Daniel Chidley, one of the country’s brightest young marketing talents, has taken on the role of account director with golf and travel marcomms specialist The Azalea Group.
Chidley, 27, who has been identified as a “future marketing leader” by the Marketing Hall of Legends (UK), joins from Dartmouth Golf & Country Club (DGCC), where he spent five years as sales and marketing manager.
He is a chartered marketer and a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, indeed he was the fifth youngest member nationally when he joined in March 2011.
During his tenure at DGCC he achieved significant sales increases within three years and, within the core element of the business – golf and leisure short breaks – increased both accommodation income and the number of room nights substantially within four years. He also conceived and founded the innovative, highly profitable and award-winning South Devon Golf Tour.
He said: “I’m delighted to be joining a company I have long admired, having worked alongside them for three years. It is a natural career progression for me and I hit the ground running having joined my new colleagues at the International Golf Travel Market, in Portugal, in November.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and believe I now have the perfect opportunity to apply the skills and experience I have gained across a wider spectrum of products. Azalea’s client base is impressive and varied and I’m excited to be able to be given the opportunity to take on such a role.”
Sean Noble, Azalea’s managing director, added: “It has been clear to us for some time that Dan is a clear, strategic thinker and adopts a ‘can do’ mentality. Having worked alongside him as the resort’s PR agency for the last three years, we know we can work together and that we think on the same wavelength.
“We believe it is a real feather in our cap to add Dan to a team which already contains many years’ experience in the golf and travel sectors. He will, I’m sure, prove invaluable as Azalea continues its growth.”
Azalea is now in its seventh year of trading and has established itself as one of Europe’s leading golf and tourism PR and marketing specialists, working with some of Europe’s major national and regional tourist boards including Tourism Ireland, the Algarve, Estoril and Murcia, as well as some of the world’s flagship golf and lifestyle resorts such as La Manga Club (Spain), Donnafugata (Sicily) and Legend Golf & Safari Resort (South Africa).
It also boasts some outstanding golf products in its client portfolio including Foresight Sports’ GC2 and HMT, used and recommended by many of the world’s leading club manufacturers including Titleist, Cleveland/Srixon, Cobra/Puma, PING and TaylorMade; the innovative crossover golf shoe brand Kikkor; leading Italian golfwear manufacturer Chervo; and SwingSmart, the stunning new golf swing analyser which provides information straight to a smartphone or tablet – plus Golf Live, the UK’s top interactive golf show experience.
The Azalea Group www.theazaleagroup.com