If you would like to know more about me and my industry background you are welcome to read the below which gives a brief background on my industry life to-date, the companies I have worked for and the positions I have held.
About Noelann…
I have had a passion for travel for as long as I can remember. It has taken me on varying paths both in my country of birth, Australia, and in New Zealand - my home for the past 25+ years, and as a result has provided me with a diverse background of industry related experience.
Starting out…
I have been fortunate to have worked for some of Australasia’s best known travel organisations – both public and private. My initial industry years in Australia were spent working in Conference, Group & Incentive travel initially with the Commonwealth Bank Travel Service and then with Thai Airways where I worked specifically on Group & FIT product/travel for Royal Orchid Holidays – the ground operating arm of Thai Airways.
The move to New Zealand – Gullivers/Budget Travel…
On moving to New Zealand, as a result of my partner being transferred back to Newmans Tours Head Office, I registered my services with Travel Personnel and was quickly snapped up on temp assignment by Gullivers for their Asia wholesale division as I had a background in manual fare construction and a good knowledge of Asia. Within the week I had been offered a permanent role working in their Europe team. I spent several years in the Gullivers/Budget family – moving on from the Europe division to re-launch their in-house Groups division and then as Wholesale Supervisor before being approached by Management to “switch codes” and become a Budget Travel Retail Manager – a challenge I relished.
Initially I managed the small Royal Oak store and within a few months was moved to their much larger and busier Newmarket store. On my departure from the Budget Newmarket store a few years later (I was expecting our first child) it had evolved into the “flagship” and most successful store of the Budget Travel chain. I am very proud of the work I did with this store.
Failure as a “stay-at-home” mum & ATTTO…
As it turns out, and having not taken Maternity Leave, I wasn’t a very good “stay at home mum” and with a very good baby I became “mentally bored” almost instantly. Luckily for me I was approached by an industry colleague, who had been successful in tendering for the contract for management of the marking of all Exam papers for ATTTO, to see if I would be interested in being part of her team of industry skilled Markers. This was perfect for me and soon I was back busy again, working from home and enjoying the challenge of juggling 100’s of exam papers which arrived all at once with very tight turnarounds! This kept me satisfied for a few months and I then decided to look for additional part-time opportunities and re-commenced work at Gullivers as part-time back-up support for the Reservations & Product teams.
Escape Holidays, Calypso & a career changing decision…
After a number of months back at Gullivers I was approached by Escape Holidays and offered the opportunity to work on a more permanent basis managing their Land Database both prior to Calypso and then assisting with managing the transition to Calypso. I managed a small team based in Auckland and also had a staff member based in Christchurch. I have always had a great interest in product/contracting from my early days working with Groups, Conferences & Incentives in Australia, so when the opportunity presented itself to also take on the USA/Canada Product portfolio, in addition to the Land Database responsibilities, I eagerly accepted the challenge. I loved working with the suppliers, negotiating the “deals” and planning and creating the brochures and flyers.
Having had my 2nd child by this stage, and only taken 14 weeks Maternity Leave, I was certainly very busy with both roles. Unfortunately during the early years, it became apparent that my son Andrew had some behavioural & learning disabilities associated with mild Asperger’s Syndrome and it became necessary for me to seek a less time demanding role in order to be able to focus my attention and manage his needs at the time. It is never easy in ones career to have to “step down” or “take a back step” but family was my priority and so I resigned my role at Escape Holidays and took some initial time out to spend with Andrew and to find an alternate and less time demanding role.
Pavlovich Coachlines & that all important Work/Life balance…
I was lucky after a couple of months to find permanent part-time employment as the Sales Manager for Pavlovich Coachlines - a 5 star coach touring company with plant based in the North & South Islands. Their office was located close to home and the role, working in a small but busy team, afforded me the diversity and challenge of other roles without the time/staff management demands.
I spent 18 months in this role and learnt a myriad of new skills and more importantly was able to brush up on my NZ geographical knowledge! I was out visiting and managing existing client relationships, sourcing and quoting for new business contracts, manning desks at Expos as well as helping out with the day to day tasks of processing quotes and bookings. In this small, tight team it was important that everyone worked together – no one considered themselves above answering phones or stuffing envelopes from the owner down!
