James Parkhouse appointed as Global CEO of Take2Eton Group, succeeding Chris Thelen, who becomes Chairman, effective November 4, 2024.
Take2Eton Group is expanding its leadership team with the appointment of James Parkhouse as Global CEO. He commences in the role on 4th November 2024.
He takes over the role from Chris Thelen, who has been CEO since founding TakeTwo in 2021, acquiring Eton Travel in 2022, and rebranding the business as Take2Eton Group earlier this year. Chris Thelen becomes Chairman of Take2Eton Group and will remain heavily involved in the business, focussing on strategic client acquisition and customer relationships.
Julie Cope, who co-founded TakeTwo with Chris Thelen, remains in the role of Chief Operating Officer and will continue to make a vital contribution to the success and direction of the Take2Eton Group.
James Parkhouse has over 25 years’ experience in business leadership and programme management in diverse industries, in both private and public sector organisations. He was CEO of Agiito (now part of Clarity Business Travel) for 15 years where he designed and executed the company’s strategy, led multiple mergers and acquisitions, alongside making significant investment in market-leading technology, products and services to create one of the industry’s leading business travel, meetings and events companies. James Parkhouse also spent four years on the board of the BTA, as well as international network, GlobalStar. He stepped back from Agiito in April 2023 and has since worked as an independent consultant, and most recently served as a non-executive board director at Focus Travel Partnership.
Chris Thelen commented: “I am very proud of how much Julie and I have achieved since we began this journey with the launch of TakeTwo three years ago. However, to drive further growth and success as Take2Eton Group, we needed to bring additional support and leadership to the business. I am excited that James is joining us as CEO to help us achieve that vision. Not only does he have exceptional experience, but he is also a great fit for us in terms of our company culture.
“I would also like to stress that I remain totally committed to Take2Eton in my new role as Chairman. I look forward to driving our growth through new business development in Europe and the US, as well as focussing on relationships with current key clients,” said Thelen. “Julie is also going nowhere and remains as COO and I would like to acknowledge and thank her for the passion and dedication she has shown, and will continue to show in the success of the business.”
James Parkhouse said: “I am delighted to be invited to join Take2Eton as Global CEO and to work with Chris and the team on taking a unique market proposition to the next level. I have long admired the knowledge, expertise, and ambition that the company has and can’t wait to use my industry and leadership experience to drive the business to future success”
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