Independent travel company Travel Counsellors has appointed Kieran Hartwell as its first managing director for its corporate travel arm.

Hartwell joins Travel Counsellors for Business with over a decade of corporate travel experience in senior positions, including recent roles as chief commercial officer at US-based Travel and Transport, and as president at Radius Travel.

In his new role, Hartwell will be responsible for shaping strategy to scale Travel Counsellors for Business over the next five years, identifying the right investments to support Travel Counsellors’ growing corporate travel network, and acting as the global leader for the business arm.

Over 1,900 independent travel business owners, including 800 corporate travel specialists across the globe, use Travel Counsellors’ support platform to service over 400,000 customers per year.

Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne said: “Kieran’s appointment is evidence of our commitment to recruiting the very best talent from across the globe to support our business owners, so they can provide the best experiences possible for their clients.

“We’re delighted that we have found someone in Kieran that shares our values and will drive forward our plans to build on the continued success of Travel Counsellors for Business by further improving our offering for corporate travel, attracting more TMCs to be part of our community who can take full advantage of our business model to support their clients.”

Commenting on his appointment, Hartwell said: “I’m delighted to join a forward-thinking, high-growth company with a very special culture and focus on people.

“The business has a proven track record in providing the very best support model for travel management professionals who, in turn, are committed to providing outstanding personalised experiences for their portfolio of corporate clients.

Hartwell’s appointment follows that of Mark O’Donoghue, who joined Travel Counsellors as its first chief operating officer earlier this year.