Managing Director

Overview

Canopy & Stars is part of the Sawday’s group, a collection of travel brands centered on special places to stay. Since 2017, the company has been 52% employee-owned, with the rest made up of a Charitable Trust and the founding family. We are B Corp certified and recognised as a top 5% place to work among B Corps globally.

We are leaders in sustainable and ethical travel. Our Impact Report outlines our five-year strategy and annual objectives, which form the foundation of our company-wide approach. All team members are expected to contribute to these goals as part of our shared mission.

Managing Director — we’re seeking an experienced leader to step into this newly created role to support our next phase of growth. This is a broad and influential position with responsibility across the entire Canopy & Stars business, spanning e-commerce, marketing, customer experience, product development and operations.

You’ll bring experience from an online B2C environment, with a proven track record of executing strategy, driving business development and scaling performance. You should combine clear strategic thinking with the ability to deliver results.

You’ll be an authentic and supportive leader, able to inspire and motivate a team to exceed expectations and embrace new opportunities. With strong commercial judgement and the ability to lead through change, you’ll shape our future direction.

This is a hands-on role, suited to someone who enjoys working closely with a small but ambitious team.

Group Managing Director

• Marketing Department
• Pricing & Revenue Management
• Account Management
• Business Development
• Guest Experience Team
• Platform Team
• Leadership Team

• Strategy Implementation & Revenue Growth
• Ensure we continue to be the leading brand for breaks in nature, in the most inspiring places to stay
• As a key member of the Leadership Team, shape long-term strategy, build a high-performing culture and position the business for continued success
• Provide strategic leadership and overall operational responsibility for the brand
• Accountable for delivering the company’s commercial objectives, driving sustainable growth, and ensuring strong performance across all areas
• Lead the execution of the brand’s five-year strategy and achieve revenue targets
• Drive business growth, revenue performance and profitability
• Ensure robust financial management, including budgeting, forecasting and performance tracking
• Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring efficiency, quality and consistency across all functions
• Champion a high-performance culture aligned with company values
• Consolidate key commercial data into a single, accessible system to improve visibility and decision-making
• Develop revenue management and pricing systems to support sustainable growth
• Lead and develop the Canopy & Stars management team with clear direction and ongoing feedback
• Identify and pursue new commercial opportunities

• Support the marketing team with brand review outcomes
• Brand health and awareness
• Overview of commercial and marketing performance

• Monitor KPIs, metrics and performance dashboards
• Conduct regular analysis, identify trends, risks and opportunities for optimisation
• Translate data into clear, actionable plans
• Provide insightful reporting and recommendations to drive growth

• Support expansion by identifying and evaluating new place opportunities
• Work cross-functionally to launch and optimise newly onboarded places
• Build partnerships with owners to ensure outstanding experiences
• Identify opportunities to improve operational processes and performance

• Inspire a small high-performing management team through coaching and clear expectations
• Build reliable internal relationships to deliver cross-departmental plans
• Lead by example with energy, confidence and accountability
• Ensure core values of sustainability and ethics are adopted

• Proven experience in a senior leadership role (Managing Director, CEO, or equivalent)
• Commercial background including…