William Burton Email & Phone Number

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Mba - Sainsbury Management Scholarship, General Management

Chartered Director Programme, Company Directorship

Postgraduate Diploma, Marketing

Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor’S Degree (Bsc.), Mechanical Engineering And Management

Associate Of Kings College (Akc), Philosophy, Theology And Art