During this period I was also able to spend time investigating options to assist with ensuring Andrew got the quality care and assistance that he needed. This has paid-off hugely over the years as in December 2016 Andrew completed and graduated Year 13 and commences a Bachelor of Design at AUT at the end of February 2017.
GO Holidays…
Whilst I enjoyed my time at Pavlovich Coachlines, I missed the excitement of outbound travel and working in a large team. Keeping in mind my desire for work/life balance I decided to keep my eye out for opportunities to return to outbound travel, but in a support capacity rather than back in front-line retail or a Product role which would at times involve long hours and overseas travel.
I applied for and was offered the role of Executive Assistant to the then CEO, Bill Matthews, founder of GO Holidays. The role was very varied (which I loved) with no two days ever the same, 4 staff to manage and called on many of my skills, both in terms of administrative support but also my travel background.
Whilst initially 30hrs per week, within 2 months the job had evolved into a fulltime “and then some” roll and I was supporting several Executives within the business across a number of divisions. The Company offered great flexibility so whilst the hours were often long I was able to work from home to cover the additional hours now required in the role. So that’s where I have been for the last 12 years – and a thoroughly enjoyable 12 years it was. We were bought and sold many times during this period which was at times challenging, but we persevered and when I left GO in late 2016 I left knowing the business was at the “top of its game”.
The big decision…
About 18 months prior to resigning from GO Holidays I had made my GM aware that I was a little bored and looking for more of a challenge. During this period he provided me with opportunities of Secondment into other parts of the business to assist with any unexpected absences of Managers for extended periods as he was aware of my background in the industry. The last 6 months of my time with GO Holidays was spent in secondment to Helloworld Head Office where I was charged with overseeing 6 of their company owned stores who needed specific support and focus and also assisting with the opening of two new Helloworld stores. Different and exciting challenges!
Following my time at Helloworld Head Office I decided that I was definitely looking for a new challenge and to return to my role at GO Holidays, whilst I loved the business and the people, would not be the right move for me personally. A little tentative, but confident of my decision, I took the plunge and resigned - giving myself some time at the end of a busy year to then plan my path forward.
About Noelann…
I have had a passion for travel for as long as I can remember. It has taken me on varying paths both in my country of birth, Australia, and in New Zealand - my home for the past 25+ years, and as a result has provided me with a diverse background of industry related experience.
Starting out…
I have been fortunate to have worked for some of Australasia’s best known travel organisations – both public and private. My initial industry years in Australia were spent working in Conference, Group & Incentive travel initially with the Commonwealth Bank Travel Service and then with Thai Airways where I worked specifically on Group & FIT product/travel for Royal Orchid Holidays – the ground operating arm of Thai Airways.
The move to New Zealand – Gullivers/Budget Travel…
On moving to New Zealand, as a result of my partner being transferred back to Newmans Tours Head Office, I registered my services with Travel Personnel and was quickly snapped up on temp assignment by Gullivers for their Asia wholesale division as I had a background in manual fare construction and a good knowledge of Asia. Within the week I had been offered a permanent role working in their Europe team. I spent several years in the Gullivers/Budget family – moving on from the Europe division to re-launch their in-house Groups division and then as Wholesale Supervisor before being approached by Management to “switch codes” and become a Budget Travel Retail Manager – a challenge I relished.
Initially I managed the small Royal Oak store and within a few months was moved to their much larger and busier Newmarket store. On my departure from the Budget Newmarket store a few years later (I was expecting our first child) it had evolved into the “flagship” and most successful store of the Budget Travel chain. I am very proud of the work I did with this store.
Failure as a “stay-at-home” mum & ATTTO…
As it turns out, and having not taken Maternity Leave, I wasn’t a very good “stay at home mum” and with a very good baby I became “mentally bored” almost instantly. Luckily for me I was approached by an industry colleague, who had been successful in tendering for the contract for management of the marking of all Exam papers for ATTTO, to see if I would be interested in being part of her team of industry skilled Markers. This was perfect for me and soon I was back busy again, working from home and enjoying the challenge of juggling 100’s of exam papers which arrived all at once with very tight turnarounds! This kept me satisfied for a few months and I then decided to look for additional part-time opportunities and re-commenced work at Gullivers as part-time back-up support for the Reservations & Product teams.
