Meet the Team
Chair & PR Director
Michelle Laverick
Michelle has been an AWTE Board member since 2018 and has spent a lifetime in travel working in and leading, award-winning marketing teams across the sector including HF Holidays, Collette Travel, Wendy Wu Tours, Explore, Inghams, First Choice and Direct Holidays. She is passionate about the AWTE and its values, and strives to support women throughout their working careers, offering guidance on opportunities for development and mentorship, and support for whatever challenges are encountered.
Outside of work, she spends much of her time running around after her two daughters. Although she’s never happier than when she is either swimming, hiking up mountains, out on her bike or planning her next big challenge. Open water swimming helps Michelle cope with the challenges that life throws at her, and competing helps maintain her overall fitness and enables her to challenge herself further. In 2022 she embarked on a new adventure and completed a skydive in support of the AWTE charity for 2022/3 Papyrus. More recently, the latest challenge was completing the 100mile RideLondon cycle - completely out of her comfort zone!
Vice-Chair & Development Director
Debbie O'Neill
Debbie is the Managing Director for Jules Verne, a qualified NLP practitioner and a Women’s Empowerment Coach. Having worked in the travel industry for over 30 years, she has successfully worked her way to the most senior position within the organisation through a series of change ideas and cultural change initiatives.
More recently, she has completely reimagined the way she looks at corporate life and is determined to change the workplace as we know it. Coaching, connection, and authenticity sit at the centre of her vision and this ‘people focussed’ management ethos is creating a workspace where people can flourish and thrive.
A Mum to Max and Wife to David, all of whom share a passion for travel; in the spare time she has, Debbie enjoys practicing Reiki & Tai Chi, taking long dog walks, and indulging in the occasional pamper treatment.
Finance Director
Helen Tustin
Helen joined the AWTE Board in August 2021. Her travel career began in January 1982, when she became a YTS trainee at a family-owned independent travel agency, where she was fortunate enough to be mentored by the owner. By the age of 21, she was appointed Branch Manager. Over the next 36 years, the company expanded into a robust award-winning independent business with four offices. When the proprietor retired, Tailormade Travel acquired the business. After overseeing the merger of the two businesses, Helen sought a new challenge and launched Wellbeing Travel just before the pandemic in December 2019.
Helen also sits on the South Wales CoR for ABTA as well as sitting as Chair of the ACC at Cardiff Airport.
In her spare time Helen likes to spend time with family at the gym which is her down time and social time. She also enjoys cooking and loves to make a good sourdough loaf.
Events Director
Jane Pinfold
Jane has been an AWTE member since 2016 and 5 of those years as a board Member , taking a little break last year to focus on her new role with Scott Dunn.
Having worked in the travel sector for over 3 decades managing sales team and commercial roles for Funway Holidays , United Vacations , James Villa holidays and during Covid the launch of a new Villa business. Jane is passionate about the AWTE and its values, and strives to support women throughout their working careers, offering guidance on opportunities for development and mentorship, and support for whatever challenges are encountered. Always at hand to lend and ear and support.
Outside of work, Jane likes nothing more than getting creative whether that’s floristry or baking , also plays Netball, loves organising personal travel plans also. Jane loves a comedy show and going to concerts .. a social butterfly.
Events Director
Yvonne Kinder
Yvonne is currently the Events & Partnerships Manager at AITO The Specialist Travel Association. She is also the Travel Agent Liaison at the association. She absolutely loves her job as she believes she is a true people person and enjoys organising any event from start to finish. Whilst living in Singapore, she took up tennis playing for the first time playing socially at the British Club and moved on to playing in the different teams, leagues over a short period of time. Tennis is her true sport and currently plays in two Tennis Clubs, the Lensbury Club in Teddington and at Surbiton Tennis Club, Surbiton. Being competitive is in her DNA and currently plays in the LTA Tennis Middlesex League and Surrey League tennis tournaments in a high division. She has two fabulous sons who she is extremely proud of. By nature she enjoys meeting people, curious about how the world works and manages difficult situations with tact and ease. Travelling the world has been a privilege and have experienced and visited fabulous destinations. What is the future? I look forward most of the time whilst learning from the past but never look back. Life passes by too quickly to regret so I would like to say I am a very positive person with so much passion for life. I soak myself with anything that makes me happy and leave the negative and sad experiences in a tiny box. Music and dancing always lifts my spirits!
