CHARISMATIC Irishman
and founding md of
the Club Travel Group,
Wally Gaynor, retired last
month and the tributes have
poured in from industry
members who speak of
his innovativeness and
intuitively ethical leadership.
Passionate about travel
from a young age, Wally
started out at Thomas Cook
in Ireland in 1978. While
travelling the world, he
discovered Cape Town in
the Eighties and decided
to stay, launching Club
Travel in 1987 with a
staff complement of one
consultant.
Owner of Chelsea Travel,
Tim Jackson, joined
Club Travel shortly
after, wooed
by Wally’s
maverick
nature,
the
generous override deals he
was able to negotiate with
airlines and the affordability
of the franchise fees he
charged, says Tim. “It was
the best move and Chelsea
Travel has never looked
back.”
Newly appointed ceo of
Club Travel, Gary Mulder,
told TNW that as soon as he
met Wally he knew that he
wanted to be in travel and
to work with him. “He is not
your conventional ceo and
certainly not a stickler for
bureaucracy and the rules.
“That makes working with
him dynamic and lots of
fun. He is one of the most
knowledgeable people in
travel and always keen to
use what he knows to make
people’s dreams come true.”
“Wally will be sorely
missed. He is a real leader
who constantly looks for
ways to improve things, not
only at Club Travel but within
the entire industry,” says
Tim.
“He is also inherently
ethical and stuck by Club
agents and
customers
at times
when the
industry
was
devastated by fraud and
operator liquidations,
regardless of where the fault
lay. In all these years Wally
has never let us down.”
“To say you will be missed
Wally, seems so clichéd
when someone retires.
However with you this will
certainly be the case. You
kept the travel industry on
its toes and entertained at
the same time. Your legacy
will certainly continue,” says
André Schulz, Lufthansa
Group gm Southern Africa.
“Wally’s passion and
keen interest in everything
has always kept me on
my toes. He has a true
entrepreneurial spirit and his
ability to identify and seize
opportunities has grown the
company from a start-up to
an enormous travel group,
says Club Travel marketing
manager, Luana Visagie.
“He was always involved in
all aspects of the business,
never detaching from the
client and the consultant’s
experience. You could often
find him logged on to the
GDS, working out flight
routings, until the end of his
tenure as md.”
“Hamba kahle Wally… you
took a huge chance on me,
readily giving me your time
and advice.
“The sheer size of the
online business we built so
successfully from nothing is
testament to your integrity
and passion,” says Rian
Bornman co-founder of
Flightsite.
“Wally’s decision to retire
is a loss to the industry.
He is also an absolute
gentleman – always treating
everyone with genuine
warmth and respect,” says
sales executive of Travel
Vision, Cheryl Smith.
Owner and manager of
Club Travel Zoo Lake, Riaan
Goosen, agrees, and says
Wally is not only forward
thinking and an innovative
businessman. “He also
happens to be a really
nice guy who interacts with
everyone on a personal level
and makes them feel part of Wally Gaynor his vision.
