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OUR COMPANY
GEORGE MORGAN-GRENVILLE
Founder & CEO
The catalyst for George’s sense of wanderlust was undoubtedly a commission in the British Army (Coldstream Guards) where his numerous adventures included an emergency tour to the Falkland Islands, patrolling the Sino-Hong Kong land border, secondment to the Australian Army and leading an expedition across the Moroccan Sahara. Despite gaining a Fast-Stream pass in the Civil Service Selection Board (Foreign Office) exam, it was travel that was to be his passion for the next 30 years. Milestone adventures include being the first westerner to travel through Central Asia by private train in 1990, and accompanying HRH The Prince of Wales in Turkey, the Himalayas, and on safari in Tanzania. He founded Red Savannah in 2011 and was delighted to see it win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020 and the Conde Nast Traveller ‘World’s Best Tour Operator’ Award in 2021. He founded the ‘Quash Quarantine’ campaign in May 2020 and is regular media commentator on travel matters across radio, television and national media, as well as numerous industry and luxury panels from Forbes 400 to CBRE Luxury Properties. He is a keen skier, diver, photographer and pilot.
IAN MACKINNON
Chief Operating Officer
As a tri-national, Ian’s international background fostered a love of travel and a curiosity for the world around him from an early age. A stint living in Salamanca during his undergraduate studies where he wrote his dissertation on authenticity in travel was the catalyst for an onward move to South America where he spent six years living between Peru and Chile exploring some of the more remote corners of the continent. Two years working as a hiking and horse-riding guide in Southern Patagonia nurtured Ian’s passion for delivering exceptional experiences to his guests and a career in travel was born. With the Amazon, the Andes and the Galapagos under his belt, Ian travelled extensively in Africa seeing wild dogs on foot in Zambia, diving with Whale Sharks in Mozambique and summitting Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Mount Toubkal in Morocco. Following a two-year hiatus to study an MBA at London Business School where he was a scholar and selected for the Walpole Program in Luxury Management, Ian returned to travel leading a portfolio of villas and ski chalets across Europe. Most recently, Ian’s attentions have turned north exploring the rugged Lofoten Peninsula in Norway, the southern fjords of Greenland and undertaking a winter expedition into Iceland’s untamed highlands under the northern lights.
NICK WESTWOOD
Managing Director - Villas
Not many people can claim a call from the French Foreign Secretary when in urgent need of a villa. But then Nick Westwood, who leads Red Savannah's Villas team, knows his game. A linguist who has lived and studied in France and Italy, Nick's entire career has been devoted to seeking out Europe's most beautiful private homes. Nick has recently been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist for his expertise as a villa rental specialist by Condé Nast Traveler for many years.
SARAH-LEIGH SHENTON
Director of Marketing
Sarah-Leigh fell happily into the travel industry while working in the South of France during a university holiday. What started as a temporary summer job led to a Masters degree in Tourism Management, majoring in Marketing, and 28-year career working with some of the industry’s most respected names. She joined Red Savannah as one of the founding team members and has supported the business’s growth from start-up to international award-winning travel company. Never one to be afraid of a challenge, she has been a pioneer of social media, has slept under the stars in the Sahara, riddled targets (spectacularly inaccurately) with an AK47 in Vietnam, and ridden the length of Monument Valley. Her most precious travel experiences have included flying over Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, watching the sun rise over the Annapurnas and meeting a survivor of Phnom Penh’s Tuol Sleng. When she’s not looking after Red Savannah’s marketing activities, she enjoys art history, reading biographies, cooking Asian food for friends and making scented candles.
CAMILLA DAVIDSON
Head of Destination Management - UK, France & Ireland
The travel bug came early to Camilla with family holidays spent sailing around the Greek islands and Turkish coast, and was thoroughly solidified by a year abroad spent discovering Central America, teaching in the United States and travelling through Southern France – the perfect opportunity to hone her linguistic skills in Spanish and French. Being brought up between Scotland and the Cotswolds gave Camilla a delight for the pleasures of exploring closer to home, which combined with her university degree in Dublin, studying French and Theatre, gave the ideal balance of life in the UK and Ireland. It was whilst working as a party planner she was able to gain insider access to some of the nation’s finest castles, estates and historic houses, revelling in the glorious history to be found on our doorsteps, all the while gathering an enviable Little Black Book of Contacts across the country. Nowadays, with 10 years of experience in the travel industry, Camilla is happiest when hunting through vintage boutiques in Paris’ Marais district or seeking the perfect truffle omelette in the Périgord; picnicking in a sun-dappled spot in the glorious Cotswolds countryside, or holed up in front of a roaring fire with a good book in a cosy lodge in Scotland’s northern Highlands. Camilla has been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist by Conde Nast Traveler.
