Virgin Experience Days nearly doubled the revenues of Cloud 9 Living in the first year of ownership (since rebranded to Virgin Experience Gifts). The strategic acquisition acted as a springboard to further the business’ growth into the US gift experience market. The two newly created roles will build on this success as the company consolidates its market leading position in the region.
Carrie will be responsible for expanding the current product offering of more than 5,000 experiences and building the commercial footprint of Virgin Experience Gifts in the US. Her established track record in market expansion and supply management will serve to accelerate the growth of Virgin Experience Gifts and bring a more diverse product portfolio to US based consumers.
Carrie joins from the multi-attraction pass company Go City where she was Chief Operating Officer, before taking up the role of EVP Strategy. During her time there, Carrie forged partnerships with some of the world’s greatest attractions and experiences. Carrie also serves as a founding board member and the Vice President of OCTO, an organization developed to create and maintain digital connectivity standards in the sector.
As VP Marketing, Virgin Experience Gifts, Matt will be responsible for driving increased brand investment in the US. Matt brings over 15 years’ experience to the business with a career spanning both agency and client-side roles, across sectors including consumer goods, healthcare, retail, quick-service restaurants, sports and technology.
Most recently, Matt delivered the digital marketing strategy for business and technology consultancy Slalom. In this role, Matt led the in-house agency service, media and digital strategy offering for the consultancy.
Prior to this, Matt was employee number seven and the first marketing hire at sneaker, streetwear and collectibles marketplace StockX. Matt helped grow the team globally from 12 employees to almost 1,200.
Richard Hurd-Wood, CEO at Virgin Experience Days, comments: “As we continue to build the brand in the US market, the combined impact of expanding the breadth of the experiences we offer, while increasing brand investment, will drive the flywheel for growth. We are delighted to welcome Carrie and Matt to the business and look forward to the pivotal role they will play in helping achieve our ambitions.”
Carrie stated, "Steering the expansion of Virgin Experience Gifts in the US is a thrilling opportunity, as the company boasts a successful business model, a dynamic team culture, and high customer satisfaction ratings. I've always been passionate about creating exceptional experiences for customers, and I look forward to bringing this vision to life as we scale the business and aim to make Virgin Experience Gifts a household name.”
Matt adds: “Virgin Experience Gifts has been on an extraordinary journey in the last couple of years. I’m excited for the growth opportunities on the horizon, as we look to grow the brand’s US footprint to achieve the levels of awareness and consideration we enjoy in the UK as brand leader in the category.”
All enquiries, please contact: virginexperiencedays@thephagroup.com
About Virgin Experience Days
Virgin Experience Days is the UK’s leading experience business with a fast-growing business in the USA. The online retailer of experience gifts offering a curated collection of experiences with trending categories including new creative skills, stay and explore short breaks, adventure challenges and immersive dining. Headquartered in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, the CEO is Richard Hurd Wood. The business operates in both the UK as Virgin Experience Days and the USA as Virgin Experience Gifts. It sells gift experiences both directly to consumers and corporations as well as through a range of business partners. The company is majority owned by private equity house Equistone with a minority holding by Inflexion and it is chaired by Gordon Wilson.
To find out more visit: www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk or virginexperiencegifts.com
