The Coach Travel Group has appointed Elaine Williams as Group Head of Operational Performance.
Ms Williams, who has held various leadership roles in coach, bus and haulage, will also act as Head of Operations for the subsidiary Johnsons Coaches and will be based at its Henley-in-Arden depot.
The move continues further expansion for the group, which was established last year via a merger of eight coach operators. Bolstered by the acquisitions of two more, it now employs around 700 and has a fleet of more than 450 vehicles.
Ms Williams’ experience in the industry began when she combined her study of transport management at Northumbria University with work at the booking office at Voyager Coaches in Chester-le-Street.
She gained further knowledge of the coach and bus sectors at Brighton and Hove and later joined the management training programme at Southern Vectis, where she became Operations Manager of the leisure and retail division. She moved on to National Express in operational leadership roles in both coach and bus before switching to haulage with ArrowXL.
She says: “Recently, I have particularly enjoyed learning about the warehousing side of the transport sector, but the lure of coach travel was too strong. More than 30 years later, I have returned to my roots with The Coach Travel Group and Johnsons Coaches.”
Tom Stables, The Coach Travel Group’s CEO, adds: “Elaine is a great addition to our team, and I know everyone is delighted to have her on board. She possesses a rare blend of experience and enthusiasm that will give us a different dimension as we move forward as a business.”
According to Ms Williams, her role will involve “overseeing and enhancing the operational performance across the group, as well as collaborating on projects to drive future growth”.
The Group now includes Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches, Coatham Coaches, JH Coaches, Johnsons Coaches, Horseman Coaches, The Ready Group, Stewarts Coaches, Swans Travel and Whittles.
The hiring of Ms Williams by The Coach Travel Group follows the appointment announced last week of Ian Fraser as Regional MD for London and the South East.
