Going Global

Gray Dawes Group Acquires MP Travel in Australia

As part of our strategic global growth plans, Gray Dawes Group has acquired the Australian based travel management business, MP Travel.

The acquisition of MP Travel takes family-owned Gray Dawes Group’s turnover to over of £250m and pushes employee numbers beyond the 250 mark.

Both travel management specialists, renowned for our technical innovation and high-touch service, focus on providing complete business travel management solutions with a personal touch. This combination sets us apart in the corporate travel arena and is the core reason behind our respective ongoing success.

Suzanne Horner, Gray Dawes Group CEO, comments:

“I have long admired the business that Kerri Primrose, Lynn Manuel and their team have built.” Horner continues, “This latest chapter in our development – Gray Dawes’ twelfth acquisition to date – marks such an exciting time for us and our customers.”

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 and integrating them. We know how to do that well. Now we’re doing that overseas and Australia is the beginning with MP Travel.” Horner added “Our out-of-hours service is already resourced in Australia, so with the addition of something in the US next, we’d have a follow-the-sun set up – that’s our strategy.”

Horner says, “Following the challenges of the last two years, Gray Dawes is fantastically placed, both financially and from a skills perspective, to really drive our recovery 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 has weathered the pandemic storm of the last two years better than most.” Horner continues, “Welcoming MP Travel into the Group only strengthens our position and global offering. MP Travel is renowned in Australia for their loyal and outstanding staff. I am delighted to welcome them to the Gray Dawes Group!”

Lynn Manuel, joint Managing Director of MP Travel, commented:

“I am very excited by the opportunity to work with Suzanne and her team, and thrilled for MP Travel’s staff to be part of an award-winning travel management company.”

Joint MP Travel Managing Director, Kerri Primrose, 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 even stronger and able to deliver enhanced global opportunities to our staff and clients alike.”

Lynn Manuel, Joint Managing Director

Kerri Primrose

Kerri Primrose, Joint Managing Director

Fergus Glenapp – Gray Dawes Group Chairman and board member of the company’s owners, Inchcape Family Estates, commented, “I’m delighted to welcome the MP Travel business, itself an independently-owned company, into the Group.” Glenapp continues, “I look forward to supporting the remarkable and continued growth of our fantastic company as we venture into the global arena.”

We are super excited to welcome MP Travel Group into the Gray Dawes family today, as we officially announce our acquisition of this awesome Australian TMC. Marking the start of our global expansion, we’d like to say a huge “G’day” to all our new colleagues down under.

We can’t wait to bring our new global capabilities to our international clients… and this is just the beginning!

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