Meet 
The team

Tran Trong Kien has been known as a pioneer in many adventure tours in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He ran local tours to fund his medical studies before establishing his own tour operator in 1994. Over the past 25 years of establishment and development, Kien has lead his business to become Thien Minh Group – one of the biggest travel and hospitality groups in the region. Kien is also current chairman of Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), Hue Tourism Advisory Board (HTAB), Vietnam Tour Guides Association (VTGA), trustee of Fulbright University Vietnam, Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA), board member of Vietnam Institute of Directors (VIOD), member of the Private Sector Development Research Board (IV Board) of the Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform and ex-member of Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), VP Bank and Vinaland.

Company founder and Director Sandra established SLC at the end of 2002 following a successful 20-year career at Austravel that spanned the UK, Germany and USA. Sandra dreamt of a results-focussed representation agency. Bringing her unrivalled contacts, exceptional sales and marketing knowledge and an unwavering passion for travel to the table, Sandra set about building a strong, sharp and enthusiastic team who could deliver just that.

Contact:
sandra@slcrepresentation.com

“One of the best trips of my life was to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2010. Cycling around Mai Chau was a highlight – I fell off into the rice field about 30 seconds later… I also spent a wonderful afternoon riding around some of the quieter temples of Angkor Wat – I didn’t fall off. From the age of about 8 I wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro – I finally made it in 2018 and it didn’t disappoint.”

Image: Sandra discovering Angkor Wat on horseback

Gill joined SLC after starting her travel career at Flight Centre, where she sold worldwide travel and managed the opening of a new store in the heart of Camden. Managing the launch of SLC into Asia shortly after joining, Gill has been instrumental in SLC’s expansion over the last decade and became a shareholder of the business in 2012. Today she oversees our new business development as part of SLC’s senior leadership team. With a BA in Music from Cambridge University, Gill still has a love of classical music, and is most likely to be spotted on Saturdays at the Hove seafront park run having recently discovered a passion for running.

Contact:
gill@slcrepresentation.com

“It was a charity hitchhike to Morocco when I was 20 that first gave me a love of travel. Our 10 day adventure through France and Spain saw us spending a night in a Chateau in the Pyrenees, a day on the beach near Bilbao, and endless hours spend patiently at the side of the road waiting for our next ride! I’ll never forget the generosity of the people who helped us to make that journey.”

Image: Gill at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Deborah joined SLC in March 2016 as General Manager with responsibility for the day to day running of the business and senior client and distribution relationships. Deborah is now Joint Managing Director.

She has over 20 years of experience in travel, having held roles in sales, marketing and management. Most recently she has been responsible for client services at a technology and marketing agency, prior to this she held the position of Head of Marketing for a UK tour operator.

Most importantly she began her career at Austravel, starting as a consultant and working her way up to General Manager. She has an absolute passion for long haul travel and is delighted to be back selling products she loves.

Contact:
deborah@slcrepresentation.com

“Making memories is what inspires me to travel – my best travel memory ever was taking my children on a safari and watching the hippos on the banks of the Chobe river.”

Image: Deborah at the Blue Mosque, Istanbul.

Matt joined SLC after 17 years with STA Travel in the UK. During his time with STA, he initially headed up the Contact Centre before moving into Learning & Development. In L&D he took on a variety of roles including overseeing a robust Induction programme for all new starters & developing a Management Development Programme as well as delivering training around Presentation Skills, Coaching & Development, Overcoming Barriers to the Sale, Rapport Building & Customer Rapport. Matt then moved into Wholesale & worked with a number of clients, principally in Europe, Asia, South America & the Middle East, to distribute STA Land & Air product globally.  Matt has come on board at SLC as Account Director & is really excited to focus on our client engagement & explore how we can further grow our service proposition. He is passionate about travel and is often to be found planning next year’s Summer holiday. Matt enjoys going to galleries, concerts and theatres in his spare time but his young kids are more likely to ensure he’s located in a playground at the weekend.

