Helen Marano, founder of Marano Perspectives and special advisor for the World Travel and Tourism Council, has been appointed as a trustee of the Travel Foundation for the next three years. Her appointment was unanimously supported by the charity’s board of trustees at its last meeting.
Helen has a wealth of experience as an advocate for tourism on the international stage, having previously served as Executive Vice-President of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and led the National Travel & Tourism Office of the United States.
She was recently recognised as an “empowered woman in tourism” by the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism, with a ‘Celebrating Her’ award for building global alliances that promote tourism as a force for good.
Helen Marano said:
‘I’m proud to serve as a trustee for Travel Foundation and look forward to working with the team to assist in expanding the reach and efforts of the charity. There has never been a more important time to embrace sustainable tourism and I’m excited to be joining an organization that plays such a vital role in helping destinations and companies to play their part in shaping a responsible future for the industry.’
Noel Josephides, Chairman of the Travel Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said:
‘We are delighted to welcome Helen as a trustee. Her extensive experience and expertise will be of great value to the organization, particularly at such a pivotal time as we anticipate the change to a new Chief Executive in the coming months. Helen’s understanding of the industry and the importance of sustainable tourism will assist us in consolidating the Travel Foundation’s success over the past years, supporting us to reach a wider audience with our message and increase our impact still further.’
The Travel Foundation expects to announce the appointment of a new Chief Executive shortly, as Salli Felton prepares to step down from the role in September.
The charity’s board of trustees also includes:
• Noel Josephides; Chairman of Sunvil Holidays.
• Rodney Anderson, over 40 years civil service experience, latterly Director, Marine and Fisheries at Defra.
• Jane Ashton, Director Sustainability at TUI Group.
• John de Vial, Director of Financial Protection at ABTA.
• Debbie Hindle, Managing Director at Four Travel.
• Alistair Rowland; Chief Retail Officer at The Midcounties Co-operative and Chairman of ABTA.
The Travel Foundation is an international charity/NGO that works in partnership with leading tourism organisations to improve the impacts of tourism and shape a positive future for destinations. Since we were set up in 2003, we have worked in 28 popular holiday destinations around the world. Our head office is in the UK and we have a global network of project managers. www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk
