Arjan Kers, General Manager of TUI Netherlands, is now also responsible for the Belgian market. His appointment as Managing Director TUI BENE was announced on Thursday. Sofie Van den Driessche, who until now was responsible for the Belgian market, will work closely with Kers as a member of the new management team. As Managing Director TUI BENE, Kers manages the integrated organisation in both countries. In this role, he will continue to report to Elie Bruyninckx, CEO of TUI Western Region. The former top executive of TUI Netherlands, who has been with the tourism group for 26 years, will be supported in his new role by a six-member Belgian-Dutch management. The composition is as follows: Sofie Van den Driessche: Director Product Luc Lentjes: Director Trading & Flight Capacity Management Roosmarijn Quartier: Director of Marketing & Distribution Support Sebastiaan de Vries: Head of Customer Services BENE & Dutch Caribbean Inge Goedefroo: Head of Retail Distribution Belgium Suzanne Goossen: Head of Retail Distribution The Netherlands This new management will take office on Thursday and will mainly work from the head offices in Rijswijk (NL) and Ostend (BE). Together with colleagues from Finance, Legal, IT, HR and Communication, they now form the BENE-Board of TUI BENE. Kers: ‘This new team offers a nice mix of experience and young talent, Belgian and Dutch colleagues; A good reflection of the opportunities we offer our colleagues. I am very much looking forward to shaping TUI’s bright future with this team.’ The gradual merging of the Belgian and Dutch tour operator activities within TUI is a movement that started almost 10 years ago, says TUI in an explanation.
‘Supported by technological developments that ensure joint systems and processes, both countries have grown even closer together. Efficiency is increased across national borders, among other things by avoiding duplication of activities, to enable the company to realize its ambitious growth plans. As part of this integration, it is a logical step to bring various activities in the field of tour operation and commerce in both neighbouring countries under one leadership.” The transition to a joint BENE management is an important, but certainly not the last step in the integration. Adjustments to the underlying structures will follow, in close consultation with the social partners and in parallel with the opportunities offered by technological developments. TUI BENE is the market leader in both countries, providing the holidays of 4.2 million Belgian and Dutch travellers last year. The combined turnover amounts to 2.8 billion euros. (Archive photo TravMagazine).
