Former transport sec Justine Greening joins On the Beach

“I am excited to be joining the Board of On the Beach at a time when the UK’s vaccine roll-out continues apace, and consumers can look forward to the prospect of going on holiday again," said Greening.

"Simon [Cooper, On the Beach chief executive] and his team have built a great business which puts the consumer at the forefront of everything that they do.

"I look forward to working with him, Richard [Pennycook] and the wider board as On the Beach continues on its mission to be Europe’s leading online retailer of beach holidays."

‘Invaluable experience’

Pennycook, who chairs the OTA’s board, added: "Justine has had both a successful business career and an illustrious political career. Her important work upon leaving government to establish the Social Mobility Pledge has been instrumental in changing the way businesses and universities think about social mobility.

"It is a privilege Justine has chosen On the Beach as her first corporate non-executive director role and we look forward to working with her and benefiting from her extensive knowledge and expertise.

"As the travel sector recovers from the pandemic, we expect some fairly major reforms to the regulatory landscape. Justine’s experience, in and out of Westminster, will be invaluable as On the Beach navigates these reforms and pursues opportunities to grow our market share both in the UK and internationally.”