Executive Changes At Unique Vacations
Unique Vacations Inc. (UVI) has announced that its longtime chief executive officer, Tammy Gonzalez is retiring and Jeff Clarke has been named her successor.
Clarke most recently served as UVI’s chief operating officer and he will take on his new role as the company’s chief executive officer beginning April 14, 2020.
Commenting on her retirement, Gonzalez said: “Very few people get the opportunity to be part of something that changes everything in their industry. For more than 35 years, I have had the privilege of working alongside one of travel’s true visionaries and helping to build an organization that I believe in and am incredibly proud of. That’s why the time is right for me to pass the baton to Jeff. After working alongside him these past four years, I am confident of his leadership and in his ability to navigate this unprecedented moment, positioning our brands well for the future.”
On his new role, Clarke observed: “It’s an honour to become CEO of this remarkably innovative company and a professional challenge to follow in the footsteps of Tammy Gonzalez. I have a great deal of respect for the work she has done to advocate for the brands we represent, to put travel advisors first and to make it easy for customers to understand the Sandals and Beaches difference. There is no question that we face exceptional circumstances but over 35 years, Gonzalez has demonstrated the strength of this team to rise again and again and I look forward to carrying on that tradition.”
According to Sandals Resorts International Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart, the changing of the guard is bittersweet.
“Since the very beginning, Tammy has been the backbone of Unique Vacations. I will always be grateful for her insight and dedication and wish her well as she steps into this next chapter of her life,” said Stewart.
And he continued: “It is also my sincere pleasure to congratulate Jeff Clarke, who I have known for years and who I know is well-qualified to lead UVI into the future.”
Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, said: “My appreciation and sincere thanks must go out to Tammy Gonzalez for her years of dedicated service and loyalty. The relationship fostered between Sandals and UVI is critically important to the success of the resorts and never more so than right now. We are in a rapidly evolving era of marketing communications. Our brands continue to steer towards growth and innovation and in great part that broadens the future. We look forward to working with Jeff to continue this invaluable strategy which has always set us apart and distinguished our organization.”
Clarke is a longtime veteran of the travel industry, and joined Unique Vacations in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, he served as President of tour operator Travel Impressions, which was a division of Apple Leisure Group. For more than a decade, he held executive positions within the cruise segment and is a proud West Virginia University Mountaineer.
