Meet the team

Rossella, who is Sicilian, has a PhD in cell biology from the University of Paris. She has worked in Barcelona, San Francisco, Paris and now London, and has travelled widely. Her heart never left Italy though, and with The Thinking Traveller she is using all her passion for Sicily, Puglia and the Ionian Islands

Huw, who is British, has a degree in engineering and an MBA. He worked in Italy managing vehicle engine installation projects on 3 continents before moving to Paris as a European marketing manager for an eyewear company. He started The Thinking Traveller with Rossella in 2002.

Sian is our Finance Director and Huw’s sister. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 1995 with Ernst & Young in London and then spent several years working in the finance team at GlaxoSmithKline before joining the Thinking Traveller team.

Debbie has worked in the travel business for nearly 25 years, at the helm of several of the UK’s most successful specialist tour operators, as well as playing a part in setting up an airline! We are delighted that her enormous experience and knowhow are at the service of Think Puglia.

Katy first fell in love with Italy (and more specifically a Sicilian!) during her last year at school, prompting her to do a degree in French and Italian at Oxford University. After completing a Masters, her love of food led her into management at Carluccio's but the allure of Think Sicily, Think Puglia and most recently Think Ionian Islands soon proved too much!

Having completed her degree, Ruth spent over 13 years working on several different continents, including 9 years in Italy. She joined our team in 2005 and has since travelled to Sicily and Puglia more times (and eaten more bruschetta!) than any of us can remember.

After graduating in Spanish and Italian, Vicky moved to the north of Italy where she spent three years teaching English. During her time there, she travelled the length and breadth of the country and knew that her future career would be in tourism: at The Thinking Traveller, she combines her passion for travel with her love and knowledge of Italy!

Laura, who is Italian, has a BA in Tourism Studies and an MA in Tourism Management from the University of Technology, Sydney. After spending a few years travelling between the UK and Australia she joined The Thinking Traveller: the perfect place to put her expertise into practice!

Clare studied Italian and Music at the University of Birmingham and the Universita’ degli Studi in Bologna, where she cultivated her love of la dolce vita. The resident Thinking Traveller yoga fanatic, Clare will be able to suggest the best place for your holiday sun salutations!

Our French speaker Poppy spent the first few years of her life in Yorkshire before moving to France, where she grew up and studied for her Baccalauréat. Since then she has spent three years in Italy teaching English in Naples. Despite being back on home soil, Poppy's passion for la dolce vita is undoubtable!

Joe graduated from The Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Business and Marketing and subsequently completed a diploma in Integrated Marketing Communications with the IDM. A devotee of the arcane pleasures of watching Crystal Palace, Joe's next sporting challenge is to ski on Mount Etna!

After graduating from Oxford University with a BA in Modern Languages (French and German), Lucy spent a year learning Japanese in Fukuoka, Japan, before completing an MA in Interpreting and Translating. Having worked as a public service interpreter and translator in Germany since 2011, Lucy has now joined The Thinking Traveller where she can bring together her passion for travel and love of languages.

Naeema qualified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 2004 and joined The Thinking Traveller finance team in 2007.

Dhavish has lived in Mauritius, India and finally London, where he qualifed with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and completed an MBA in finance. An avid traveller and food enthusiast Dhavish is always looking forward to the next trip to our destinations!

Originally from Venice, Michela graduated in Arabic and English before moving to the UK for her MA in Postcolonial literature. She has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East but her passion for all things Italian knows no rivals.

Our resident German, Rebekkah, can rarely be seen travelling without her camera. When she's not behind the lens she's helping our German speaking clients find their perfect villa

After visiting Greece and Lefkada many times for holidays as a child, in 1996 Rozemarijn decided to move to Lefkada and has been working on the island in tourism ever since. She says: "I love the fact that the island is still very unspoilt so tourists can experience the real Greece; in the interior time seems to stand still and the beaches are unbeatable!."

Following the completion of a masters degree in the History of Art, Lida worked protecting her native Holland’s cultural heritage before her love of Greece and a Greek brought her to Lefkada in 1996. Before working for The Thinking Traveller, Lida passed on her passion for all things Ionian by writing a guide on walks across Lefkada.

After backpacking round Greece for six months Rachel was so enamoured with the stunning scenery, friendly people and laid back pace of life she decided to up root from Liverpool and move to the beautiful island of Lefkada. Rachel's warm welcome and superb local knowledge will ensure you get the most out of your holiday.

Originally from Liverpool, Rachel swopped the Mersey for the Ionian Sea and now looks after clients staying on the Island of Meganissi. Rachel's warm welcome and superb local knowledge are sure to mean you get the most out of your holiday.