2025 Keynote Programme

Phil has over 40 years of experience working in the bus & coach industry, holding positions at all levels of operational, commercial and general management up to Managing Director level at bus companies in England & Scotland.
Since 2021, Phil has been CPT’s UK Coach Manager and represents the interests of over 400 coach operator members across England, Scotland & Wales. Phil assists members in all areas of their business, including sustainable tourism through his stewardship of CPT’s highly respected Coach Friendly accreditation scheme that assists DMO’s and attractions to ensure they are doing all they can to welcome coach groups,
Phil also organised CPT’s “Get Back on Board” TV ad campaign in 2022 to promote coach travel in all its forms following the complete removal of covid travel restrictions.

Matt is Senior Partner at the law firm Travlaw. With nearly 25 years’ experience in the travel and law, Matt started his career at Thomas Cook within its customer services & in house legal team. Since joining Travlaw in 2008, Matt has been appointed to various roles through to his current status as joint owner and Senior Partner. Matt has, for many years, lead the Commercial & Regulatory aspect of Travlaw’s work – a team highly regarded, and ranked in both Chambers and Legal 500. A popular speaker, Matt is often asked to deliver training, seminars and appear on panel debates, as well as being asked for insights by the travel & wider media.

Catherine is a brand strategist specialising in travel, tourism, and experiences. With years of experience helping attractions, destinations, and travel tech brands stand out and create growth, Catherine is known for sorting out the messy middle between what you do and what your customer actually wants. From TripAdvisor to Eureka!, Sykes Cottages to Hard Rock, Catherine is regarded for blending psychology with creativity, and teaches brands how to unlock the hidden triggers that drive action. Catherine’s session will provide actionable strategies and relatable examples to inspire fresh approaches to marketing

Manu is a seasoned marketer with over a decade’s experience of devising and delivering effective digital media strategies and campaigns for some of UK and Europe’s most prominent tourism, travel and hospitality brands. With an extensive background in technology and digital marketing, Manu brings a solid understanding of the major ad platforms and media formats to deliver the biggest bang for the buck for every campaign executed. As an enthusiastic and dedicated advocate for artificial intelligence, Manu and his team at Digital Dialog are championing the adoption of AI within marketing. With a keen focus on innovation and efficiency, they are on a mission to transform the way businesses in tourism and travel approach marketing through in-depth training and implementation of AI driven marketing strategies.

In addition to being responsible for Visit West’s marketing team and all their communications across consumer and B2B channels, from websites and blog to social media and PR, Jon leads on travel trade engagement for the Bath and Bristol region, helping to maximise the number of domestic groups and international staying visitors. An experienced professional, Jon has almost 11 years’ service for the company and has also worked in a number of different roles within the visitor economy.

Cheryl Everitt is the founder of A Wheel and Away, an accessible travel consultancy. It is designed for the independent traveller, who may have a disability, but still dreams of seeing the world under their own steam. Extensive travel with her own children, both of whom are wheelchair users, clearly displayed a huge gap in the information available to disabled travellers. She works with companies to bridge this gap, putting adventurous travellers in touch with the people who can make it happen. In doing so, she also works with travel companies to advise them on how to better serve the disabled community.

Hester Grainger is an ADHD coach, speaker and co-founder of Perfectly Autistic which she runs with her husband Kelly. The former radio and TV presenter was diagnosed with ADHD in her forties, after Kelly and their children were diagnosed as autistic / ADHD. Working with organisations to raise awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace, they also help support neurodivergent customers. They have worked with a host of organisations including Royal Caribbean, Heathrow Express and on a year long project with TUI. This year, Hester is going on a 35-date UK theatre tour with her new live show ADHD Unmasked.

James is a fourth-generation hotelier who has grown up in the hospitality industry, living in his family’s hotel from the age of two. With extensive experience across a wide range of restaurants, from top London venues to large chains, James spent eight years in Corporate Events Management before returning to his family business, the Marsham Court Hotel, where he works alongside his sister and brother. Under James’ leadership, the hotel has become one of the UK’s most Accessible Hotels, recognised for its commitment to both guest accessibility and being a Disability Confident Leader.

Ray’s background is in ICT and he has delivered major projects in both the private and public sectors, across a wide range of industries, including defence, television, technology, financial services and tourism. At VisitBritain, Ray implemented the EnglandNet database and web search tool which was a forerunner of modern “price comparison” websites.

As CEO of UKinbound, Joss leads the award-winning trade association that advocates and lobbies for policies that drive the UK’s second largest service export sector. Joss plays a crucial role in developing its members inbound businesses, connecting buyers and sellers to drive profitable outcomes. Having steered the association and the sector through the pandemic, Joss now works to drive growth and value for the industry. He also sits on government advisory boards in Scotland and the UK. Joss was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2023 for services to the tourism industry.

In a career spanning over 30 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, Wendy’s career path evolved from National Car Rental and Stena Line to Reed Travel Exhibitions, where her roles involved working alongside tour operators, travel agents, group organisers, tourist boards and airlines. Working in partnerships on an international scale with Tourist Boards, Governments and “tourism-associated” organisations assisting them with their strategies has re-enforced her reputation for focus and delivery. As CEO at AGTO she continues to develop the organisation’s strategy for engaging with the wider travel and tourism industry, ensuring that the needs of group travel organisers and industry suppliers involved in delivering group travel products are represented and understood.

Graham has been employed in the ferry industry since 1999, working mainly with the group market. As a self-confessed business development geek, Graham has always had an interest in the coaching industry and the age old problem of how to grow the market with new younger clientele. Graham sits on the board of directors for the CTA and constantly looks to promote DFDS route to new markets. Many starting as niche products, the Ski market interests Graham because this market already delivers a younger traveller. Graham’s question would be, how to spread this magic elsewhere in the industry and what tools are needed?

Jason Edwards is a multi-UK award winning industry figure. He has supported and worked with many industry-related causes, has sat on judging panels and is a speaker.

Jason spent 13 years with British Airways as an aircraft engineer, then moved on to working for the family business of Edwards Coaches for 21 years. Jason’s passion for travel and the coach industry led him to start Jason Edwards Travel in 2023. Since then, Jason has joined forces with Stewart Issac, Lloyd McGowan and Alan Clough, boasting over 100 years of industry experience between them.

Jason was made High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan in 2020/21 and his last personal notable achievement was passing his CPC International Transport Manager PSV qualification in 2021.

Louise Fitzpatrick’s career in the hotel industry began in 2003 with Marriott Hotels, during which time they successfully managed a diverse portfolio of coach operators, wholesalers (both domestic and inbound), and FIT markets. With extensive experience in the travel sector, Louise is currently the Head of Sales at Albatross Travel, having joined the company in 2020. Louise oversees the front-line Account Managers and Sales Support team, ensuring seamless operations and client satisfaction. Additionally, Louise serves as a Board Director for the Coach Tourism Association, contributing to the development of the sector and its ongoing success.