Escape Holidays, Calypso & a career changing decision…
After a number of months back at Gullivers I was approached by Escape Holidays and offered the opportunity to work on a more permanent basis managing their Land Database both prior to Calypso and then assisting with managing the transition to Calypso. I managed a small team based in Auckland and also had a staff member based in Christchurch. I have always had a great interest in product/contracting from my early days working with Groups, Conferences & Incentives in Australia, so when the opportunity presented itself to also take on the USA/Canada Product portfolio, in addition to the Land Database responsibilities, I eagerly accepted the challenge. I loved working with the suppliers, negotiating the “deals” and planning and creating the brochures and flyers.
Having had my 2nd child by this stage, and only taken 14 weeks Maternity Leave, I was certainly very busy with both roles. Unfortunately during the early years, it became apparent that my son Andrew had some behavioural & learning disabilities associated with mild Asperger’s Syndrome and it became necessary for me to seek a less time demanding role in order to be able to focus my attention and manage his needs at the time. It is never easy in ones career to have to “step down” or “take a back step” but family was my priority and so I resigned my role at Escape Holidays and took some initial time out to spend with Andrew and to find an alternate and less time demanding role.
Pavlovich Coachlines & that all important Work/Life balance…
I was lucky after a couple of months to find permanent part-time employment as the Sales Manager for Pavlovich Coachlines - a 5 star coach touring company with plant based in the North & South Islands. Their office was located close to home and the role, working in a small but busy team, afforded me the diversity and challenge of other roles without the time/staff management demands.
I spent 18 months in this role and learnt a myriad of new skills and more importantly was able to brush up on my NZ geographical knowledge! I was out visiting and managing existing client relationships, sourcing and quoting for new business contracts, manning desks at Expos as well as helping out with the day to day tasks of processing quotes and bookings. In this small, tight team it was important that everyone worked together – no one considered themselves above answering phones or stuffing envelopes from the owner down!
During this period I was also able to spend time investigating options to assist with ensuring Andrew got the quality care and assistance that he needed. This has paid-off hugely over the years as in December 2016 Andrew completed and graduated Year 13 and commences a Bachelor of Design at AUT at the end of February 2017.
GO Holidays…
Whilst I enjoyed my time at Pavlovich Coachlines, I missed the excitement of outbound travel and working in a large team. Keeping in mind my desire for work/life balance I decided to keep my eye out for opportunities to return to outbound travel, but in a support capacity rather than back in front-line retail or a Product role which would at times involve long hours and overseas travel.
I applied for and was offered the role of Executive Assistant to the then CEO, Bill Matthews, founder of GO Holidays. The role was very varied (which I loved) with no two days ever the same, 4 staff to manage and called on many of my skills, both in terms of administrative support but also my travel background.
Whilst initially 30hrs per week, within 2 months the job had evolved into a fulltime “and then some” roll and I was supporting several Executives within the business across a number of divisions. The Company offered great flexibility so whilst the hours were often long I was able to work from home to cover the additional hours now required in the role. So that’s where I have been for the last 12 years – and a thoroughly enjoyable 12 years it was. We were bought and sold many times during this period which was at times challenging, but we persevered and when I left GO in late 2016 I left knowing the business was at the “top of its game”.
The big decision…
About 18 months prior to resigning from GO Holidays I had made my GM aware that I was a little bored and looking for more of a challenge. During this period he provided me with opportunities of Secondment into other parts of the business to assist with any unexpected absences of Managers for extended periods as he was aware of my background in the industry. The last 6 months of my time with GO Holidays was spent in secondment to Helloworld Head Office where I was charged with overseeing 6 of their company owned stores who needed specific support and focus and also assisting with the opening of two new Helloworld stores. Different and exciting challenges!
Following my time at Helloworld Head Office I decided that I was definitely looking for a new challenge and to return to my role at GO Holidays, whilst I loved the business and the people, would not be the right move for me personally. A little tentative, but confident of my decision, I took the plunge and resigned - giving myself some time at the end of a busy year to then plan my path forward.
That brings us up-to-date – so here I am! Promoting my skillset and services to you and your business.