• Founder Justin Francis becomes Executive Chair, with Richard Skinner and Tim Williamson appointed joint Managing Directors
• Change coincides with team expansion to meet customer demand
• Company severs ties to Barclays amid fossil fuel concerns, becoming first travel client of Unity Trust Bank
• MD Tim Wiliamson: 'Divesting is a powerfully positive but often simple act to support renewables, not fossil fuels.'

Holiday company Responsible Travel has announced changes to its senior leadership team.

Founder and CEO Justin Francis becomes executive chair. Operations director Richard Skinner* and customer director Tim Williamson** become joint managing directors and will oversee the daily running of the company.

The change coincides with a period of growth at the company, as it recruits for its travel team to meet rising customer demand and has expanded its member partnerships team.

A call to divest

The newly structured leadership's first collective act was to sever the company's ties to Barclays Bank, following significant concerns over its fossil fuel investments. The company has become the first travel client at Unity Trust Bank – an independent commercial bank with a responsible investment strategy.

On the banking switch, Responsible Travel managing director, Tim Williamson, said: “Tourism can and does do so much good, but it also contributes heavily to climate heating. We need to work to address that in every way we can across our industry and within our businesses. Every business should look at what its cash is being used to fund and ensure investments aren't fuelling the climate crisis. Divesting from banks and energy suppliers that invest in fossil fuels are two impactful ways we can help cut carbon and support nature. It's a powerfully positive but often simple act to support renewables, not fossil fuels.”

Tim added: “We're a values-led company. It's more pressing than ever to ensure those values are baked into every area of our business - and this is one of them. Barclays supported us through the pandemic when we needed that, but they also invested over $16bn into fossil fuels in 2022 alone. Investing with them made us part of that problem. The world of ethical banking is small, though growing, and it took time to find the right alternative – but the investment values at Unity Trust Bank are a great match for us.” 

Last year, Responsible Travel launched its first major impact report and rolled out a carbon label option to its 479 global tour operator and accommodation members. The company now offers almost 900 carbon-labelled holidays on its site. It does not support or promote carbon offsetting - instead advising customers to fly less and choose responsible trips that work to reduce carbon, support nature and benefit communities.

Justin's new role will see him remain heavily involved in the business, while allowing him to dedicate more time to his activism, speaking and advisory work – as well as his other roles including biodiversity lead for the UK's Council for Sustainable Business and board director for Responsible Travel partner, Saruni Basecamp. 

Responsible Travel founder and executive chair Justin Francis said: “Responsible Travel has passed a milestone of 200k customers and 2023 was, by a very long way, our best ever year. As a business, and as travellers, we've followed Robert Frost who said, 'two roads diverged in a wood - I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference'. The road ahead for Responsible Travel and our industry will face many more forks, and I'll be spending more time externally celebrating our achievements and advocating for better tourism.”

Notes to editors

• For more information, images, quotes or to arrange an interview, email Jenny Williams at jenny@responsibletravel.com
• * With over 30 years of industry experience, Richard Skinner – who joined the company in 2006 – manages relationships with new and prospective members.  ** Prior to joining the company, Tim Williamson was a director at Monarch Airlines, CEO of The Travel Department in Ireland, customer director at TUI UK, and an ABTA board director. He previously served as a Non-Exec Director on Responsible Travel's board before joining the staff team in 2014.

About Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel is an independent activist holiday company and publisher, founded in 2001. It offers almost 6,000 trips across more than 180 countries, from 479 specialist travel partners around the world. The company screens each trip and every potential partner against its responsible tourism criteria and policies. All of its holidays share the aim of creating better places to live in and to visit. The company has been campaigning for positive change in the tourism industry for more than two decades and has published more than 730 online responsible travel guides and articles.