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

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.

Chris began his career in finance with PwC in Canada and Australia where he became a Canadian CPA, CA. He was previously the CFO for Buffalo Tours and is now the Managing Director for Vamos Tours. He recently joined the board as representative of SLC’s majority shareholder TMG Europe.

Contact:
chris.farwell@slcrepresentation.com

“I got into travel as I’ve always loved travelling and what was shared with me in my travels so I wanted to share that with the rest of the world!”

Image: Chris & Mel at Niagara Falls

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.”

Prior to SLC, Laoise worked as an Account Manager at a specialist travel PR and representation agency, managing high profile accounts including the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Korean Air, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Best Western Great Britain and Neilson. As PR Accounts Director, Laoise has responsibility for SLC’s PR accounts overseeing client campaigns from idea to implementation and delivery. When she isn’t meeting journalists or researching the latest travel trends, Laoise is likely to be on her epic quest to find the best coffee in London or flogging vintage dresses in Hackney.

Contact:
laoise@slcrepresentation.com

“It’s a bit of a cliché, but the reason I love travelling is that it gives perspective. Experiencing new places, people and cultures challenge your outlook and that’s always a good thing! One of my best travel memories is skidooing on the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland, standing in the middle of Europe’s largest glacier certainly put things in perspective!’”

Image: Laoise on the Vatnajökull glacier, Iceland

Rob started his travel career at the student/youth specialists STA Travel as a Travel Agent and later progressed to Assistant Manager at the flagship store in London Victoria. From here, Rob advanced into a successful 3-year tenure with adventure tour operator Bamba Experience, managing the UK & European trade accounts before joining SLC reputation. Within SLC, Rob manages our Vietnamese client TMG Hospitality – an expert in hospitality management in Southeast Asia with a portfolio of eleven hotels & resorts, cruises and premium transportation options. Through experience working from front line consumer-facing to B2B relations, Rob brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for connecting people through travel through business and leisure. When he’s not in the office, Rob likes to take to saddle and cycle to new places, hiking with friends, eating/cooking Asian cuisines and following national service, supporting the Welsh international rugby team at any opportunity!

Contact:
rob@slcrepresentation.com

“To get that sense of achievement and be able to say I trekked at high altitude in Peru with the best reason…it was all to gain experience for work! Whilst the lack of oxygen was tough, I now want to do more, see more and travel all over the world!”

Image: Rob on Rainbow Mountain, Peru

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”

Kate brings over a decade of marketing and communications experience which was gained across the media, banking, government and tourism industries. She first joined SLC in 2017 on a short term contract to run the Tourism Western Australia account, she rejoined in 2019 to oversee new business marketing plans and proposals. Kate’s addiction to travel has led her to almost 100 countries, when she’s not collecting passport stamps she’s trying her hand at home renovation.

Contact:
kate@slcrepresentation.com

Image: Kate in the Dead Sea

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

Chris joined SLC after working for two major Tour Operators specialising in USA, Canada, Cruise and the Far East regions. Today, he oversees our hotel and tourist board clients in Asia, California and the Middle East. Chris spends his weekends finding the best brunch spots around London or heading back to his family home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Contact:
chris@slcrepresentation.com

“Travel for me is all about making new memories, building friendships and exploring new destinations. Whether you like soaking up the sun on the gorgeous Railay Beach, flying 3,ooo feet above Cappadocia in a hot Air Balloon, or hiking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, travel is hugely personal to each of us. Making peoples dreams into a reality is why I joined the industry back in 2014.”

Image: Chris in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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

Kim joined SLC in 2016 as a placement student from the University of Surrey. Upon completing her Tourism Management degree, she re-joined SLC with the responsibility of organising and running events on behalf of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Today she manages our portfolio of Asia hotels across Thailand, Indonesia and Nepal. In her spare time Kim plays stoolball in the Surrey league and competes at county level in the sport, having previously captained the Under 21 Surrey and England team.

Contact:
kim@slcrepresentation.com

“With an ever-growing bucket list of destinations I’ve dreamt of visiting, and the desire to find out what all the hype was behind travelling up the East Coast of Australia, I jumped on the next flight out of London to explore some of the many natural wonders of Australia, including Fraser Island, The Great Barrier Reef and The Blue Mountains. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed!”

Image: Kim in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

Lea joined SLC shortly after completing an MA in Media and Communications, and before that she graduated with First Class Honours in Journalism. While she studied, she conducted several media internships and also wrote for magazines and blogs about various topics, including travelling stories. In her role as PR Executive, Lea combines her two biggest passions – travelling and media. Lea developed an instinct for a good story through her previous journalism experiences which makes her an asset for SLC’s PR team. In her spare time, Lea is either travelling, spending time in her home country Croatia, or she can be spotted at an art gallery.

Contact:
lea@slcrepresentation.com

“Travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer – is my all-time favourite quote and something I tend to live by. Travelling enriched me in so many ways, taught me different things and helped me grow. Every place I visited so far left a long-lasting impression, and my desire to explore the world eventually lead me to settle abroad. My love for travelling started early, I remember as a child before I started to travel myself how impressed I was by my grandfather’s stories about his adventures across the Pacific. To work in travel inspires me to a great extent, and I know I will always feel motivated in the industry I am so passionate about. “

Image: Lea at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo

Sharon has joined SLC after recently moving to London from New Zealand. In 2017 she completed her Bachelors of Tourism Management with an Event Management specialisation and since then has managed events for universities, as well as community events such as Arts Festivals and Outdoor Cinema pop-ups. Sharon has also had a taste of the Tourism Industry working front line sales for Tourism Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. At SLC, Sharon’s key client is PATA where she looks after the day to day running and their events programme. She also supports Abbie with the Australia and New Zealand clients. In her spare time you will find her ticking off her bucket list items as she explores this side of the world!

Contact:
sharon@slcrepresentation.com

“I was inspired to step out of my comfort zone and visit a destination that was commonly seen as unsafe. During my time in Egypt, I saw amazing structures and learnt about the country’s rich history – all whilst feeling super safe despite what is depicted through the media. This trip has inspired me to encourage others to take the leap and travel to those bucket list destinations.”

Image: Sharon in Cairo

Emily is currently on her placement year from Bournemouth University, studying Tourism Management. As the sales coordinator, Emily’s role involves helping out the Account Executives with many of their clients’ needs, including competitor analysis and composing the monthly newsletter, to events organising with PATA.

With a passion for travel, Emily spent her gap year travelling Australia before starting her university experience. This only made her interest in the industry grow. Having been brought up in Brighton and working as a hospitality supervisor means she has experience in customer service within the industry. In her spare time, Emily enjoys going to the gym and socialising with her friends and family.

Contact:
info@slcrepresentation.com

“With a passion for travelling, I spent my gap year in Australia before starting my university experience. This only made my interest in the industry grow.”

Image: Emily at Manly Beach, Australia