Partnerships Director
Joanna Reeve
Jo Reeve is Head of Partnerships at Intrepid Travel. Having joined Intrepid more than ten years ago, Reeve has held various roles including running the company’s tailor-made and private groups division and heading up trade sales. She now oversees partnerships & business development for the EMEA region, in line with Intrepid’s dual goals of growth and balancing purpose and profit.
Reeve started her career in TV & Media working in production for TV travel shows on Sky and Discovery Networks in the UK and US. She then returned to her native Suffolk, where she began her career in the travel industry, holding several sales and business development roles in the touring and adventure sectors.
Secretary
Kelly Davies
Kelly has over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, beginning her career at Newmarket Holidays, where she spent 15 years in roles across Trade and Sales Support, Out of Hours Duty Cover, and Product Operations and Events. In 2019, she joined Active International, a global Corporate Trade company that enables clients to fund their advertising using the company’s products, assets, or services. Bringing value to the biggest names in travel, from airlines and tour operators to hotel groups, Active helps businesses maximize their marketing budgets. Kelly now leads the Business Services team, overseeing its ABTA- and ATOL-bonded travel agency.
Outside of work, Kelly is dedicated to mentoring and mental health advocacy. She volunteers with MAPS, an early-intervention charity supporting vulnerable children and young people and is also a trained mental health first aider. Weekends are spent outdoors with her young son and golden retriever, making the most of family time - when she’s not busy hoovering up dog hair! Kelly became an AWTE member in 2024 and is excited to join the board in 2025, bringing her industry experience and passion for supporting women in travel and tourism.
Membership Director
Elena Ktori
Elena has a wealth of experience working within the travel and tourism industry, having started her travel career back in 1995.
Now the co-owner and founder of Antella Travel Recruitment with her husband Tony Yerasimou, which they launched together during covid following their joint redundancy.
She has been a mentor for Women in Travel CIC and currently for Women in Travel Thrive, where she mentor’s and supports women through career challenges, providing guidance and advise on how to approach situations at work.
Elena believes it is important as women to unite and support one and other. We have achieved our own individual success, where we can learn, grow and be an inspiration to each other. As women we are so much stronger when we cheer and celebrate ourselves and each other as individuals.
She is passionate about being an advocate for creating better work places, mental health within our industry and shares daily on LinkedIn to help companies retain talent.
Outside of work, Elena embraces her Cypriot Roots and enjoys cooking meals and entertaining family and friends at home. Reading books and going for walks with Charlie Boy before starting her day.
.jpg)
Social Director
Linzi Barber
Linzi has been in the travel industry for over 20 years starting her career with Jersey European Airways in ops planning and scheduled planning. From the start of her aviation career, she was hooked and remains a self confessed plane geek today. After seeing Jersey European transform to British European and onto lead the way with many low cost initiatives as Flybe and being part of the teams leading both the acquisition of BA connect and also Finncomm it was time for a move. During her latter years as a senior member of the sales team with Flybe Linzi was responsible for leisure, sales, charter sales and the groups department. A natural move was into the world of charter broking and Linzi enjoyed 6 years in a slightly different side of the industry working for Air Partner, one of her largest clients back in her Flybe days.
In 2019 an opportunity of a lifetime arose to work with AirlinePros a former supplier to Flybe and support the management team to expand globally into 42 new markets. Linzi will always be grateful for the opportunities she has been given. In her own words “working for possibly not the biggest players has given me an amazing opportunity to learn and get involved in areas of the business which would otherwise not have been possible. It is these skillsets and mindsets that have set me up for where I am today.
