Intrepid Travel Appoints New General Manager, North America

WHY IT RATES: Tom Smith brings greater experience and investment to the B Corp-certified tour operator’s North American operations. — Lacey Pfalz, Associate Writer, TravelPulse

Intrepid Travel – the B Corp-certified world-leader in responsible travel – has appointed Tom Smith as General Manager, North America, bringing more senior leadership, vision and strategic growth to North America. Smith will report to North American Managing Director Matt Berna, who oversees sales & marketing, operations, mergers & acquisitions, and strategic growth in the Americas.

Intrepid Travel operates in 130+ countries with 40 offices globally. In 2022, Intrepid DMC opened their first operations base in North America off the back of their acquisition of specialist adventure operator Wildland Trekking. Intrepid’s U.S. portfolio now includes over 200 itineraries, making it the largest destination in terms of the number of tours offered.

“As we continue our rapid expansion, we have been reviewing how our organizational structure should evolve to better reflect our current and future growth opportunities,” says Intrepid CEO James Thornton. “The more we grow, the more we can invest in purpose activities and create more value for all stakeholders.”

Smith moves across to North America having spent 7 years in various senior commercial, marketing, and general management roles within the Intrepid business globally. From holding the position of Marketing Director in the UK, he then moved to become General Manager of Intrepid’s DMC in Peru, before becoming Regional General Manager for Intrepid’s network of DMCs across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining Intrepid, Tom worked in the tourism sector in Australia and Morocco and brings a wealth of leadership experience from tourism and other industries.

Based in the company’s Toronto office, Smith will be responsible for driving Intrepid’s commercial success in North America, implementing strategic plans, managing day-to-day business, and growing the Intrepid brand.

“My time at Intrepid has opened my eyes to a more sustainable, inclusive way to travel, and I’m incredibly excited to grow that segment of the travel industry here in North America,” says Tom Smith. “Having worked with our teams on the ground, I have seen first-hand how important sustainable income from tourism is to our local staff, the communities we partner with, and the suppliers we work with.”

“I’m incredibly excited to have Tom join the North American team,” says Matt Berna. “Our old notion of regional offices being classified as an operating office (DMC) or a sales office, or even service centers, no longer fits our current business model. Tom’s role will support our global structure and vertically integrated operations.”

SOURCE: Intrepid Travel press release.