Managing Executive Adventure Travel

About Our Client

Our client is an established leader in the African tourism and destination-management sector, offering authentic adventure and experiential travel products to international and local markets.

The organisation operates a diverse portfolio of guided journeys, overland adventures and premium African travel experiences. With an established business-to-business distribution network, the company is entering an exciting period of transformation focused on expanding its direct-to-consumer capabilities, modernising its digital infrastructure and repositioning its product portfolio for future growth.

They are seeking an accomplished and commercially driven Managing Executive to lead this transformation and strengthen the organisation’s position as a recognised authority in African adventure travel.

About the Position

The Managing Executive will assume full strategic, commercial and operational responsibility for the adventure travel business unit.

This is not a business-as-usual leadership appointment. The successful candidate will be entrusted with a significant three-year transformation mandate aimed at repositioning the business, modernising its distribution model and delivering sustainable commercial growth.

The role requires an executive who can protect and expand existing trade relationships while developing a substantial direct-to-consumer revenue channel. The successful candidate will also be responsible for product innovation, digital transformation, customer experience, operational excellence and the development of a high-performing leadership team.

Key Strategic Mandate

The Managing Executive will be expected to:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive three-year business transformation strategy.
  
• Shift the business from a predominantly trade-led model towards a stronger and more balanced direct-to-consumer model.
  
• Protect and grow existing business-to-business revenue while reducing overall dependency on trade distribution.
  
• Reinvent and segment the product portfolio according to different traveller profiles, age groups and travel preferences.
  
• Re-establish the brand as a leading authority in African adventure and expedition-style travel.
  
• Diversify the organisation’s international source markets.
  
• Increase passenger volumes and deliver growth above general market performance.
  
• Strengthen the organisation’s commercial position through product differentiation, digital capability and premium customer experiences.
  

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Business Transformation

• Develop, present and take full ownership of the three-year transformation strategy.
  
• Translate the approved strategy into measurable commercial, operational and organisational objectives.
  
• Lead the transition from a predominantly business-to-business operating model towards a stronger direct-to-consumer architecture.
  
• Protect existing trade relationships while introducing new consumer-focused distribution channels.
  
• Identify and evaluate adjacent growth opportunities, including specialist tourism products, eco-lodges, exclusive experiences and proprietary tourism assets.
  
• Establish strategic partnerships with conservation organisations, non-governmental organisations, technology providers and relevant brand partners.
  
• Represent the business at international trade events, investor engagements, industry forums and media opportunities.
  

Commercial Growth and Financial Management

• Assume full accountability for the business unit’s profit and loss performance.
  
• Develop and execute commercially sound growth strategies with clearly defined return expectations.
  
• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and capital-allocation processes.
  
• Design and implement a consumer-acquisition strategy across website, search engine optimisation, email marketing, paid digital advertising and social media.
  
• Develop partnerships with international direct-booking and travel-distribution platforms.
  
• Lead the transition from discount-driven trade pricing towards premium, value-based consumer pricing.
  
• Develop meetings, incentives, conferences, events and private-departure offerings as complementary business-to-business revenue streams.
  
• Grow absolute trade revenue while increasing the contribution generated through direct consumer bookings.
  
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, margins, conversion rates and customer acquisition costs.
  

Product Development and Customer Experience

• Lead the redesign and segmentation of the organisation’s adventure travel portfolio.
  
• Develop products aligned with different age groups, travel styles, budgets and customer expectations.
  
• Ensure that the organisation remains at the forefront of expedition-style and exceptional African travel experiences.
  
• Implement formal customer feedback and Net Promoter Score processes.
  
• Use customer insights to drive continuous product improvement and innovation.
  
• Elevate the quality, authenticity and customer-facing role of guides.
  
• Ensure that every product delivers a consistent, safe and memorable customer experience.
  
• Oversee vehicles, lodges, campsites and other operational assets from a strategic capital-investment perspective.
  
• Prioritise investment in assets that support premium growth, exclusivity and product differentiation.
  

Digital Transformation

• Lead the development and implementation of a best-in-class direct-booking platform.
  
• Introduce travel-style personalisation and a more customer-friendly digital booking journey.
  
• Build and maintain a comprehensive customer relationship management database.
  
• Strengthen direct relationships with customers and reduce structural dependency on third-party trade channels.
  
• Lead the organisation’s social media transformation across relevant platforms.
  