Marketing Director
Hannah Marshall
Joining the AWTE board, Hannah is passionate about championing women's success in the vibrant world of travel. Currently, she serves as Marketing Manager at CV Villas, and has over 9 years' experience in the travel marketing industry.
Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in digital marketing, marketing strategy, and customer relationship management. In addition to these, she is highly skilled in website development, seamlessly integrating her understanding of design, user experience, and functionality to create engaging online platforms.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Hannah is passionate about mental wellbeing and enjoys long walks, finding peace and inspiration in nature. She also expresses her creativity through dressmaking, where her attention to detail and artistic flair shine through.
Comms Director
Ella Dunham
Ella has worked in travel since leaving school, across a variety of companies including the likes of First Class Holidays, Andorra Resorts, Travel Counsellors, and is currently Head of Marketing at Exsus Travel.
Ella’s background in marketing began with a viral Twitter page, which equipped her with the skills to pursue travel writing, video journalism, and social media management. She has also had a radio segment on national radio stations talkSPORT and talkRADIO. In 2023, Ella was named in TTG’s ’30 Under 30’ and named ‘Rising Star of the Year’ by the Association of Women Travel Executives. She is a guest lecturer for the Institute of Travel and Tourism’s ‘Future You’ Programme, which aims to inspire and mentor students entering the industry.
In addition to her marketing expertise, Ella is a freelance travel writer and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Her passion for exploring new destinations (over 45 countries visited thus far), immersing herself in different cultures. She is a huge advocate for positive mental wellbeing and loves anything to do with wellness, particularly yoga, breathwork and anything to do with self-development!
PR Director
Sophie Morgan
With a wealth of experience in Communications and Marketing Sophie has represented global luxury brands across Tourism, Consumer, Fashion, and Real Estate sectors at agencies in both London and Sydney. With expertise in brand building, strategic partnerships, and communication management she most recently specialised in introducing emerging destinations to market. Having studied Environmental Management at Leeds University, Sophie likes to take a holistic approach to tourism marketing, observing the positive impact it can have from an environmental, social, and economic perspective.
Sophie has also been involved in supporting the Step Up internship programme via her current role at FINN Partners and is a member of The Girls’ Network mentoring scheme.
Membership Director
Tolene van der Merwe
Tolene van der Merwe is an accomplished travel and tourism industry leader, currently serving as the Director for the UK & Ireland at the Malta Tourism Authority since October 2019. In this role, she oversees the marketing and brand strategy and general operations for her unit, ensuring that the enchanting Maltese Islands are effectively promoted to travellers. Based in London, Tolene leads a dedicated team that collaborates closely with the travel trade to inspire and educate potential visitors.
With 30 years of experience in the industry, Tolene has held various senior positions that have shaped her expertise. Before joining the Malta Tourism Authority, she was the Hub Head for UK & Ireland at South African Tourism and served as Director of a hotel representation agency. Her extensive background includes roles such as Product Manager for an outbound tour operator and National Sales Manager for a luxury hotel group.
Under Tolene’s leadership, the UK has consistently remained Malta’s largest inbound market. Notably, 2024 has marked a record-breaking year for arrivals, surpassing even the peak year of 2019. This impressive growth reflects the successful marketing strategies implemented by her team.
Benevolent Director
Barbro McAusland
Barbro’s career in the travel industry has spanned over 40 years. For the first 30 years, Barbro worked tirelessly for the Swedish Tourist Board, now known as Visit Sweden, and based in London, ultimately becoming Director. It was a lovely time, building the awareness of Sweden and all that the fabulous country offers: launching campaigns, producing brochures and running a renowned PR department, making Sweden available for so many journalists and TV crews. The last 10 years of Barbro’s career was spent as Director of the US office for Visit Sweden as well as for major market Germany and The Netherlands. Such a lot of travelling but always good fun!
Barbro joined AWTE in 1973 – specifically for the purpose of networking with the travel trade – and she became Chair of AWTE from 2012-2015 and then joined the AWTE Benevolent Board.
Barbro reflects that the Travel Industry has changed so much over these years and she can only say, “What joy and friendships it has given me!”