Tanya Airey, Managing Director, Sunway Travel - Growing a Successful Business
The speaker for the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women is Tanya Airey, Sunway Travel to share her tips on 'Growing a successful business'. The talk will be followed by networking.
Speaker: Tanya Airey, Managing Director, Sunway Travel
Venue: Mont Clare Hotel, Merrion Square
Date and Time: Monday 10th March 6.45-9pm
Setting up a business requires huge levels of motivation and energy and keeping up the momentum requires even more. Looking for opportunities to grow the business and profits is an ongoing challenge. This month we'll hear the impressive story of how Tanya Airey as Managing Director of Sunway drove the expansion of a family business from a successful specialist travel company with 35 employees to a major player in the Irish travel business with 200 employees. This level of expansion required not only an entrepreneurial spirit and high levels of motivation but also a well planned and managed approach. We’re delighted that Tanya has agreed to talk at our March event.
After the talk, there will be an opportunity to network with other members. Please let me know if you’d like to do a 2 minute “Elevator Pitch” for your company on the night.
The Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women is a dynamic network of over 120 women who have started up and are running their own businesses in the city of Dublin. Membership costs €100 for 2008. Join today. Pauline Logan Network Manager Email: network@dceb.ie Tel: 087 979 8430
BIOGRAPHY: Tanya Airey
Tanya joined Sunway Travel in 1984. (Her grandfather had set up the company in Blackrock in 1966). Sunway was a travel agency and corporate travel business operated from Main Street Blackrock. From 1984 to 1990, Tanya worked in every role within the business and she was appointed General Manager in 1990. Sunway started tour operations in 1991 by launching Morocco as a new destination to the Irish market. In 1996 Sunway commenced a longhaul programme with the launch of South Africa and it now operates a longhaul programme to over 30 countries. From 1991 to 1998, the company expanded with the opening of Sunway Travelshops (7 shops throughout Dublin) and also through the development of a corporate and incentive travel business, Priority Travel.
1998, Tanya Airey became the majority shareholder and Managing Director of Sunway by buying out other family members. In order to focus on the tour operating and retail business, the corporate division of the company (Priority Travel) was sold to American Express in November 2002. The group and incentive division (Priority Group and Incentive Travel), was retained by the Sunway Travel Group. Sunway launched tour operations to Sicily.
Sunway is Ireland’s largest 100% Irish owned tour operator, operating from a state of the art premises in Dun Laoghaire. The Sunway Travel Group employs over 100 people in Ireland and over 120 people at destinations overseas.
When Tanya Airey became the majority shareholder and Managing Director in 1998, Sunway turnover was €9m. Turnover for 2007 was €100m. The Sunway Travel Group consists of Sunway Holidays (tour operators) www.sunway.ie , Sunway Travel (chain of Dublin based travel agencies), Priority Group & Incentive Travel, Omni Tours, Club Med Sunway www.ClubMedSunway.ie and www.holidaysonline.ie, Ireland’s first online travel agency.
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