William Burton

William Burton Email and Phone Number

Entrepreneurial CEO & Non-Executive Director | Skilled in Resolving Complex Challenges and Maximising Business Potential, especially in the Travel & Hospitality and Education & Training sectors @ Awesome Experiences Ltd
William Burton's Location
Sunbury-On-Thames, England, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
William Burton's Contact Details

William Burton work email

William Burton personal email

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About William Burton

A dynamic CEO, Board Director and NED with expertise in driving major change and overcoming challenges across a range of sectors, including travel, hospitality, and education. My experience includes multiple financial and operational turnarounds, three £1bn+ private equity-backed buy-out deals, and the launch of two ground-breaking online B2C travel companies.I have held profit accountability to £300m t/o, led 17,500 staff, and held global revenue accountability to £2bn. As a Chartered Marketer, Chartered Engineer and Chartered Director, I bring a wealth of professional qualifications and expertise to every role I undertake.I was recently elected to the Board of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and throughout my career I have been recognised for my ability to manage key stakeholders, inspire teams, and achieve sustained profitability and growth. I have a track record of success in business transformation, process re-engineering, and innovative omni/multi-channel marketing, with a particular focus on online strategies.SKILLS HIGHLIGHT• Board level Leadership• Digital / Multi / Omni-channel Growth• Business Transformation and Re-engineering• Change Programme Management • Stakeholder Communication / Negotiation, incl. Government, Regulators & Suppliers• Consumer Brand Strategy, Brand Positioning and New Product Development • Strategy & Analysis (working extensively with McKinsey, Bain and BCG post MBA)• Service Operations Management and Performance Measurement• Extensive Knowledge of Travel, Tourism & Hotels (on ABTA, FTO & VisitBritain Councils and FITT)• Broad experience across not-for-profit, government, charity and membership organisations