MELISSA MATTHEWS
Regional Director - North America, Indonesia & Maldives
Mel’s sense of adventure and passion to see the world has been the driving force for her career in travel over the past 30 years and she is adamant it will continue for more decades to come! Her expertise covers Southeast Asia, North America, Maldives and Dubai which means she’s able to cross-sell effectively to ensure clients have the best option for their holiday. Her travels, both professionally and personally, have taken her extensively through all her destinations but she freely admits that she left her heart in Indonesia. It is fitting therefore that she has been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist by Condé Nast Traveler for the last five years for her expertise in this part of the world. Memorable highlights of her career have included snorkelling with manta rays off a private phinisi in Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, watching grizzlies catch salmon from a floating lodge in Canada, riding a Sumbanese stallion along a wild beach on Sumba Island and laughing until it hurt on the back of a Vespa during a street food tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Mel loves nothing more than talking to people about travel and planning complex itineraries, so please call her and see for yourself. Melissa has been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist by Conde Nast Traveler for several years.
SAM GOOLD
Destination Consultant - Japan & Southeast Asia
Sam's early travel memories consist of family journeys to France, Spain and Italy, igniting a passion for exploring new countries and cultures. This sense of wanderlust was further sparked by conversations with his grandmother about her far-flung adventures to Kenya, Sri Lanka and China. After university, Sam spent two months exploring Southeast Asia, where he celebrated Songkran with monks in Chiang Mai and stayed with a local family on a floating house in the Mekong Delta. His travel career began during the seven years he lived in New Zealand. This antipodean location provided the opportunity to experience everything from the beauty of the Southern Alps to the gin-clear waters of the Cook Islands. Other travel highlights include scouring Japan in search of the best okonomiyaki and seeing wild elephants up close in Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park. Outside of work, Sam can be found on the cricket pitch during the summer, where he is chairman of his local club, or spending countless hours entertaining his young family.
SAMANTHA GORDON
Regional Director - Africa
Samantha’s love of travel began with three months in Australia sailing a catamaran around the Whitsunday Islands before embarking on a degree in Russian that led to stints studying in St Petersburg and working in Moscow. Not long after she was to be found galloping with nomads across the Mongolian steppe and trekking in Central Asia. After learning to dive off the coast of Lombok she headed to underwater wonderlands in the Indian Ocean before spending the last 20 years exploring Africa. Her explorations of the continent that finally won her heart began with a visit to Ethiopia to explore Lalibela's sunken churches and the Simien Mountains. Since then, she has dived off the coast of Mozambique, caught tiger fish in the Zambezi and learned to fly along Namibia's Skeleton Coast. Other highlights of her Africa explorations include getting up close to lemurs in Madagascar, tracking wild dog in the Serengeti, spotting leopard in Zambia and heli-safaris in northern Kenya. Her best African experiences remain gorilla tracking in Rwanda and Uganda. Samantha has been recognised in Travel+ Leisure's A-List of the World's Top Travel Advisors for her expertise in African safaris.
CHRIS EVANS
Head of Yachts & Caribbean
From Antigua to Zanzibar; Colombia to Madagascar Chris has explored in depth a portfolio over one hundred countries. With over 25 years in the travel industry, Chris’ specialist knowledge extends from where to see the wildebeest migration in Zambia and spot tropical birds in Costa Rica, to the best places to dine on the banks of the Nile, and where to see the pink dolphins of the Amazon, to which is the best private garden to visit in Suzhou, China. Having lived in Asia and Australasia, with years of travelling in Africa and Latin America, Chris’ worldwide destination knowledge is expansive. Currently Chris heads up the Caribbean product at Red Savannah, a region that has a special place in his heart, plus oversees Red Savannah’s gulet and yachting programme in the beautiful eastern Mediterranean.
