Executive Unit team in 2004
Executive Director:
Jaime-Axel Ruiz (until May 2004)
Rob Franklin OBE (from July 2004)
Head of Marketing:
Lisa Davies
Finance and Marketing Executive:
Hilde Schoenmaekers
Rob Franklin OBE
The Executive Unit is the nerve centre of ETC. Without it, the organisation would find
it very difficult, if not impossible, to function.
it very difficult, if not impossible, to function.
Including the addition of the new post of Marketing Executive in
Press conference - Challenges and Opportunities
2005, the Executive Unit is a team of just four people (plus work
for Destination Europe
placement students) which is based in Brussels. The Executive
The Executive Unit organised a well-attended press conference on
1st
1st
Director is appointed directly by the ETC Board of Directors, and
September to launch the ETC President's vision for the organisation
is traditionally seconded for a number of years from one of the
and for tourism to Europe. Dr Oberascher used the occasion to
member countries. He reports directly to the ETC President.
highlight the three priorities for his term in office as president:
The other posts are permanent local appointments.
e-marketing, market intelligence and operational excellence.
The event was also used to launch ETC's study, The Image
The unit is responsible for many important aspects of ETC's
of Europe in North America, to the press.
activity. For example, it manages and allocates ETC's core
finances. It supports the activities of all the different ETC groups,
ETC statutes
providing the secretariat for the Research Group and the New
With its base in Brussels, ETC is registered in Belgium.
Media Group. It is responsible for the organisation and smooth
A change in Belgian law in 2002 required ETC to amend its
running of the General Meetings and meetings of the Board
statutes. The Executive Unit made the necessary changes in
of Directors.
consultation with ETC's lawyers, and the revised statutes were
approved by the General Meeting in Brussels in April 2004.
Change at the top
Under the changes, the ETC became an AISBL - association
ETC said farewell at the end of May to Jaime-Axel Ruiz who,
internationale sans but lucratif - in Belgian law. This translates
after two years in the job, left to take over the role of director
broadly into English as a non-profit-making international association.
of Turespaņa's Paris office. In his place came Rob Franklin,
fresh from running VisitBritain's operations for the Americas,
based in their New York office. Rob brought with him several
years' experience of ETC's US Operations Group - latterly as
chairman of the group - and also the distinction of being awarded
an OBE (Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II
in recognition of his services to British tourism while in the
United States.
New corporate business plan
2004 saw the production of a new corporate business plan for
ETC. Co-ordinated by Rob Franklin and involving the participation
of all operations groups, the new plan was formally approved by
members at the General Meeting in Budapest in October. The new
plan defines ETC's corporate strategy, marketing strategy and
integrated communications plan for the future.