William Burton's Current Company Details
Awesome Experiences Ltd

Awesome Experiences Ltd

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Entrepreneurial CEO & Non-Executive Director | Skilled in Resolving Complex Challenges and Maximising Business Potential, especially in the Travel & Hospitality and Education & Training sectors
William Burton Work Experience Details
  • Awesome Experiences Ltd
    Chief Executive
    Awesome Experiences Ltd Jul 2017 - Present
    Sunbury-On-Thames, Surrey, Gb
    Founding CEO of AX, the world's first consumer online travel platform allowing clients to select, customise and book tailor-made vacations fully online in real time. It offers more than 120 unique, trips-of-a-lifetime and special breaks worldwide, all designed by our in-house experts.. Recognised as innovators by the industry as finalists for both Travolution and Eye-For-Travel Awards’ Start-Up of the Year, our main launch in Jan 2020 was American Express Business Cards' most successful travel promotion to date, with 5,000 premium cardholders registering, worth some £50m of sales. AX has a growing social media presence with 16K followers, driving 100,000 unique visitors and 2m page views pre-launch; and maintained brand awareness throughout the Covid lockdown period via social media, creating 162,000 additional social media interactions.We have recently designed, depth researched and prototyped an advanced second-generation platform featuring AI search and drag-and-drop online tailoring, and are currently seeking external investors to launch this into the UK and US markets. We have full SEIS and EIS pre-clearance.
  • Visitbritain
    Non-Executive Director, Chair Of Audit Committee And Co-Chair Pensions Committee
    Visitbritain Sep 2023 - Present
    London, England, Gb
    Non-Executive Director of British Tourist Authority, including VisitBritain and VisitEngland. Chair of Audit and Risk Committee, and Co-Chair of the Pensions Committee.
  • Cim | The Chartered Institute Of Marketing
    Board Member
    Cim | The Chartered Institute Of Marketing Nov 2022 - Present
    Maidenhead, Berkshire, Gb
    Elected to the Board of the CIM for 3 years from December 2022, having been a Chartered Director and Fellow for many years of this, the world's leading professional marketing body. Member of the Appointments and Remuneration Committee.
  • Martin Randall Travel
    Non-Executive Director
    Martin Randall Travel Jun 2014 - Nov 2018
    London, Gb
    Non-Executive Board Director at Martin Randall Travel, the award-winning and UK market-leading expert led cultural, art, music and history tours operator. Turnover c.£21m. During this period we doubled net margin, grew revenue by 50% and acquired and successfully integrated a competitor.
  • Kuoni Group
    Ceo Designate For Private Equity Travel Buy-Out
    Kuoni Group 2012 - 2017
    Zurich, Ch
    Led £1bn+ final shortlisted private equity bids for Kuoni Travel Group (£1.5bn t/o); Hotelbeds (£1bn t/o) and Travelopia (£1.2bn), as CEO Designate, with backing from HIG, LDC, KKR and Blackstone. During this period also developed 5-year plan for Shearings Holiday Group (t/o £220m) as Non-Exec Advisor to Lone Star Funds and held two large interim CEO roles.
  • Cambridge Assessment
    Chief Executive Ocr - Oxford, Cambridge & Rsa Exams - £100M T/O; 4,000 Fte Staff
    Cambridge Assessment 2015 - 2016
    Cambridge, England, Gb
    Main Board position with significant public visibility and a high degree of political and regulatory complexity within this high-profile examinations board and charity, which employs 17,500 external examiners and is owned by the University of Cambridge. Tasked with developing a turnaround strategy and stabilizing a rapidly deteriorating financial and operational situation within 12 months, under a fixed-term contract, prior to the planned arrival of an internal successor.• Delivered the most efficient and uncontroversial summer & autumn exam series in OCR's history.• Led Strategic Review to create a 5-year turnaround plan approved by the Group Board and Ofqual.• Refocused OCR on high margin high growth subjects - negotiating directly with DfE Minister Nick Gibb• Hired restructuring consultancy Molten to oversee a 3-year 40% cost reduction programme
  • Citb
    Chief Executive & Accounting Officer For £300M T/O; 1,600 Staff, £30M Ebitda Ndpb
    Citb 2013 - 2014
    Peterborough, United Kingdom, Gb
    High profile interim CEO and Accounting Officer role leading Europe's largest construction training & apprenticeships body and construction school, training 40,000 apprentices and incorporating the Skills Council and CSkills Awards exam board. Board attendee and participant in Board committees.* Restored confidence of a large Trustee body, BEIS, Regulators Ofqual & Ofsted and industry stakeholders, having inherited a disastrous IT systems renewal project and growing financial losses* Grew EBITDA by £40m through 30% cost efficiency improvement and expanding ancillaries trading.* Guided CITB through its Triennial Review by BEIS under Minister Matt Hancock, renewing its mandate.
  • G Adventures
    Group Ceo For Uk'S Largest Escorted Tour Operating Group - £200M T/O; 750 Staff; £15M Ebitda
    G Adventures 2008 - 2011
    Toronto, Ontario, Ca
    CEO and Board Director who turned around and revitalised the UK’s largest group tours operator, then known as Page & Moy Travel Group, incorporating Travelsphere, Page & Moy and JustYou, carrying 150,000 clients pa to 70 different countries. On arrival the group was on the verge of bankruptcy with accelerating revenue and profit declines and had an unsustainable level of debt.* Grew revenue by 30% pa through NPD and enhanced database and online marketing* Coupled this with cost reduction to produce a £30 million profit turnaround.* Gained regulator and bank approval to convert 75% of debt to equity.* Improved client satisfaction and repeat rate to 70% through re-motivating staff.* Regained ‘Investors in People’ accreditation by focusing on staff communication and inclusivity.
  • See Details Below:
    Early Career Highlights
    See Details Below: 1990 - 2009
  • Rural Payments Agency
    Chief Operating Officer - 4,000 Staff; £2Bn T/O; £50M Capex; Executive Agency Of Defra
    Rural Payments Agency 2007 - 2008
    Gb
    Interim Board role and Chair of the Capital Committee. Tasked with sorting out the high-profile operational crisis in implementing the EU farm payments scheme and developing a sound operating base for the future. Budget £180m. Headhunted from this role to become Group Chief Executive of PMTG* Achieved EU target of 96% on-time payments for the first time, avoiding £200m EU fine.* Recovered £20 million of historic back payments
  • The British Library
    Chief Operating Officer, The British Library - £137M T/O; 2,200 Staff, £12M Pbt
    The British Library 2005 - 2007
    London, Gb
    Extended interim role leading a highly unionised workforce of 2,200 with a cost budget of £60m. Ran all main library operations: callcentres, customer service, warehouse storage & retrieval, reading rooms, imaging, online search and digitisation services, IP management, publisher relations & purchasing. Profit accountable for BL’s global electronic distribution business* Reduced operating costs by 20% through re-engineering all major operations using Prince 2 project management processes, whilst keeping the Trades Unions onside* Commenced the process of digitising the Library’s vast collection
  • Avios Group Limited
    Chief Executive - For Airline Loyalty Scheme And Ota - £130M T/O; Assets £750M; Pbt £12M; 750 Staff
    Avios Group Limited 2004 - 2005
    Crawley, Sussex, Gb
    Contracted by BA to lead the complex divestment process of consumer travel loyalty scheme and online travel retailer (OTA) Air Miles, now known as AVIOS. Overcame complex financial hurdles to divesting the business and presented a £100m buy-out offer from Hg Capital to the BA Board.
  • Clermont Hotel Group
    Global Sales, Marketing & Distribution Director For Thistle Hotels Ftse 250 - £325M T/O, 56 Sites
    Clermont Hotel Group 2000 - 2003
    London , England, Gb
    Led Sales, Marketing, Distribution, eCommerce, Revenue Management and Callcentres worldwide for London's largest hotel chain. 330 staff and marketing budget of £26m. Chairman of hotel breaks JV Highlife Breaks and sat on Council of VisitBritain's Million Visitors Campaign.* Out-performed London hotel Revpar Index right through to Thistle’s hostile acquisition by BIL.
  • Holidayexpert.Com
    Founder And Chief Executive Of Uk'S First Online B2C Tour Operator
    Holidayexpert.Com 1999 - 2001
    Founding CEO of a ground-breaking consumer online travel company (OTA) - the first to feature 'dynamic packaging' allowing clients to build their own complete trips from components. Backed by Goldman Sachs and Durlacher. 30 staff plus outsourced callcentre.
  • Tui Uk (Thomson Holidays)
    Sales, Distribution & E-Commerce Director; Head Of New Product Development; Uk M&A Director
    Tui Uk (Thomson Holidays) 1995 - 1999
    Hannover, Lower Saxony, De
    Accountable for £2bn of sales; 250 staff; £160m costs and all aspects of retail and direct sales, eCommerce, brochure distribution and callcentres. Represented Group on ABTA Tour Operators Council and at the Federation of Tour Operators, as well as to the Competition Commission. Later led UK M&A buying specialist tour operators, travel agents and hotel groups.* Created Thomson's first branded lifestyle resorts with £200m t/o in their first year.* Through a new agency distribution strategy and a massive increase in online sales grew UK market share from 24% to 31%, supporting the Group IPO to the FTSE 100
  • British Airways
    Head Of Strategic Analysis
    British Airways 1989 - 1993
    Middlesex, Gb
    Led a team of 21 experts & analysts including the Chief Economist in corporate & marketing strategy, economic & market analysis, competitor analysis, mergers & acquisitions, and writing and producing Board presentations to government, financial bodies and regulators. Worked directly with Board and with McKinsey, Bain, BCG, LEK and OC&C.

