Apple Leisure Group Announces Leadership Changes

After an “impressive start to 2020,” Apple Leisure Group today announced some leadership changes that it says will “position us all for collective success and help us grow all of our travel agency brands.”

Apple, which made the announcement in a letter from EVP Jacki Marks to its travel advisor partners on Friday, will now operate with the following changes in its leadership team:

• Scott Wiseman, who has been serving as the president of Travel Impressions since August 2016, will now serve as the group’s SVP and General Manager of Brand Management for Apple Leisure Group® Vacations, focusing on the financial performance and overall direction of its agency brands.
• John Tarkowski, the longtime Apple Vacations executive who has been serving as President since January 2019, will now serve as SVP of brand strategy for Apple Leisure Group® Vacations, in charge of focusing on “developing and enhancing key programs, policies, and strategic efforts,” to maximize ALGV’s brands performance.
• Ron Jacobs, former president of Funjet Vacations and Blue Sky Tours, will now serve as interim CFO of Apple Leisure Group®, where he will continue to support “the global ALG business.”
• Wendy Hoekwater, the Apple Leisure Group® Vacations SVP of marketing, will now focus exclusive on agency marketing and will continue to serve as the head of ensuring “differentiation” of the ALGV brands. 
• Jim Tedesco, the group’s SVP of sales for Apple Leisure Group® Vacations, will now oversee ALGV sales for the whole United States.
• Mike Ehlers, who spent seven years as a senior manager with The Mark Travel Corporation and another seven as director of Groups with Funjet Vacations, is returning to lead ALGV’s sales team. “We are excited to see how Mike builds off of our recent successes to continue to strengthen the Groups Sales & Services teams,” Marks wrote.

“While these changes should not impact your daily interactions with ALG and the ALG Vacations brands, you should notice faster decision making and improved programs,” Apple wrote in its letter.

Aside from leadership changes, ALGV will also move its West Coast team to a new BDM platform that it says will allow its advisors to have stronger relationships with their BDMs. “Travel Agents on the West Coast will hear directly from their sales team to learn the specific details,” Marks wrote in the statement.

Apple Leisure Group® is coming off a 2019 that saw the group name a new CEO, former Atento CEO Alejandro Reynal, who replaced long-time CEO Alex Zozaya in September 2019, and saw ALGV launch its first Ascend Summits. Zozaya has since transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman for Apple Leisure Group®.