'Seeing Branson's entrepreneurial spirit has led me to say 'yes' more often'
A cruise industry career has drawn in Jack Atherton hook, line and sinker. The Virgin Voyages sales manager and member of TTG’s exclusive 30 Under 30 cohort shares his odyssey so far
Stepping outside of your comfort zone can take courage, but for Jack Atherton, sales manager UK at Virgin Voyages, it has been key to progressing in the career he loves.
Knowing he wanted to work in travel from a young age, Jack studied Travel and Tourism and Business at A level, and during his studies he completed work experience at both Southampton Airport and Carnival UK.
Particularly taken by the world of cruise, Jack joined the Holland America Line and Seabourn reservations team in 2014. Following a promotion to the flight department and a move to P&O and Cunard’s guest relations department, which he describes as “an insightful way to learn about all the operational sides of the business”, Jack transferred to the P&O Cruises Partnership Team as a sales executive. Here, in the trade-facing team, is where he says he made his “fondest memories” at Carnival UK.
During his time at the corporation, Jack made some of those leaps beyond the norm. He explains how he worked on a couple of emergency responses, helping out the P&O Cruises care team and also at the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the pandemic also brought inertia. As a self-professed extrovert, the experience of working from home was not a good fit for Jack. Keen to progress, he took an account manager role outside the industry with DHL Express. However, within two months of the move he began to question his decision to leave the travel industry.
When a job came up at Virgin Voyages under Shane Riley, with whom he had worked at P&O Cruises, Jack jumped at the chance. Joining as a field-based business development manager for the south region, he progressed to sales manager looking after what the company terms “red hot accounts” after just 18 months in the role. Now responsible for managing homeworking agencies as well as cruise specialists, his remit covers the whole of the UK.
POSITIVE INTERACTIONS
Building relationships is Jack’s favourite part of his role and he says it has been key to his success. “You have tough conversations in any business and good relationships means you can manage those situations much more easily,” he asserts, adding, “it’s one of the reasons I wanted to be part of TTG’s 30 under 30 – to meet people from different corners of the industry.”
His hard work has clearly paid off. He says his biggest achievement to date at Virgin Voyages was arranging for Not Just Travel to hold their Seminar at Sea onboard Valiant Lady, hosting 150 travel consultants in June.
“Their business has demonstrated significant growth since they came back,” he enthuses.
Another contributor to his success involved being willing to try and understand himself better. “I thought I knew how others perceived me, but when I took part in insights profiling at Carnival looking at my strengths, weaknesses, blind spots and how I interact with others, I really studied the results,” he reveals.
Jack explains how it led him to have challenging conversations with others around him. He realised that sometimes his outgoing nature meant that he always felt the need to fill silences in meetings.
“I’m more self-aware now, and in group situations I’m conscious there’s space for everyone to speak,” he says.
Jack credits his ambitious attitude to Virgin magnate Sir Richard Branson. “I’ve had an interest in the Virgin brands from a young age and I finally met Richard Branson last November, which was a pretty surreal moment,” he says. “Seeing his entrepreneurial spirit and the way he throws himself out of his comfort zone has led me to say ‘yes’ to things more often.”
A “yes” man, prepared to push his boundaries and always seeking opportunities to hone his craft, it seems Jack Atherton is just getting started.
Read more profiles from the 2023-24 intake:
- Tui’s Molly Attwell;
- TC and CheerTravel owner Stephanie Needley;
- Travel Counsellors’ Jack Prescott
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