William Burton Skills

E Commerce Marketing Strategy Start Ups Tourism Online Marketing Strategic Planning Sales Negotiation Brand Development Mergers And Acquisitions Tour Operators Product Development Entrepreneurship Stakeholder Management Direct Marketing Pricing Hotels Restructuring Media Trained Escorted Tours Mergers Public Sector Venture Capital Retail Airlines Turn Around Management Crisis Management Revenue Analysis Direct Sales B2b Marketing Pricing Strategy Regulations International Operations Cost Reduction Database Marketing Strategic Reviews Bus Strategy Consumer Marketing Multi Site Operations Trades Union Negotiations International Sales Government Relations Turnarounds Raising Venture Capital Regulated Industries Group Tours Retail And Loyalty Corporate Sales Revenue Management

William Burton Education Details

  • Insead
    Insead
    General Management
  • Institute Of Directors (Iod)
    Institute Of Directors (Iod)
    Company Directorship
  • Cim | The Chartered Institute Of Marketing
    Cim | The Chartered Institute Of Marketing
    Marketing
  • Institution Of Mechanical Engineers
    Institution Of Mechanical Engineers
    Mechanical Engineering
  • King'S College London
    King'S College London
    Mechanical Engineering And Management
  • King'S College London
    King'S College London
    Theology And Art

Frequently Asked Questions about William Burton

What company does William Burton work for?

William Burton works for Awesome Experiences Ltd

What is William Burton's role at the current company?

William Burton's current role is Entrepreneurial CEO & Non-Executive Director | Skilled in Resolving Complex Challenges and Maximising Business Potential, especially in the Travel & Hospitality and Education & Training sectors.

What is William Burton's email address?

William Burton's email address is wi****@****r.co.uk

What schools did William Burton attend?

William Burton attended Insead, Institute Of Directors (Iod), Cim | The Chartered Institute Of Marketing, Institution Of Mechanical Engineers, King's College London, King's College London.

What skills is William Burton known for?

William Burton has skills like E Commerce, Marketing Strategy, Start Ups, Tourism, Online Marketing, Strategic Planning, Sales, Negotiation, Brand Development, Mergers And Acquisitions, Tour Operators, Product Development.

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