Travel and Cruise industry veteran, Nathan Philpot, is to join the UK’s leading specialist cruise services company on 27th November; the day before the company celebrates its 25th Anniversary. The company specialises in Shore Excursions, Turnaround services and Pre and Post cruise tours for the Small, Luxury and Expedition Cruise sector throughout the U.K.

Rupert Woodard, who co-founded Excursions Ltd in 1999 with his wife Anna, is to move onto the Board of the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). They created the Trust in 2021 to ensure that the carefully cultivated ethos of Excursions Limited will continue far into the future for the benefit of its customers and employees.

Philpot has spent the last 7 years running National Geographic’s licensed travel businesses which included working with Ponant and Lindblad within the Expedition Cruise segment as well as launching National Geographic Day Tours, a new brand in shore excursions. His previous cruise experience includes 5 years with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines; launching a new luxury retail business while at WEXAS; and starting his own online cruise comparison business. He was also on the Board of CLIA UK.

Woodard commented “We are all delighted that Nathan will be joining Excursions Ltd. to continue the company’s evolution. 25 years have gone by very swiftly and it is now time to hand over the reins. Nathan’s broad industry experience will be a great asset and we are confident he will be the perfect fit for our brand. We are extremely proud of our loyal and dedicated staff, who are now all Employee Owners, and we look forward to watching them thrive under Nathan’s guidance.

Philpot added “Excursions Ltd is a very successful business with an excellent reputation and I can’t wait to get started. Great experiences are increasingly important in the consumer’s decision making process. Excursions Ltd have a great team and Rupert and Anna should be so proud of what they have achieved - especially giving all employees a vested interest by setting up an EOT”.