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Our People

Rob Beecher

Director

Rob has been in the NZ travel industry since 1988. He started off as an Airfare Consultant with Thomas Cook Travel and also worked at Arena Holidays and Jetset. He has many years of experience working as a Consolidation Manager at Go Holidays and Tek Travel. He was also General Manager at the GSA Aviation and Tourism. In that role he represented several airlines and tourism boards in the NZ market. Rob then spent 5 years at Stella Travel (now Helloworld) where he was the Airline Contracting Manager as well as GM Independent Agents. In 2015 Rob, along with Allen, decided to set up their own travel group solely dedicated to looking after independent travel agents.

Allen Bell

Director

Allen started in the industry at Gullivers Unijet as a ticketing consultant in 2001 after studying at the New Zealand School of Travel and Tourism in Christchurch. Gullivers Unijet went on to become Smart tickets – that’s where Allen mastered both ticketing and fares and is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. In 2005 Allen moved to Wellington to manage Smarttickets and then to Auckland five years later and ended up as Air Tickets Operations Manager with over 20 staff catering to the whole of New Zealand. Allen also assisted Rob with looking after the Independent Agents and eventually the two of them formed GTN. Everybody loves Allen!

Sonia Francis

Commercial Manager

Before joining GTN, Sonia spent 24 years working with various airlines. She started in Revenue Accounts with Swissair in India in 1994, then moved to Dubai with Emirates Training & Development. She trained EK staff at head office and around the network in reservations, proration, airfares & ticketing and was actively involved in the launch of Skywards and the introduction of E-ticketing. In 2001 Sonia joined Air New Zealand in Auckland, training their call centre teams. She then went back to Emirates in Auckland where she helped set up EK operations to New Zealand in 2003. She worked at Emirates in Auckland for 14 years in many different roles and moved to GTN in 2017.

Rochelle Meharry

Airline Accounts Manager

Rochelle began her career in travel in 1990, working for BSP in Parnell. She then went on to work at Jetset as a ticketing consultant, within wholesale and consolidation units until 1998 when Jetset was no longer. She then moved to Gullivers as an airline accounts administrator, working her way up to airline accounts manager when she left in 2014. She also worked at Xero accounting software for a short stint, then into Corporate travel as a Customer relationship manager for HRG/Executive travel for a couple of years. She was at Travelport as an Account manager for 3 years before joining GTN in 2019.

Thomas Malgapo

Process & Systems Consultant

Thomas started his career in travel in 2012, working in Land Database at Stella Travel Services. He worked for Air Tickets as a ticketing consultant along with Allen and Rob, eventually becoming a 2IC Fares and Ticketing consultant until 2019. He then moved to GO Conference & Incentives as a Travel and Event Coordinator before joining GTN in August 2019 as a Senior Fares Consultant. He left GTN in October 2020 due to COVID-19, to pursue a full-time career in Freight and Logistics working for Fliway Logistics.  Given Thomas’ excellent technical skills and experience, Allen and Rob shoulder-tapped Thomas in late 2022 to come back to GTN again.

Jeni Wharepouri

Agency Support

Jeni started in travel in 1991 at Thomas Cook Special fares. She worked in various roles at Go Holidays, Go Europe, Tek Travel and Flight Centre – at Ticket Centre which is their Consolidation Unit doing Airfare quoting. She then became a Ticket Centre Trainer, then Operations Leader, then moved to Infinity (division of Flight Centre (NZ) as Infinity Learning and Development Leader. Jeni also spent 4 years at Flavour Travel, as Ticket Express Manager looking after the Consolidation team supporting the Mondo Stores. She then moved to Air Tickets as Telesales and Smartfares Manager and finally joined GTN soon after it was formed in 2016.

Carolyn Mackay

Agency Support

Caro has many years of experience in the travel industry both with airlines and travel agencies in New Zealand as well as Australia. She worked at Continental Airlines doing Sales Support and Ticketing, at Air New Zealand handling staff travel and was also Ticket Office Supervisor at Malaysia Airlines for many years. She has also worked at Atlantic and Pacific Travel, Jetset ticketing, Gullivers Pacific, Trips Travel (a division of Flexiplan Holidays) and House of Travel in various roles. Caro moved to GTN in 2018.

Grace Seko

Agency Support

Grace is the baby of the team. She made her debut in travel just before COVID hit after completing a Bachelor of International Tourism Management at AUT. She was thrown into the deep end processing the large volume of refunds that hit us. She is now being cross-trained in quoting and ticketing.

