The three Co-founders have been involved from the start in 2000 and remain active in the daily business. Executive Edge Travel is their life.
Co-founders
Sally Bird
- Bachelor of Business Management – Monash University
- Diploma of Travel and Tourism
- 20 years Corporate and Leisure Travel Consultancy experience as Senior Consultant/Manager
As one of the three Co-founders of Executive Edge Travel, I lead the corporate team and also cater to high-end leisure clientele. This business is my life and I call it my third child. My early years’ education was in the United Kingdom, after which I returned to Australia to complete my VCE with honours at Melbourne Girls Grammar School. I received a Bachelor of Business Management from Monash University and then obtained a Certificate 111 in Tourism International Travel Sales from Jetset Travel College. Prior to starting Executive Edge, I worked for 8 years as a Domestic & Senior Travel Consultant and Customer Service Manager for prestigious travel firms. I’ve been fortunate to be recognised throughout my career for outstanding sales and have won multiple industry awards in sales and customer service.
My speciality areas include Southern France, Bali, Thailand, New York, Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong but I consider Africa my true expertise which also represents my personal travel style – lux but eco-conscious. Africa embodies the most awe-inspiring place in the world in my opinion. And every time I return, the continent’s rawness, magic and authenticity never fails to amaze me. I can say with confidence that I could suggest the perfect bespoke African itinerary for any occasion for groups, individual travel, seniors or couples.
Gary Reichenberg
- Bachelor of Business (Accounting), Swinburne University, Melbourne
- Chartered Accountant and Consultant for 4 years with Ernst & Young, Melbourne
- Chartered Accountant for 4 years with Crown Casino, Melbourne
- Chartered Accountant for 6 years with Polygram Records, Melbourne
As a Co-founder of Executive Edge Travel since its inception in 2000, I’ve dedicated the last 16 years to building our company to become one of the largest privately-owned travel management companies in Victoria. My fellow Co-founders Sally Bird and Yvonne Verstandig and I all remain active in the daily business. Executive Edge was also a Co-founder of CT Partners, the most significant independent travel agency consortium in Australia, where I continue to serve as a Board member.
With a background in finance as a Chartered Accountant, I previously worked for Ernst & Young, Polygram Records, Crown Casino and HRG (formerly BTI Travel) in senior finance positions and bring this fiscal expertise to Executive Edge. In charge of the finance, administration and corporate governance of Executive Edge, I provide strategic direction for the company and steer the development of products, solutions and services which support the long term acquisition and retention of corporate clients. In addition, I serve as the company’s representative with our global alliance partner Radius Travel.
My core values which I live by are innovation, action, respect, customer service and teamwork. Time away from the office is spent in warm coastal regions with my family on holidays which combine high-intensity adventure and relaxation. Water is my serenity. I grew up in South Africa, so I relish any opportunity to return to its rugged coastlines. In particular, my family and I love the beaches of Australia, the South of France, and the Caribbean mixed in with the cultural diversity of Europe and the Middle East.
Yvonne Verstandig
I left the pharmaceutical industry to follow my dream and, let’s face it, obsession with travel. As one of the three Co-founders of Executive Edge Travel, I’m a self-confessed workaholic and dedicate myself completely to my clients. In 2012 and 2013, I was nominated globally as ‘Most Innovative Advisor’ at the Virtuoso Travel Week Gala Awards as I always try to think imaginatively for each custom itinerary. In 2014, I won Virtuoso’s ‘Most Admired Advisor for Australia/New Zealand’ which was a career high. In 2016, I was one of seven advisors nominated globally for Virtuoso’s ‘Outstanding Customer Service by a Travel Advisor’ award which meant a great deal to me as my clients come first.
Overall, I specialise in high-end luxury worldwide travel, designing holidays, adventures and private tours for discerning clients. As head of Edge’s Leisure Team, not only am I “the hotel expert” but I have also achieved my Masters of Cruising certification. Executive Edge holds numerous invite-only exclusive memberships including Four Seasons Preferred Partners, Belmond Bellini Club, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, Starwood Luxury Privileges, Dorchester Collection Diamond Club, Peninsula PenClub, Jumeirah Passport to Luxury, Oetker Collection Pearl Partner, Leading Hotels of the World VITA (Very Important Travel Agents) and Shangri-La Luxury Circle, so I’m particularly well-versed in these brands and properties. I’m also honoured to serve on the Starwood Luxury Travel Advisory Board, the New York Tourism Board for Australia and the Advisory Board of Butterfield & Robinson, a bespoke travel company which creates private walking and biking adventure journeys with unparalleled cultural immersion.
To ensure I remain on the cutting edge of new and exciting travel trends, I’m constantly attending the latest industry trade shows such as LE Miami, PURE, Virtuoso Travel Week, ILTM etc. as well as attending daily office meetings with suppliers. Even my ‘holidays’ are spent squeezing in copious property inspections, much to my family’s chagrin!
My personal passion is experiential adventure travel, particularly skiing, which finds me dare-devilling all over the world with my family – paragliding into Zighy Bay in Oman, micro-lighting over Victoria Falls, altitude trekking in Peru, four-wheel driving through the jungle in India, heli-skiing in the Italian alps, mountain-biking along the countryside of Laos, Mokoro exploring in Botswana, scuba diving in Tahiti, hiking and cycling through Bhutan and Turkey…I would travel to the end of the earth in search of that next unforgettable experience and deliver the same for my clients every single time.