WHY IT RATES: The company has “ambitious growth plans” and believes that Heather Heverling is poised to help it achieve them.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor

Bespoke tour operator Audley Travel has announced the appointment of Heather Heverling as President and Managing Director of its US business, which is based in Boston, MA. Heverling will join Audley’s business in May.

Heverling will join from AdventureWomen where she has been President for the last two years. Prior to this, she spent most of her career at Grand Circle Corporation, moving onto Senior Vice President, Product Management at National Geographic Expeditions.

Speaking about the appointment, Audley Travel’s CEO Nick Longman says: “I am delighted to welcome Heather to the senior team at Audley as we move to a new stage for our US business. We have ambitious growth plans and Heather’s significant experience, insight and skill-set mean she is perfectly placed to help us achieve this.”

Heather Heverling says: “I have followed Audley from the moment they entered the US market and opened the Boston office, and have admired the company’s growth as a pioneer in the tailor-made travel space. Travel is such a personal decision, and travelers want to experience a destination in a way that is most meaningful to them – how, when and where they want. Audley’s ability to customize a travel experience that caters to each traveler’s personal specifications with top-notch destination knowledge and world-class service is second to none. I’m eager to work with the team to continue achieving significant growth while keeping the traveler experience at the forefront.”

SOURCE: Audley Travel press release.