Contact:
matt@slcrepresentation.com

“I think people who work in travel can sometimes get jaded and lose sight of what drove many of us to join the industry in the first place. It’s really easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day of lead in process, flight capacity, price matching, etc, etc and forget that we work with a really exciting product that is a constant daily source of inspiration for millions of people around the world on any given day. Some of those experiences that have really stuck with me are: my 19-year-old self as a Camp Counsellor for Camp America in rural Pennsylvania, chatting to farmers at the local bar who would bring their pigs in with them…an overnight train from Jaipur to Delhi chatting to our fellow commuters and being awoken with chai tea as dawn broke over the craziness of Delhi’s Old Town…drinking Caipirinhas on Ipanema Beach watching the sunset behind Christ the Redeemer…The sights, sounds, tastes and colours are what inspires me every day to see more of the world.”

Image: Durdle Door, Dorset

Sam is a consummate travel industry professional having worked across sales, marketing and PR in a career spanning over 20 years. In that time, she has driven PR campaigns for destinations including Tourism New Zealand, Visit Utah, Australia’s Tourism Northern Territory, Hamilton Island Australia and two UK overseas territories: The Falkland Islands and St Helena. She has guided agent fam trips in Africa, steered media around Hong Kong and coordinated countless influencer collaborations in Marrakech.

Contact:
info@slcrepresentation.com

“I was relatively late to travel and my first trip abroad was a Spanish exchange with my school at age 14. I was overwhelmed by the heat, the foreign food and how dry and fragrant and different the air smelt. I was also completely smitten.”

Image: Sam on the ferry from Ibiza to Formentera

Rebecca’s career in tourism spans almost two decades, her most recent adventure joining the SLC team in 2020.

In 2002 Rebecca completed a Bachelor of Business in Tourism Management and International Studied at UTS in Sydney. Since then, she has worked in sales and marketing roles for a number of tourism products. More recently, she moved into representation. Like most of us, she’s passionate about tourism and driven to achieve results for her clients.

Contact:
info@slcrepresentation.com

“I caught the travel bug on my first trip overseas when I was 17, for the next ten years, I would work hard, but save harder for my next adventure. After having children, personal travel was not as frequent (flights are expensive with four children), but I’ve always got a trip on the horizon. I often have to pinch myself when I travel for work – we’re so lucky to be able to travel to such incredible places and call it work! I couldn’t imagine being in any other industry.“

Image: Rebecca and her family at Park Güell in Barcelona.

With a passion for the tourism and travel industry, Vanessa joined SLC in January 2021 bringing over 20 years’ experience in achieving successful outcomes across multiple industries. Known as a strategic thinker, Vanessa has highly developed communication skills, and most importantly is a natural relationship builder. Her tourism career started in Cairns, Tropical North Queensland leading her to travel south and take on a national sales role with Accor Hotels. It was Vanessa’s 7.5-year tenure with the world’s first fully fashion branded hotel, Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast that solidified her career. In more recent years, Vanessa has been contracting to InterContinental Hotel Group, Supporting the sales and marketing team on projects to highlight the re-opening of Hayman Island Resort. Vanessa loves to travel with her family and as soon as a safe ‘travel bubble’ opens, they will be back to experience a part of Asian they have not seen before.

Contact:
vanessa@slcrepresentation.com

“Lucky for me, it was my first job in the Tourism Industry that gave me the opportunity to experience other countries and cultures which developed my love for travel. I became hungry to explore parts of the world I had not seen before and found a deep love and connection for Asia, in particular Vietnam. My first visit was in 2005, my honeymoon, and my husband and I spent six fabulous weeks travelling around Vietnam, vowing one day we would bring our children back to experience this alluring South East Asian country. We fulfilled our promise in 2014!“

Image: Vanessa & Family – 2014 Ho An, Vietnam

Maria joined SLC after graduating with a Tourism and Events Management degree from the University of Westminster. Throughout her years in the company, Maria has been involved in looking after a variety of projects and clients here for PATA and SLC’s Australian client portfolio. Today Maria manages the Onyx Hospitality Group account as well as Creative Travel and she also oversees a small team of employees focused on clients from Asia, Indonesia, Middle East and USA. Apart from travelling, Maria also has a passion for photography and in her spare time she likes to explore new places in and outside of London where she can practice her hobby.