• Develop audience-specific content strategies for younger adventure travellers as well as mature, purpose-driven travellers.
  
• Use data analytics to understand customer behaviour, booking patterns, conversion performance and repeat-purchase potential.
  
• Ensure that digital marketing investments are measured against clear commercial outcomes.
  

People Leadership and Organisational Culture

• Build and lead a capable, accountable and high-performing executive and management team.
  
• Assess the existing organisational structure and identify capability gaps.
  
• Recruit, develop, reassign or restructure roles where required to support the transformation strategy.
  
• Establish a culture that is customer-focused, commercially disciplined and informed by market intelligence.
  
• Ensure that leaders and employees remain aware of competitor developments, customer trends and emerging adventure-travel categories.
  
• Lead transformation and change-management initiatives with clarity and sensitivity.
  
• Secure employee support for the new strategic direction while addressing resistance constructively.
  
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold leadership teams accountable for delivery.
  

Governance, Compliance and Stakeholder Management

• Operate within the organisation’s governance, financial-control and reporting frameworks.
  
• Maintain all required safety standards, operating licences and industry accreditations.
  
• Ensure compliance across all jurisdictions in which the business operates.
  
• Oversee operational risk, traveller safety and field logistics.
  
• Provide monthly executive reports and periodic board-level updates on transformation progress and key performance indicators.
  
• Manage senior stakeholder relationships across the broader group, trade partners, source-market agents, conservation partners and industry bodies.
  

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Tourism Management or a related discipline.
  
• A relevant postgraduate qualification would be advantageous.
  
• At least 10 years’ experience within adventure travel, experiential tourism or a directly comparable experiential consumer business.
  
• Overland, safari or African tourism operational experience would be highly advantageous.
  
• A minimum of five years’ experience in a General Manager, Managing Director, Managing Executive or equivalent executive leadership position.
  
• Proven responsibility for full profit and loss ownership.
  
• Demonstrated experience leading a business through meaningful strategic transformation.
  
• Proven experience building, launching or materially scaling a direct-to-consumer revenue channel.
  
• A strong track record in digital transformation, digital acquisition and booking technology.
  
• Commercial knowledge of digital marketing metrics, including customer acquisition, conversion, retention and return on investment.
  
• A deep understanding of Southern and/or East African operations, regulatory environments and field logistics.
  
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
  
• Willingness to travel locally and internationally as operationally required.
  

The requirement for direct-to-consumer growth experience is essential and non-negotiable.

Essential Competencies

Market Orientation

The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong awareness of international consumer trends, competitive activity and developments within the global adventure-travel market.

Transformation Leadership

The role requires an executive who is willing to challenge established practices, address structural limitations and make difficult decisions in support of the organisation’s long-term commercial health.

Digital Fluency

Applicants must possess practical knowledge of direct-to-consumer digital acquisition, search engine optimisation, paid social media, customer relationship management systems and online booking technology.

Commercial Rigour

Every strategic initiative must be supported by a clear commercial rationale, measurable objectives and defined return expectations.

Authentic Leadership

The successful candidate must be credible, visible and connected to the operational product. This position requires a leader who understands the importance of guide expertise, customer trust, local communities and authentic African travel experiences.

Systems Thinking

The Managing Executive must understand how product development, customer experience, digital investment, guide quality, pricing and brand positioning work together as an interconnected commercial system.

Partnership Development

A proven ability to develop institutional partnerships, strategic alliances and co-creation opportunities with conservation organisations, non-governmental organisations, tourism partners or technology providers is required.

Storytelling and Brand Building

The successful candidate must be able to articulate a compelling brand narrative to customers, employees, trade partners and external stakeholders.

Resilience and Adaptability

The role requires an executive who can navigate tourism volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and complex African operating environments without losing strategic focus.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be an entrepreneurial and commercially sophisticated executive who combines strategic vision with practical operational leadership.

They will understand both the realities of running an African adventure-travel operation and the digital capabilities required to grow an international consumer brand. They must be comfortable operating at board level while remaining sufficiently connected to customers, guides, products and field operations.

This opportunity will suit a decisive transformation leader who can honour the organisation’s established heritage while building a more innovative, digitally enabled and commercially sustainable future.

Application Information

Applications close on 28 August 2026.

Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be considered. Applicants who do not receive feedback should regard their application as unsuccessful. The organisation reserves the right not to make an appointment.