UK: Chester-based cottage rental agency Sykes Holiday Cottages has bolstered its senior leadership team after announcing a number of hires and promotions at the company.
Luke Squires joins Sykes as operations director and will be responsible for overseeing all operational functions. Squires brings a wide breadth of knowledge and experience to the team after spending the past six years at Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic.
Stephen Joyce will join in March as people director, having spent the last seven years leading a team of more than 1,000 employees at Your Housing Group in Warrington as chief people officer.
Meanwhile, Adam Platt – who originally joined the business back in 2008 as a graduate developer – has been promoted to chief technology officer. Building on his previous role as technical director, Platt will take the reins in powering the continued growth of Sykes’ market leading platform.
Sykes Holiday Cottages CEO Graham Donoghue said: “Luke and Stephen will be great additions to the Sykes team, and both bring a wealth of experience in their respective areas that will be key to our operations and employee growth plans in the years ahead.
“Adam, on the other hand, has been instrumental to our success for the past 14 years. His new role will see him continue to elevate our market-leading technology and I look forward to working with him for many more years to come,” he added.
Squires said: “This is an exciting time to be joining Sykes where there are a number of wide-ranging operational functions that I hope my background across sales, customer services and HR will help me to develop further.”
Joyce said: “Sykes is a fast-growing business and prides itself on being a best-in-class employer, particularly in this region. More than ever, having a happy and motivated team is essential if we are to ensure that everybody can give their best every day. I’m looking forward to making sure we continue to deliver that while enhancing the employee experience.”
Platt said: “Sykes has been serving the UK travel market for 30 years. I’ve been along for the ride for almost half of that time and it’s fair to say I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Our team has made real strides in recent years and I can’t wait to take on this new role as we prepare to take on new challenges.”
Renting out more than 22,000 properties across the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, Sykes now employs near to 1,000 people, with the majority based at its HQ in One City Place in Chester. The rental agency celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.
Last year, the company strengthened its UK portfolio with the acquisitions of Suffolk-based firm Best of Suffolk, Welsh regional holiday home specialist Abersoch Quality Homes and Alnmouth-based agency Northumbria Coast & Country Cottages.
