The TravMedia Summit

Sophie Griffiths joined Travel Trade Gazette in March 2010 as a news reporter before working her way up to the position of editor in January 2017. She is also the founder of TTG LGBT - a network for LGBT people and allies within the travel industry - which  champions diversity within the sector. Sophie was named Editor of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards in 2018, 2019 and 2022. In January 2022 Sophie was named TTG’s first Chief Purpose Officer, helping TTG it mission to drive a smarter, better, fairer travel industry. She returned to work in September 2024 after a year’s maternity leave.  

Claire Irvin leads the award-winning travel team at The Times and The Sunday Times. Claire is a respected journalist and experienced digital operator, and took up her post after six years in the role of Head of Travel at The Telegraph. She has a weekly travel slot on Sky News, and makes frequent appearances on TV and radio including on Times Radio, BBC, ITV and LBC. She is also an experienced magazine editor, previously editor-in-chief of SHE magazine, editor at large of Grazia, acting editor of Company, and editor of teen magazines Sugar and ElleGirl.

Mark Palmer is the Travel Editor of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, following the merger of the two titles. He has worked at DMG Media for some 15 years as both an editor and writer. Mark falls easily in the category of Fleet Street veteran, having started out on Londoner’s Diary at the Evening Standard in the 1980s, after which he edited a free magazine in Southwest London before joining the Sunday Telegraph, where he ended up as News Editor. He then moved to the Daily Express as Executive Editor before joining the Mail. He has written two books: one about football, the other about shoes.

Eliot Stein is a senior journalist and editor at BBC Travel and the author of the new book Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, Wired, The Guardian, The Washington Post, CNN, The Independent, and elsewhere.

Charlie has worked in research for over 25 years, with a background in quantitative and mixed method research. His work is focused on helping companies identify and engage audiences, driving returns across all channels. He has worked with clients ranging from media owners through to sports rights holders, regulatory bodies and consultancies, with complex problems including NPD, trade-off analysis and scenario development, as well as brand tracking, audience understanding and a whole range of studies in between. In recent years he has been putting that expertise to use helping clients use Kantar Media’s suite of TGI planning tools in a range of applications. These include proprietary segmentations, custom analyses and audience mapping, with a particular focus on the travel industry where he has worked with a variety of clients to help them maximise the impact of their communications.”

Tim Riley is Managing Director of The True Traveller, who in partnership with AXA are probably best known for covering adventure travellers and backpackers. He is also Chair of the Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries, the industry body, which represents 80% of UK travel insurers. Tim started in the travel industry working for Trailfinders in the 1980s and stayed in the tailor-made part of the travel industry until 2010, where he was Operations Director of TUI Travel Specialist Division, looking after the Austravel, Travelmood and Trips Worldwide brands. Tim still thinks of himself as a “travel man” rather than a travel insurance person, but he has the advantage of having worked in senior roles in tour operation and now, travel insurance.

Eulanda Shead Osagiede is an award-winning food culture and travel TV presenter, content creator, and co-founder of “Hey! Dip Your Toes In,” a platform exploring global tastes and stories. Eulanda has been recognised by WTM London as one of the top BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) high flyers in the travel industry. She has been featured in National Geographic, Ebony, Forbes, The Washington Post, and has collaborated with brands like Hyundai, Expedia, Google, Coca-Cola, Intrepid Travel, and others. A passionate advocate for DEI in travel, Eulanda serves as Director of Operations for Black Travel Alliance. She has spoken at major events for brands like TEDx, Facebook, Hotelympia, Sky Media, and WTM London. On TV, she appears as a guest presenter in the award-winning series The Three Drinkers, showcasing her love for food and drink.

Tolene van der Merwe is an accomplished leader in the travel and tourism industry, currently serving as the Director for the UK & Ireland at the Malta Tourism Authority since October 2019. In this role, she oversees the marketing and brand strategy, as well as general operations for her unit, ensuring that the enchanting Maltese Islands are effectively promoted to travellers. Based in London, Tolene leads a dedicated team that collaborates closely with the travel trade to inspire and educate potential visitors. With over 27 years of experience in the industry, Tolene has held various senior positions that have shaped her expertise. Prior to joining the Malta Tourism Authority, she was the Hub Head for UK & Ireland at South African Tourism and also served as Director of a hotel representation agency. Her extensive background includes roles such as Product Manager for an outbound tour operator and National Sales Manager for a luxury hotel group. Under Tolene’s leadership, the UK has consistently remained Malta’s largest inbound market. Notably, 2024 has marked a record-breaking year for arrivals, surpassing even the peak year of 2019. This impressive growth reflects the successful marketing strategies implemented by Tolene and her team.

Laura is Vice President, Communications at Virgin Atlantic, where she’s responsible for corporate comms, consumer PR, events, internal communications, people engagement, thought leadership and crisis response globally. She led the comms response to the pandemic, including lobbying efforts for aviation, ensuring a path to re-opening the skies, with the reopening of the transatlantic corridor marked on 8 November 2021 with a unique Virgin Atlantic-British Airways dual take-off. Laura has masterminded inaugural route launches with Sir Richard Branson, including Tel Aviv, Austin and Tampa; product launches for the airline’s state of the art aircraft; the airline’s 40th birthday celebrations and high profile DE&I initiatives. In November 2023, she led communications for Flight100, the world’s first flight across the Atlantic on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Laura joined Virgin Atlantic in 2018 and previously spent 15 years heading up communications in leading UK newsrooms, spanning BBC Global News, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and ITV News at ITN. Laura studied at the University of Edinburgh, lives in London and is a board member of the Women of the Year Foundation and Awards.

Graeme leads communications for ABTA, the UK’s leading travel association, which in 2025 marks its 75th anniversary. Directing ABTA’s comms strategy for around 1,200 members – who between them have 4,300 travel brands – Graeme is a regular speaker at travel industry events and in national, trade and regional media. He joined ABTA in 2020 having previously headed communications at Waitrose, and has 30 years’ communications experience.

With over nine years of experience in TUI’s UK communications team, Amy has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s reputation, leading brand-building campaigns, and generating proactive media coverage. She also spearheaded the development of communications measurement initiatives. As Head of UK Communications at the global leisure and travel company, Amy oversees internal and external communications and is part of the international communications leadership team. She is a key leader in crisis management and brand reputation, having successfully guided the business through the challenges of COVID, a critical period for the travel industry. Earlier in her career, Amy honed her PR skills at Vauxhall’s press office, supporting the launch of key vehicles including the Ampera, the brand's first electric car, and the Vauxhall Adam. Before joining TUI, Amy travelled extensively in Australia and Asia, and held brand-focused roles at Goodyear Dunlop and Park Resorts.

Amy's journey in the travel industry began with a passion for exploration and a keen eye for storytelling. Before she was in her teens, Amy was the child presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship travel programme Breakaway and reported across the globe, from Paris to New York on what made these destinations worth visiting for kids. And so, the seed was sown for a lifelong love of travel and the never-ending search for ‘the story’. Starting as an intern at bgb nearly 20 years ago, Amy moved on from franking the post and spray-mounting coverage to becoming Managing Partner of FINN’s Travel PR team in the UK and was recently included in the 2024 PRWeek Power Book. Amy has worked in every job in a travel PR agency from news story sell ins to celebrity activations; with countless crises, proposals, awards and press trips under her belt – you name it, she has done it and is known for her frank approach and insightful adaptability. She ensures that the stories of every destination and brand the FINN team touch are told with passion, creativity, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world of travel.