As part of our strategic global growth plans, Gray Dawes Group has acquired the Melbourne based travel management business, Verve Travel And Leisure, including both the business travel division, Verve Travel Management, and the leisure travel retail agency, Bay Travel and Cruise.
A well established TMC within the Australian business travel market, Verve Travel further strengthens our innovative ‘follow the sun’ service model – delivering a single shared technology platform with seamless personal service across the entire Gray Dawes international operation – while also facilitating for our expansion into the APAC region, providing huge benefits for all our customers.
Our global clients enjoy a seamless high-touch, high-tech, high-content experience as we follow the sun from the UK to America to Australia and to Europe – our four core international Gray Dawes bases. Complimented by our own global partner network, it’s what we call ALWAYS ON – there for our clients when they need us, where they need us.
As part of its strategic global growth plans, Gray Dawes Group has acquired the Australian based travel management business, Verve Travel And Leisure, including both the business travel division, Verve Travel Management, and the leisure retail office of Bay Travel and Cruise.
The acquisition of Verve Travel takes family-owned Gray Dawes Group’s turnover to over of £600m and pushes employee numbers to over 550.
The two travel management specialists, renowned for their technical innovation and high-touch service, focus on providing complete business travel management solutions with a personal touch. This combination sets them apart in the corporate and leisure travel arenas and is the core reason behind their respective ongoing success.
Gray Dawes Group CEO: Suzanne Horner
Suzanne Horner, Gray Dawes Group CEO, comments:
“I have long admired the business that Kathryn and Kurt Sari, and their team, have built.” Horner continues, “This latest chapter in our development – Gray Dawes’ sixteenth acquisition to date – marks such an exciting time for us and our clients.”
Horner continues,
“Our clients increasingly want global solutions, even the smaller ones. They’re taking us on the journey. We’ve been very successful picking up businesses in the UK, Australia, the USA and Europe and integrating them. We know how to do that well. Now, we’re excited to incorporate Verve Travel into our group.”
Commenting further on the announcement, Suzanne Horner, Gray Dawes Group CEO, said, “Our expansion into Europe is incredibly exciting. With Verve strengthening our existing Australian operation, this represents the next step in our global growth plan and closes the circle on our unique service delivery strategy. Out of hours, for example, is simply not a thing for Gray Dawes; we are now ALWAYS ON – there for our clients, where they need us, when they need us. And with a shared technology platform across the entire Gray Dawes operation, our clients will enjoy a seamless personal service as we follow the sun around the globe from the UK and Europe to America, to Australia and back to Europe.”
Horner says, “The challenges the industry has faced over the past few years are firmly behind us, as our revenue now exceeds all pre-pandemic levels and continues to break profitability records. Gray Dawes is fantastically placed, both financially and from a skills perspective, to really drive our strategy, while developing all parts of the business and new ventures. Through strong management, belief in our people, innovative technology and outstanding customer service, Gray Dawes weathered the pandemic storm better than most. Welcoming Verve Travel into the Group only strengthens our position and global offering, both to corporate and luxury markets. Verve Travel is renowned in Australia for their loyal and outstanding staff, and I am delighted to welcome them to the Gray Dawes Group!”
Kathryn Sari, Joint Managing Director of Verve Travel, commented:
“I am very excited by the opportunity to work with Suzanne and her team, and thrilled for Verve Travel’s staff to be part of such an exciting and award-winning travel management company.
Joint Verve Travel Managing Director, Kurt Sari, added:
There are so many synergies across the businesses which makes this a very natural fit. By being part of the Gray Dawes Group, we will be able to leverage the strengths of both companies to deliver enhanced global opportunities to our staff and clients alike.”
Verve Travel Managing Directors: Kathryn and Kurt Sari
Gray Dawes Group Chairman: Fergus Glenapp
Fergus Glenapp – Gray Dawes Group Chairman and board member of our owners, Inchcape Family Estates, commented, “We are delighted to have acquired a business of Verve Travel’s caliber and location. It enhances our already strong Australian base and helps drive our worldwide growth very positively.”
Our sixteenth acquisition, the addition of the Verve Travel business takes our family-owned Group’s turnover to over £600m and pushes our employee numbers over 550, across the UK, Australia, North America and Europe.
We are super excited to welcome Verve Travel into the Gray Dawes family today, as we officially announce our acquisition of this awesome Australian TMC. Marking the next phase of our global expansion, we’d like to say a huge “G’day” to all our new colleagues in Melbourne.
About Verve Travel
Verve Travel and Leisure’s origins trace back to 2001, and over the years, Verve has elevated their travel brand to be synonymous with exceptional service for both corporate and leisure travel clients in the Australian market.
Verve is a family-owned business with offices in Melbourne and Brisbane and is managed by Kathryn and Kurt Sari. Verve is a AUD35M turnover company and is fully licensed with IATA.
Verve has a strategic alliance with the ASX listed company, Helloworld Travel and Kathryn Sari is a member of the Helloworld Business Travel Council since 2018.
Verve’s history is a tapestry rich with transformative milestones, industry-recognition, and partnerships that validate their unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the travel industry.
Verve acquired Bay Travel & Cruise in February 2023 and this partnership has been a catalyst for growth in luxury leisure travel, inspiring Verve to remain true to their foundational values while exploring new and exciting opportunities in the ever-evolving travel landscape.
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