CLARE WATKINS
Regional Manager - Europe
Clare’s passion for all things European stems from early childhood when her and her siblings were packed into the car and driven to remote French villages for weeks on end. The journey was always punctuated with a stop in Geneva en route, to see her Sicilian Uncle and fill up on spaghetti alle vongole. Her love of languages started young when she used to go to the Boulangerie each morning for bread and try to converse with the villagers. Learning phrases such as ‘Ducks crossing’ and ‘Beware of the toads’ were of particular delight. This spurred her on to not only adore French but also take up Spanish at school, and then later at University, Italian. Her university life meant stints living in Bordeaux and then Rome – thankfully above a gelateria. Nowadays she still likes nothing more than hopping in car, stopping where serendipity takes her, or pounding the streets in a city exploring hidden neighbourhoods and wonderous art galleries. Lifelong memories have been made exploring Europe, from concerts in the cloisters in Dubrovnik to wine tasting on the slopes of Etna. Clare can hunt out memorable experiences across Europe, whether your passion is for art, gardens, wildlife, sublime seaside escapes or road trips. Clare has been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist by Conde Nast Traveler for her expertise in Europe.
DINEKE VERLINDEN
Regional Manager – Latin America
Dineke lost her heart to Latin America at a young age and now has over seventeen years' experience in optimising product portfolios and sales tools to create innovative and memorable customised itineraries for her clients. Having travelled to all seven continents, Dineke’s experience reaches from Jan Mayen in High Arctic to Easter Island, and from the remote La Guajira peninsula in Colombia to Antarctica. She has ventured on three expeditionary cruises and passionately shares her expertise with those looking to travel to some of the most remote corners of the world.
Nora Berberich
Destination Consultant - Africa
Family holidays all across Europe with her adventurous parents are undoubtedly the origins of Nora’s wanderlust. Growing up in Germany’s Black Forest within walking distance of the French border, she has been fascinated with foreign languages since childhood and is always looking to learn more. Next on the list: Norwegian, Swahili and Italian. Partaking in an exchange programme in France in her early teens was a logical step, and her first taste of immersion into a new culture. This was soon followed by a degree in International Tourism Management in the Netherlands and South Africa, where she specialised in Lodge & Wildlife Management. Having enjoyed safari life, Nora was keen to return and she qualified as a safari guide in South Africa while living in the bush. Now living in England, her passion remains Africa and its abundant wildlife, and she enjoys sharing this enthusiasm with her clients by creating inspiring itineraries which covey the very best experiences. Recent explorations have taken her on a road trip around Iceland, to the tropical beaches of Mauritius and on adventures across her new home, the United Kingdom.
RACHEL COOPER
Regional Manager - Australasia, Indian Subcontinent & Middle East
A visit to Australia at the tender age of 17 first ignited Rachel's passion for far flung adventures, and travel has dominated her life ever since. Rachel's 33-year career in luxury travel began in the airline industry, selling tickets for Concorde, and she quickly climbed the ladder with some of the world's leading airlines before making the move to tailormade travel. This has allowed Rachel to delve further into some of the regions she is most passionate about, including Bhutan & India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand, where she got married in a remote wilderness lodge surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Wildlife encounters are one of Rachel's greatest passions and have shaped many of her most memorable adventures from swimming with whale sharks in Australia's Ningaloo reef, seeking out Bengal tigers in northern and Central India and tracking leopard in Sri Lanka. Rachel's expertise in her field has resulted in her being named a Top Travel Specialist by Condé Nast for several years, as well as receiving consistently excellent feedback from returning clients. Outside of work, Rachel has a love of weekends away to rural retreats for isolation and tranquillity, and she has a love of painting although doesn’t profess to be particularly good at it! She also loves reading novels and caring for anything with four legs and fur!
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NICK WESTWOOD
Managing Director - Villas
Not many people can claim a call from the French Foreign Secretary when in urgent need of a villa. But then Nick Westwood, who leads Red Savannah's Villas team, knows his game. A linguist who has lived and studied in France and Italy, Nick's entire career has been devoted to seeking out Europe's most beautiful private homes. Nick has recently been recognised as a Top Travel Specialist for his expertise as a villa rental specialist by Condé Nast Traveler for many years.
