Golfbreaks has announced the return of Justine Beach to the business as Marketing Director. Beach re-joins the company following time away spent as a strategic consultant across European marketing and advertising sectors, having amassed over 15 years of experience leading the Marketing divisions within the retail, leisure and FMCG sectors.
Following her appointment, Beach commented: “I’m thrilled to be back working at Golfbreaks, helping to shape the way the company communicates with its customers in an increasingly dynamic fashion. Working closely with Andrew and the rest of the leadership team, I’m looking forward to continuing the development of the marketing team and helping Golfbreaks maintain its stellar reputation within the industry.”
Joining Beach is James Somerside who also returns to the business as Head of Brand & Campaign Marketing from Performance54 having previously worked for Golfbreaks as Group Brand & Communications Manager. The pair will join an expanding marketing division who continue to oversee operations for Golfbreaks globally from its Windsor HQ, working closely with the USA business, based in Charleston, South Carolina and Scandinavian business located in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Whilst the international offices have complemented Golfbreaks’ continuing growth, the core UK business recorded another record year in 2018, posting its 20th successive season of increased revenues, against a challenging market in both the golf and travel sectors. The company has continued to strive for unparalleled satisfaction for its 230,000 customers each year, resulting in a near-perfect 99% ‘would book again’ rating with leading authentic customer feedback and research company, Reevoo.
To compliment the appointments of Beach and Somerside, Keith Mitchell, formerly Chief Marketing Officer, becomes Chief Commercial Officer, continuing to develop strategic relationships with existing partners such as Sky, Golf Channel, The European Tour, Callaway Europe and Mastercard. Mitchell will also oversee the company’s relationships with key Tourist Boards, ensuring Golfbreaks maintain their position as the leading global operator within the Golf Travel sector.
Finally, Richard Barker will complete the reshaping of the business’ management team, becoming Chief Business Development Officer. Barker re-joined the business in 2017 having originally moved with the sale of the successful Teeofftimes brand. Since his return to Golfbreaks he has been instrumental in accelerating the growth and strategic importance of Golfbreaks’ concierge team, as well as its worldwide holidays and tournament experiences divisions. Barker has also helped to strengthen the PGA Pro Travel and business development teams which oversee a number of corporate partnerships alongside the established PGA Partnership.
Of the appointments, Andrew Stanley, Golfbreaks CEO, said: “It’s an incredibly important time for our company as we continue to grow our business, both in our UK office and within our USA and Scandinavian teams. We’re excited to welcome both Justine and James back to the company, allowing us to once again strengthen our marketing proposition, ensuring we continue to create the most inspirational content and engaging campaigns for our customers across all markets. The appointments also allow both Richard and Keith to further drive our business forward in their respective areas, creating an experienced and respected globally-focussed leadership team within the company.”
Golfbreaks.com, one of the world’s largest and longest established golf travel companies, was formed in 1998 by Chief Executive, Andrew Stanley, and now organises golf breaks, holidays and tournament experiences for over 230,000 golfers annually at over 2,500 resorts and golf courses in the UK, Europe and Worldwide
Pictured top: (from left) Keith Mitchell, James Somerside, Andrew Stanley (Golfbreaks CEO), Justine Beach and Richard Barker