Contact:
maria@slcrepresentation.com

“I grew up in a city in Bulgaria which was not popular for tourist visits from other countries. I was 14 years old when I first met people from another country who spoke a different language. My interest in learning new languages and different cultures around the world quickly grew and soon I became part of a Youth Development Centre where I was assisting with and taking part in various exchange programmes. I continued to develop my passion for travel through university in England with my Tourism and Events Management Degree and later work in the travel industry.”

Image: Maria in Sri Lanka

Emma is a creative-minded marketing professional with a diverse range of experience across tourism and advertising. In her previous role at Tangalooma Island Resort Emma worked on tourism campaigns with Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines and coordinated partnership opportunities with Australian TV programs Sunrise, Today Show, Blind Date, Totally Wild and The Great Day Out. Emma currently manages Tourism Western Australia as the Trade Marketing Executive for UK. She has a huge passion for travel and has visited over 24 countries across the world with many more destinations on her bucket list. In addition to her love of travel, Emma loves cats, practicing yoga and listening to podcasts.

Contact:
emma@slcrepresentation.com

“Visiting places like Bali and Moreton Island, Australia, allow you to immerse yourself in nature and see wild animals in their natural habitat. Experiencing pristine natural beauty and up-close animal encounters are some of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had. I was inspired to learn about other cultures, visit stunning natural wonders and meet new and interesting people. Working in tourism has allowed me to engage in a community of like-minded travel lovers and create amazing memories.”

Image: Emma in Nusa Cenigan, Bali, Indonesia

Keith’s gap year somehow became 10 years, working and living in various places including: Pizza making/selling Venice Beach CA, Bar tending in Mammoth Lakes CA, Landscape Gardening in Nantucket MA, Backpacker Hostel owner + tour guide in New Zealand, CD/Music sales Melbourne Australia, Kitchen Work Sydney NSW and Lindeman Island QLD Australia.  All this led to his working in travel representing various brands from USA/NZ/Australia and dealing with the travel trade in the UK, USA, Canada, CEU and most recently Scandinavia.  With over 20 years in the travel industry attending trade/consumer shows, training staff, dealing with accounts/contracts, Keith is a well- connected industry professional.

Contact:
info@slcrepresentation.com

“I hate to say it but all the cliches are true, getting off the beaten track, meeting the people, sourcing local knowledge/tips and getting immersed in new places is what I have always loved about travel.  I love exciting big cities but it is the experiences and people from small towns and lesser known locations that stick with you. “

Image: Star of Greece – Port Willunga South Australia 2018

Jo has been working at SLC since 2009. During Jo’s year backpacking in Australia, followed by 2 months in Asia, she knew she had to make travel her day job! Having lived and breathed travel for many years Jo now spends more time dreaming about exotic getaways whilst chasing after two young daughters.

Contact:
joanne@slcrepresentation.com

“I was inspired to work in travel after spending a year backpacking all around Australia on a work visa followed by 2 months backpacking in South East Asia. Once I returned home I knew I had to make travel my day job! “

Image: Jo on the beach in the Maldives

Tuy, known as Tina, joined SLC from a business development role in Vietnam, and was SLC’s first international employee. With great experience of the Asian market, a passion for helping customers see things they have never seen before and excellent relationship-building skills, Tina is perfectly placed to assist with our expansion in this growing market. Outside of work, Tina loves to be a tourist in her home country, and travelled to Europe for the first time this year.

Contact:
tuy@slcrepresentation.com

“The trip to Tra Su Bird Sanctuary in An Giang Province and Dong Thap Province where is a part of Mekong Delta area which reminds me that even I’m living in Vietnam for a long time but still have a lots of new destinations in my country that I’m not experience yet. What a beautiful nature & local life can immerse myself in the diverse culture of every single destination here. There is a lot of thing that I should try and I promise to myself that I will go for new experience & share it to everyone as much as I can”

Working for 4 years as an accountant in Hanoi, Vietnam, Ha came to the United Kingdom to complete her MSc of Accounting at the University of Hudderfield before joining SLC Representation as an accountant. Ha loves exploring new cities within England, going to places such as London, Oxford, Liverpool and loads more!

Contact:
accounts@slcrepresentation.com

“Local experiences, new culture exploring and enjoying the beauty of nature inspire me to travel. If possible, doing something off the beaten track would be great for my trip ”

Image: Ha in front of St Paul’s Cathedral, London