Understanding the business

“I was born in Glasgow and
my parents immigrated to SA
40 years ago.
“I started in travel as a
receptionist at what is today
Sure Witbank Travel. There
was little choice for travellers
then. TFC Tours was an easy
sell because people felt
safer and more comfortable
travelling in groups. KLM and
BA flights to London were
the big sellers.
“I went on an educational
to Greece with Thompsons
and, for the first time,
realised there was life
outside Witbank. When
I came back I moved to
Cape Town and found a job
with Gundelfingers. When
I moved on to Compass
Tours, the wholesale division
of Rennies, I had solid
experience in retail, which
proved invaluable in the
future.
“I was in sales at Compass
and did not like it but it did
give me the opportunity
when it was bought by the
Thompsons group to manage
a new leisure retail division
that Anton Thompson
set up.
It was here that I was
introduced to the big picture
of the relationship between
wholesale and retail. I also
saw the value of hands-on
leadership. Anton knew
everything that was going on.
“We became the numberone
supplier to World Leisure
Holidays and in 1991 the
md, Bruce Hutchinson,
approached me to join them
as operations director.
“Bruce taught me about
marketing. He was quite
exceptional and very
determined once he set out
to do something.”
Jackie learned the
business thoroughly. She
was there for 15 years, the
last four as md.