Saad Hammad
CEO
Saad joined Key Travel as Group CEO in November 2017, bringing considerable international executive and non-executive experience, both from the travel industry and other sectors.
Previously, Saad was Group CEO of Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, where he led a turnaround which in 2016 returned the business to profit for the first time since its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 2010. From 2005 to 2009 he was Chief Commercial Officer at easyJet plc, where he was responsible for the airline’s commercial transformation. He has also been a Non-Executive Director of three international airlines in Europe, North America and Turkey.
Saad has held a number of leadership positions in private equity, third party logistics, the automotive sector, consumer goods and retailing, and was also Non-Executive Director of a London listed medical imaging technology company. He is currently a Board Member of The Business Travel Association and a Non-Executive Director of Jordan International Bank, a London-based boutique bank specialising in structured property development and private banking.
Saad grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and is a UK national. He holds a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD. Saad is married with 2 children and is a big tennis fan.
Simon Conoley
Chief Financial Officer
Simon, our Chief Financial Officer, joined the business in October 2017 as Group Financial Controller and played pivotal roles in the sale of the business from Livingbridge to Elysian Capital and the acquisition of Raptim Humanitarian Travel in 2018. Simon is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 10 years’ experience in senior finance roles within private equity backed, dynamic businesses and has been a key part of a number of successful private equity investment cycles and exits.
Simon leads Key Travel’s worldwide Finance and Facilities teams encompassing Group reporting, Credit Control, Ticketing, Financial Processing and Property management.
Simon has a BA in Business Studies and a Master’s in Business Management from the University of Hull. Simon is married with 3 children and is a keen Manchester United supporter.
Rachel Baxendale
Global Operations Director
Rachel has been with Key Travel for over 25 years and is known for her outstanding customer skills, people leadership and passion for doing the right thing.
Rachel joined Key Travel as a reservations agent and has progressed successfully through Management roles within Operations, giving her a unique insight into what is needed to successfully support our customers.
She is a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University with a BA in Recreation & Tourism Management and is married with two daughters.
Daniel Morris
Chief Technology Officer
Daniel Morris, our Chief Technology Officer, joined Key Travel in 2012 and has over 15 years’ experience working within IT and a specialism in travel technology.
Daniel has held a number of roles within the IT function throughout his time at Key Travel and has benefitted greatly from Key Travel’s continued focus on investment in people. He has illustrated a strong track record of delivering key transformational projects and innovative IT solutions within the travel sector, helping Key Travel win the BTA innovation award on two separate occasions for tools developed while working at Key Travel. As Group IT director, Daniel’s focus is on the continued development of proprietary technology whilst simultaneously leveraging market-leading external technologies. Dan has a BSc in Genetics from the University of Manchester.
Daniel is married with a son. When not working with technology, Daniel is passionate about cooking and is on a mission to make a perfect Neapolitan pizza.
Paul Green
Commercial Director, UK
Paul joined Key Travel in 2010 with significant experience working within the travel sector including Sales Director at Intercontinental Hotels Group and National sales Manager at Hertz Rent a Car. In addition to travel management, Paul has previously held a number of senior commercial roles in the food, and logistics sectors.
Paul has won many industry awards recognising his customer interactions and team success, including the National Business Awards – Account Management of the Year. In his role, Paul is focused on developing long term strategic partnerships with customers with a focus on delivering partnership performance. Paul has a Diploma in Business and Management from the Open University. When not working with customers and our teams, Paul is passionate about restoring and improving to “factory condition” his 1964 classic Mini.
Sabrina Pabois
Commercial Director EU/Africa
Sabrina joined Key Travel in 2018, following the merger with Raptim International Travel as Country Manager for France. Sabrina brings considerable experience in business travel operations, originally starting as a travel agent servicing faith-based and humanitarian organizations in 1989.
As Account Management Director for EU/Africa, her aim is to retain and grow Key Travel’s customers in those markets.
When not working, as a French citizen with Italian roots, Sabrina is passionate about good cooking and wines – always looking for new tastes and restaurants. Her next challenge is to become a good golf player.
James Ingram
Business Development Director – EU/Africa
James Ingram joined Key Travel in March 2024, having been Regional Head of Sales for Europe Incoming which is a Destination Management Company offering Europe as a destination to its business and leisure clientele through its network of 10 offices worldwide. James brings 14 years of international sales experience. He is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian with a passion for travel and unique experiences. He is a graduate of the University of Bristol with a BA in French and Italian and attended Università degli Studi di Milano and Université Paris XIII. James is married with a young daughter and enjoys socialising, tennis, travelling and cooking.
Mike Schields
Managing Director, North America
Mike joined Key Travel in the Summer of 2022, and brings significant senior travel sector leadership experience. He previously worked at the Legacy Travel Group where he was VP/GM, Destination America where he was CEO, and Brightspark USA where he was MD/President. His many assignments have included work in educational/student travel, groups, and faith-based travel. Most recently, Mike has been advising and consulting small businesses on how best to grow, scale, and optimize their customer and service delivery.
Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
As MD for North America, Mike’s main goals are to continue our growth in North America, while providing top levels of customer service and support to our existing customers.
Outside of work, Mike is a passionate baseball fan, and is married with two daughters and a border collie, which keeps him very busy.
Catherine Waterman
Group Marketing Manager and Executive Assistant to CEO
Catherine joined Key Travel in August 2015 as an Executive Assistant to the CEO. Catherine is a career Executive Assistant having first started in 2001 and is a qualified Legal Secretary. In addition to loving organising and problem solving, Catherine has a passion for ‘living the brand’, first developed during her time with global footwear brand FitFlop that has seen her take on the additional role of Marketing Manager at Key Travel, leading and carrying out strategic marketing initiatives to drive brand awareness , customer engagement and business growth. On a personal level, Catherine is a proud mum of two cats and enjoys swimming, the movies, attending music concerts and Sushi!
Bruce Teatheredge
Head of Supply Chain
Bruce joined Key Travel in 2019 as Strategic Partnership Manager and became Head of Supply Chain in 2020, with ownership of supplier partnerships across all travel categories in every Key Travel market. His remit includes commercial agreements, content acquisition and enhancement, and the launch of innovations such as RiskReady and Carbon Neutral Hotel Rooms, both featured in the travel trade press. Bruce began his travel career at Flight Centre, gaining operational and sales experience as a leisure consultant and store manager. He later joined Corporate Traveller, managing a portfolio of corporate clients in the commercial team. He holds a BA in History from the University of Bristol, is recently married, and enjoys travel, music, gigs, board games, and the occasional sprint triathlon.
Sam Wilkinson
Head of HR
Sam joined Key Travel in January 2026 as Head of HR, bringing over 15 years of experience across HR and Talent roles. She has a strong track record in developing and delivering people strategies that support organisational growth and a strong workplace culture. Sam is a graduate of the University of Manchester and has been CIPD qualified since 2017. She is passionate about all things people-related and about creating inclusive, supportive environments where colleagues can thrive. Outside of work, Sam enjoys hiking, running and the occasional padel match. She is a keen Newcastle United supporter and enjoys spending time at the cinema, the theatre and live music gigs. At home, Sam is married with two dogs.