Allan Prosser

Agency Support

Allan is a travel industry veteran – he is affectionately called Foss so as not to be confused with young Allen.  Having started in retail in Wellington, he set up a consolidator office for Travelplan Holidays in 1985 and was promoted to GM in Auckland. In 1989 he set up and co-managed Arena Holidays for 15 years, a niche airfare consolidator for independent retail agents throughout NZ.  He also worked at GO Fares, Guru Travel and at Sydney based OTA Jetabroad handling airfares and ticketing and BSP accounting.  Covid 19 hit forced his industry time out but he was lured out of semi-retirement in late 2022 by GTN. Allan only adds yet another layer of years of knowledge and expertise to the GTN team.

Rebecca Riddell

Commercial Assistant & Training Coordinator

Rebecca started in travel in 2012 after completing her National Certificate in Advanced Travel, Tourism & Business at Sir George Seymour College as well as a National certificate in Tourism and Aviation at the Air NZ Airline training centre. She worked at First Travel Group where she did ticketing and then quoting for 5 years in total. She then spent some time overseas and came back to work for Lifestyle holidays as a Shorthaul consultant. Rebecca moved to GTN in 2019 as a Senior Fares Consultant and went on to assist the ticketing team.  She left in 2022 to work in Agency Sales at Air New Zealand before Rob lured her back to GTN in 2023 to join the Commercial team.

We have been with the GTN team since they first started and they are professional, caring, willing to assist with any query and will go above and beyond to find fares to suit, even when we have the most ridiculous of destinations. Even in the hardest of times, they reach out to each and every one of their agents to make sure we are ok. Thanks for your ongoing support team.

Natalie Tambolash
World Expeditions

The Consolidation team at GTN are excellent to deal with.  They are efficient and friendly, and when there has been queries with airlines or airfares, they have always sought answers and found solutions to the problem wherever possible.  The QuikTravel system is easy to use, as well as the additional information on the system around commissions, airline contacts, policies, as well as the summary of recent changes in fares & rules from airlines.  GTN is an excellent partner, and the small personal nature of the team is a good fit for our business

Paul Brydges
The Terrace Travel

A truly outstanding independent travel agency group and ticketing consolidator and one I am so proud to work alongside. The team at GTN are knowledgeable, helpful and just generally interested in your business success and offer support where others have failed. Highly recommend!

Shona Bracey
Amped

Honest, efficient and reliable, all the qualities you need when you are in business

 

Jamie Currin
Simply Travel

Our agency has been with GTN from the beginning because it is such a great team with great values and vision for the travel industry. They’re honest and fair and really get to know your business to help you grow. Over the years we were able to mutually grow our businesses together through their encouragement and excellent advice. We had so many opportunities for Famils and conferences. Would 100% recommend joining the GTN family.

Peter Carpenter
Planet Earth Travel

Go Global! Strong partnership, friendly staff, competitive deals, prompt responses!

Stan Zhang
Pro Travel

I am really impressed the way GTN proactively work to grow my business with theirs. I’ve GONE GLOBAL and am loving it!

Terri Small
Supreme Tours and Travel

Great company to work with – they get the best deals possible!

Virender Bakshi
Sky Travel

Mondo Travel have been a customer of GTN since 2016. The big difference with GTN, is that they actually care about our business. We get great support and advice when required and the team are responsive to our needs. Our team of Brokers are also very complimentary of the service GTN provide.

Chris Hammonds CEO
Mondo Travel

We moved to GTN in 2019 and have not looked back. We have found the entire GTN team fantastic to work with, honest, reliable and proactive. The GTN team have gone out of their way during the current COVID crisis, ensuring continued support and excellent communication.  Without hesitation, we highly recommend GTN

Tanya Roddam
YOURTravel & Tours, Kapiti Coast

GTN provides exclusive deals and offers, with a team of experts to support in every situation.  They are polite and quick to respond. We strongly recommend GTN services.

Preet
Gill Travels

As a niche tour operator we are able to remain independent while enjoying the benefits of the GTN network and family.

Jill Grant
A Walker's World/CYCLING EUROPE

We have used GTN since the beginning and find them very professional, quick and reliable. Never had any issues!

Scott Wagstaff
Silverstream Cruise & Holiday Centre

Super team to work with and excellent support, the great team never fail to deliver.

Evelyn Lee
Midday Travel

Candid, transparent, approachable, proficient, proactive, dependable and impartial are a few words that describes this organisation. A real partnership and a great bunch of people.

 

Rupan
Avatar Travels

Exceptional! A professional, friendly, dedicated team. GTN, working with you is a real pleasure.

Lukas Napravnik
CZECHKiwis

GTN is “Awesome” ………..awesome staff, awesome deals just an awesome company that I am very lucky to work with.

Denise Holmes
Travel Partners Ltd

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