As of 1st October 2024, we are delighted to announce the appointment of two well-established senior team members to the position of VP. Agnieszka Bunia as VP Operations and Sigita Puzinaite as VP Commercial. Between them they have 31 years of experience at ASA, across multiple departments and positions.
Like many during Covid, we used the time to re-think and plan for the future. The company was in the fortunate position of being able to maintain the majority of the team throughout, enabling the continuation of long-serving, experienced team members. The plans made during those dark days created a new vision and a framework for growth and development, allowing us to scale up quickly, not just in the short-term but well into the future. Initial key changes were made with the introduction of a dedicated Business Development department, as well the creation of an HR & Training department. Both proved critical and indispensable with the huge increase in demand post-covid, onboarding of additional team members and the constantly evolving changes to HR practices and welfare needs in a post-covid world.
One area earmarked for the future was that of the two new VP positions. With the company having achieved record growth on pre-covid figures, establishing new source markets and making significant technological advances, these pre-planned positions have become a reality. The Operations Division covers the Group, FIT and Tailormade FIT departments while the Commercial Division includes Procurement, Business Development and IT & Systems. Each department will continue to have their own Department Director now with the added support and focus of a dedicated VP at a divisional level as those departments continue to evolve.
The move also allows the current Managing Director, Anak McSporran to step further back from operational day to day and take up position as COO, alongside Michael Gebreslassie, CFO. Together with Adonis Farantouris, CEO, they remain the company directors.
Anak McSporran, COO said: “It was unthinkable to dream of such ambitious plans during covid, but in hindsight it was exactly the re-set we needed to future proof the company. We are extremely lucky to have such an experienced and talented group here at ASA. This progression highlights our commitment to career development within the company. We’ve always maintained that we aim to create the leaders of tomorrow and give opportunity for those that want to grow. Aga joined us as a student placement 18 years ago and Sigita was introduced to us by an existing employee 13 years ago who thought she’d be a great fit. These appointments are testament to that ethos of opportunity and development. Huge congratulations to both, but also to the entire senior management team for getting us to the position we are now in. This is just one of a few plans falling into place as the company continues to expand. Exciting times lie ahead!”
ASA, an independently owned DMC, has been delivering excellence for over 45 years for group and individual travel across the UK, Ireland and selected European destinations. Tailormade travel and experiential services have become a key component in the past decade making ASA a go to for premium and luxury clients requiring that extra attention to detail and level of service. The company also operates the brands Cambria@ASA, TravelAgenda@ASA and TravelTeam@ASA.
