Darrell Wade, Chairman Intrepid Travel - The Highs & Lows of Starting & Scaling Intrepid, The Failed Merger with TUI & How to Thrive Afterwards

Brave Bold Brilliant Podcast

Jeannette talks to Darrell Wade, the chairman and founder of Intrepid Travel, about his journey in the travel industry.

Darrell shares insights on the early years of Intrepid, the company's growth, values, and sustainability efforts. The episode delves into a significant merger with TUI, highlighting the cultural mismatch that led to the eventual split. Darrell also reflects on the importance of cultural due diligence in business partnerships and the challenges of aligning different organisational philosophies

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The importance of cultural fit in business partnerships is crucial, emphasising the need for alignment in values and approaches.
• Trusting one's instincts, especially in decision-making processes, is a key factor in business success.
• Conducting cultural due diligence before entering into partnerships or mergers is essential to avoid potential mismatches.
• Prioritising long-term growth over short-term profit targets is a strategic approach for sustainable business success.
• The challenges and learnings from the merger with TUI showcase the significance of understanding financial attitudes, cultural differences, and strategic alignment in business deals.

BEST MOMENTS

"I think it's a bit in the camp of similar kind of Diversity, equity and inclusion. We still talk about gender diversity We shouldn't be talking about that anymore, but we still are and we still need to by the way."

"Why is it that companies and whether they're travel companies or companies at large don't take a higher level of responsibility to their staff, to the communities, to the environment, to whatever it is?"

"In the real world, like travel companies or FMCG companies or whatever, in a listed context, you're under the gaze the whole time."

This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It’s never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANT. Visit our new website https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ - there you'll find a library of FREE resources and downloadable guides and e-books to help you along your journey.

If you’d like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at [e-mail].

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Brave Bold Brilliant - https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/

Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970

ABOUT THE GUEST

Darrell Wade

A backpacker with a vision, Darrell co-founded Intrepid with his mate Geoff ‘Manch’ Manchester in 1989. Their vision was simple: to offer a new style of low-impact travel that connected travellers with communities. Today, Darrell is regarded as one of travel’s most influential leaders and he plays an instrumental role in advancing the industry's sustainability agenda through his activism and philanthropy, and also serves as Chair of the Intrepid Foundation. He is the former vice chair of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and former chair of Travalyst, an initiative established by the Duke of Sussex to increase travel industry sustainability. He is best known, however, for being “the tall guy with the big laugh.”

Darrell's favourite Intrepid trip is Jakarta to Ubud, which was inspired by his very own overland route taken while backpacking from Australia to England.

ABOUT THE HOST

Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 30 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development.

Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams.

CONTACT THE HOST

Jeannette’s linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliant

LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jeannette.linfoot

Podcast Description

Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big’ international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true’ to yourself is the order of the day.

Travel, Bold, Brilliant, business, growth, scale, marketing, investment, investing, entrepreneurship, coach, consultant, mindset, six figures, seven figures, travel, industry, ROI, B2B, inspirational: https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot