Cheadle travel firm appoints former minister to board

Cheadle-based travel firm, On The Beach, has appointed former Conservative cabinet minister Justine Greening to its board.

The firm hopes Ms Greening’s political connections will help the firm as the travel sector looks to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and also as the company continues to push for reform in the sector. The company has been praised for holding customer booking payments in trust until departure dates, allowing refunds to be issued timely due to Covid-related cancellations, with On The Beach calling for more travel businesses to do the same.

Company Chairman, Richard Pennybrook commented on the former minister’s appointment, saying:

It is a privilege that Justine has chosen On the Beach as her first corporate Non-Executive Director role and we look forward to working with her and benefiting from her extensive knowledge and expertise.

“As the travel sector recovers from the pandemic, we expect some fairly major reforms to the regulatory landscape. Justine’s experience, in and out of Westminster, will be invaluable as On the Beach navigates these reforms and pursues opportunities to grow our market share both in the UK and internationally.”

Justine Greening served as the UK’s first gay female cabinet minister, under both David Cameron’s and Theresa May’s premierships. She held a number of ministerial roles including a year as Transport Secretary, before stepping down as an MP at the 2019 General Election. Her position with On The Beach will be her first corporate role since leaving politics. She said of the move:

I am excited to be joining the Board of On the Beach at a time when the UK’s vaccine rollout continues apace, and consumers can look forward to the prospect of going on holiday again.

“Simon [Cooper, On The Beach Chief Executive] and his team have built a great business which puts the consumer at the forefront of everything that they do and I look forward to working with him, Richard and the wider Board as On the Beach continues on its mission to be Europe’s leading online retailer of beach holidays.”