minute opportunities to acquire airline tickets, hotel rooms, package holidays, car hire, entertainment tickets, restaurant reservations and home delivery, speciality services, gifts and auctions.
Operating across multiple markets, lastminute.com has established approximately 15,300 supplier relationships and over 7.5 million subscribers to its weekly news letter.
lastminute.com also owns and operates online brands holidayautos.com, travelprice.com, degriftour.com, travelselect.com, travel4less.co.uk and eXhilaration.co.uk and has a stake in LCC24.com, the online vehicle for Lufthansa City Center , in Germany .
More information available at www.lastminute.com/ir
