30 Under 30: Meet Lloyd Cross
Lloyd Cross, regional sales manager at Jet2holidays, tells Charlotte Flach about his passion for developing his team and how he has risen up through the ranks
At 27 years old, Lloyd Cross has worked his way up to regional sales manager for the whole of Scotland and the north of England at Jet2holidays. Although he is passionate about his career and dedicated to his team, Cross has not always worked in the travel industry.
After leaving school at 16 because he “preferred the idea of work to education”, Cross went on to work for Santander for three years, making his way up from behind the counter to banking advisor. “There was lots of selling involved, which really excited me,” he says.
His career took a turn when he got chatting to one of his dad’s work colleagues, who worked as a sales executive for Jet2.
“I met someone at Jet2 who told me all about his day-to-day role travelling all around the country. I decided to move from my family home in Scotland down to Leeds and applied for a job as a sales advisor in Jet2’s call centre.”
James Stephenson, head of people services at Tui, sponsor of Tomorrow's Travel Leaders, says:
“Lloyd has made some brave moves in his career so far and his future potential stands out.
He has stretched himself to focus on his own development, which has allowed him to effectively develop his team.
Lloyd understands the importance of having a strong network across the industry. I’m sure his 30 under 30 experience will stand him in good stead for his next career move.”
One-and-a-half years later an opportunity as a sales executive came up in the company and Cross jumped at the chance.
Now he manages five sales executives in his role as a regional manager, which he says is the proudest moment of his career.
“My role changed from working off of my own strengths to managing a team. I can share what worked for me as a successful sales executive with them, as well as bringing on and developing new staff.”
For Cross, being part of the TTG 30 Under 30 programme for 2020 is an opportunity to raise his profile in the industry, despite the current challenges presented by coronavirus.
“I’m looking forward to networking at events later down the line and meeting new people. It’s a great opportunity for me to hear other people’s stories and what has made them successful.”
Young people who are thinking about a career in travel shouldn’t be put off by any misconceptions, he says. “If someone is thinking of working in a call centre, for example, they might think they are just going to be sat in an office all day, but there are so many opportunities to go to events or [attend] fam trips.”
Looking ahead to the future, Cross is excited about continuing to develop himself professionally. “I want to keep the momentum of my progression going – as long as I’m learning and taking opportunities as they arise, I’ll be happy.”
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