Flora Thompson-Ashby joins representation firm &Gaia as sales director

Representation and consulting company &Gaia has hired Flora Thompson-Ashby as sales director.

Thompson-Ashby is best known for her role at Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. She joined the hotel brand in 2018 as UK sales manager and later became the region’s assistant director of sales. In January 2023, she was promoted to UK global luxury and lifestyle sales director for parent company IHG Hotels & Resorts as the hotel conglomerate merged its brands’ sales teams.

Thompson-Ashby has also previously held sales and marketing roles at Perowne International and Original Travel.

She joined the &Gaia team last month and works alongside existing sales director Natalie Weatherer.

Founder Olga Pavlova said: “I am thrilled to welcome Flora to the &Gaia team. With her extensive experience working with leading travel brands and her refreshingly authentic and honest approach to representation, she is a fantastic addition to support our growing portfolio.

“Our team is growing alongside our portfolio of privately owned, nature-immersive properties and destinations. I am incredibly proud of having such a fantastic senior team, especially as we celebrate six years of &Gaia.”

Ashby added: “I am delighted to share that I’ve joined the team at &Gaia, representing an exceptional portfolio of private homes, hotels and DMCs.

"I am excited to be joining such an expert team and working alongside Olga and Natalie. Olga actually guided me through the first steps of my travel career over 11 years ago, so I’m thrilled to be reunited with her once again. I look forward to working with all our fantastic partners and promoting some of the world’s most extraordinary properties and experience providers.”