AMY ROPNER
Head of Sales & Operations - VIllas
Amy's insatiable passion for exploring the world and uncovering gems from every corner of the earth has driven her love of travel to new heights. She has spent years living and working overseas, uncovering fascinating places and people with stories to tell, and translating them into memorable journeys for her clients. As a Red Savannah villa rental specialist, Amy has explored grand lakeside villas of Como in Italy, stayed at the most stylish Ibizan villas and charming Mallorcan farmhouses in the Tramuntana Mountains. She enjoys creating memorable experiences for people by sourcing the perfect villa and peppering the stay with private wine tastings in Europe's most renowned vineyards and sampling local delicacies while enjoying the quintessential European scenery. Through her travels some of her greatest pleasures have included learning the art of meditation with monks in Bhutan, staying and trekking in the virgin rainforests of Borneo and Brunei and embarking on adventurous game drives on safari as the sun rises over the Serengeti.
LOUISA LEWIS
Villa Specialist
From learning to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and driving an overland truck through South Africa, to climbing to the basecamp of the Annapurna, Louisa’s travels have spanned almost every corner of the globe. After five years of living in San Francisco, it was Louisa’s travels closer to home that fuelled her appetite for Europe, extensively exploring the Spanish and Greek Islands. With a passion for interior design, previous roles have seen her styling private homes and spearheading photoshoots for luxury homeware brands, so it was only fitting that her eye for interior design combined with her love for Europe made her the perfect person to seek out the most aesthetically pleasing and thoughtfully designed villas for the Red Savannah portfolio. Louisa now enjoys travelling to Europe with her young family and understands how important it is to have a home that works well for all generations.
ANNA CAPPELL
Operations Executive
Anna’s love of travel was fuelled at a young age when summers were spent exploring Europe with her family. This passion persisted into adulthood with numerous adventures through France and Switzerland. Keen to explore further afield, Anna embarked on a three-month solo journey through New Zealand, immersing herself in its awe-inspiring natural wonders, Maori culture, and heart-pounding outdoor activities, including skydiving and bungee jumping. These experiences shaped her understanding of what makes travel truly memorable. Anna’s desire for exploration and cultural experiences created a seamless path into the travel industry, and after completing her university degree she joined the villas team at Red Savannah. Her knowledge and passion for France have made her an invaluable part of the team, where she curates unforgettable journeys for clients and continues to inspire with her enthusiasm for travel. She has also taken on a crucial role in the Caribbean team, with firsthand experience of the British Virgin Islands.
ROSE BROCK
Operations Executive
Rose’s passion for travel started at a young age and she was never in doubt about the career path she would follow. She studied Tourism Management at university and as part of her degree, completed a six-month internship working in an exclusive ranch hotel in Palm Springs, California, followed by a month travelling around America. She has 17 years’ experience in the travel industry working both as a travel consultant and within operations. Starting her career with a Portuguese specialist and then moving on to European city breaks, she loves sharing her travel knowledge. Hiking through the rainforest of Khao Sok National Park, Thailand, watching the sunrise over the Alhambra Palace, Granada and whale watching in Santa Barbara, California are just a few of Rose’s unforgettable travel experiences so far. She also loves to write about her travels and enjoys sharing her experiences of travelling with children on her personal blog. Rose works alongside the Villa Specialists to ensure the smooth running of the department and an exceptional client experience from the point of booking through to arrival at their villa.
VICTORIA MEEKE
Operations Executive
Island hopping through Greece followed by a cultural journey by train through Italy and a stay in Paris gave Victoria her first true taste of adventure. The moment University was finished she was off again. Her global adventures have taken her, through the diverse cultures and landscapes of Asia, the Middle, Far East and Africa, travelling for pleasure, organising private journeys, and leading press-trips. Highlights have been diving with stingrays in the Maldives, walking with elephants in Botswana, and (with her degree in Classics and Archaeology), exploring ancient ruins in Yemen and Syria. Briefly attending school in the South of France, sparked a real love affair with Provence, an area she has revisited over 20 times. Today Victoria works alongside the villa specialists curating exceptional journeys for clients and meticulously coordinating bespoke activities ranging from truffle hunting and cooking classes to immersive Roman tours and exclusive wine tastings.
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"Thanks to you also Melissa for being so flexible and for really listening to our feedback. Looks like we have settled with your help on a super itinerary."
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"It is lovely to see that Red Savannah still has the personal touch which many companies sadly seem to have lost! "
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"Thank you for putting together an amazing itinerary - this trip was truly an unparalleled, once in a lifetime adventure."
