Biography: Hadley Allen - Wilderness Chief Commercial Officer

Her responsibilities include revenue generation across the business and leveraging Wilderness’ reputation as a recognised global brand. With teams located across multiple global regions, Hadley oversees the Direct Sales, Owned Agencies, Marketing, Partnerships, Communications and PR teams, as well as drives new sales channels to the market. With her far-ranging, international experience – which includes marketing, branding, digital strategy and managing partnerships – Hadley is ideally placed to enhance Wilderness’ business objectives, and to ensure that all functions of the company are aligned to meet both its short- and long-term commercial objectives.

Before joining Wilderness, Hadley ran a marketing strategy consulting business, focusing on luxury hotels, adventure travel operators, outdoor retailers and many others. She has also worked at Starwood Hotels – acquired by Marriott International during Hadley’s tenure – where she worked on global partnerships, loyalty programme marketing and branding, and managed digital strategy for several of their luxury hotel brands. Prior to this, Hadley worked in travel and product marketing at American Express, as well as marketing for several boutique hotel groups.

US-born Hadley is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, New Hampshire. She hails from the Mountain West, where she grew up with a deep love for wild spaces. Over the years, she has worked with local governments to secure land bonds for dedicated open spaces. Additionally, she has served on the board of the Mountain Trails Foundation and has worked with the several local Land Trusts. Hadley is happiest playing in the great outdoors – skiing, hiking, mountain biking and exploring new places with her kids, family and friends.

Hadley is honoured to be part of Wilderness’ EXCO team, and to be able work with people who genuinely care about preserving their ecosystems, while providing unforgettable guest experiences. "I firmly believe that time spent in wild places awakens the soul and fundamentally transforms the way people view the world – if we give guests the authentic and profound experience of time spent in African landscapes, they will go home as ardent advocates of the world’s wilderness areas”, she notes.