Friday, February 29, 2008

Highly ambitious but dumb about technology? That must be the Lastminute.com MD...

Travel Weekly's diary page, Rear View, this week highlights how John Bevan, UK managing director of Lastminute.com, might have shown his true colours at a recent travel industry love-in.

The normally shy and retiring Bevan [Is this right? Ed] was guest of honour - and therefore required to do a speech - at an ITT Odyssey Supper.

But in front of the great and the good of the UK travel industry, Bevan admitted: "I am not at all au fait with technology.”

Well, that's fair enough - one wouldn't expect him to be on-call when the servers blow up at everyone's favourite pink OTA, brandishing one of those funny electrical current pens that light up when they connect with a microchip.

But, as Travel Weekly continues: "Lacking a grasp of computers has not put Bevan off his stride either. He sees no reason why he can’t progress his career further and become the company’s next UK chief executive".

“I hope I will climb the [career] ladder even further – Ian [McCaig] watch out, I’m after your job.”
Luckily for Bevan - and Travolution can concur, as we are frequently on the receiving end of his, er, Scottish wit - McCaig will probably take this threat in his stride.

Travel Weekly was sufficiently moved by Bevan's aspirational speech, however, to declare he will be in the top job within 12 months.

We've started counting down the days already...

UPDATE: Heading off incurring the wrath of the Lastminute.com press office, it goes without saying that if a succession plan is in place, Bevan would indeed be a stong contender. :-)

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

12 comments:

Steve said...

Hello,

Great blog, I have added you to my blog roll http://www.adventurestodo.com/blog/.

Please ad my link.

Thanks,
Steve
Adventurestodo.com

Johnie said...

hey! I'm the owner of http://www.journeyetc.com/, currently PR4 and 350 uv/day! Would you like to exchange links with me, please, please!

Travolution Blogger said...

Steve and Johnie: Sorry, we do not do link exchanges unless the end-site offers something for our readers on the travelindustry itself, rather than consumer-focused content.

Johnie said...

Precisely because of that...I have readers that are interested in the travel industry, you definately have some readers that would like more consumer-focused content too...A link exchange would benefit both of us and get us a larger audience! I think you should give me a chance.

Travolution Blogger said...

Johnie: i think you're missing the point of a blog. irrelevant comments to the discussion and blatant link-baiting. poor effort.

Johnie said...

With all the respect, you probably should not use terms like link baiting if you are not familiar with them. I was just trying to make you change your view regarding the reason
why you refused a le with a consumer blog. If you are not happy with my comments you can and should delete them.
Have a nice one!

Travolution Blogger said...

"I'm the owner of ht*p://www.journ*yetc.c*m/, currently PR4 and 350 uv/day! Would you like to exchange links with me, please, please!"...

yes, doesn't sound like link-baiting at all - just someone desperate for a link.

i'm sure you you can explain the difference.

if you used the comments section to add something to the discussion, then we might have considered a link exchange.

Johnie said...

I admit I'm guilty of making an offtopic comment, but I did not noticed your contact mail. If I knew it would be so disturbing for you, I wouldn't have posted.
P.S. I'm sure you'll figure out what link bait means eventually.

Travolution Blogger said...

Unless anyone else wants to know what link-baiting means:

Wikipedia entry

Johnie said...

Jesus...then please tell me what type of link baiting my comment in which i ask for a link exchange represents (information, news, humor, evil or tool hook)...also read that link baiting refers to articles, not comments...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Travolution Blogger said...

thin hair: spam.