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Episode details

Radio 4,09 Aug 2025,14 mins

Series The Decisions That Made Me

Alan French (Thomas Cook, CEO)

The Bottom Line

Available for over a year

When high street travel firm Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, it triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, with 150,000 holidaymakers needing to be brought home. Alan French was the Group Strategy and Technology director at the time and had to preside over the disaster. Despite that, he was determined to revive the company, and the next year relaunched Thomas Cook as a digital only brand. The travel executive talks to Evan Davis about how he managed to turn his fortunes around and resurrect the Thomas Cook name. Production team: Producer: Drew Hyndman, Georgiana Tudor Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

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