Julie Primmer is a force to be reckoned with in the travel industry and today oversees a huge and varied portfolio within helloworld Travel Limited in her role as General Manager Branded and Associate Networks. Julie is someone whom I have long admired as she has worked tremendously hard over the years, climbing the professional ladder as a focused, determined and passionate individual and team player where required, whilst also raising a young family. The travel industry has experienced a massive amount of change over the past twenty years, especially in recent years, behind the scenes in the Head Office environments and also in the way that clients book and take care of their travel. Julie has played a vital role in helping to guide franchisees through the transitions and providing support and advice to help them continue to grow and thrive.

Today we are SHINE’ing the Spotlight on… Julie Primmer, and here is her story:

Moving from a country town to the big smoke, Julie’s first job was junior consultant at Thomas Cook Boronia branch.  That is where she was given great early learning for a varied clientele. “You learnt you didn’t know who was walking in the door and to never ever judge a book by its cover as someone in thongs and shorts could book a first-class trip.”

Julie’s next career move took her even deeper into the big smoke to Thomas Cook’s Collins Street branch where she worked for Flight Express to find the cheapest airfares for all Thomas Cook’s Victorian stores. Julie moved up to the role of assistant manager looking after a team of 10 consultants.  This is where she picked up the skill of building strong teams.

Julie’s first management role came at the age of 28 in a retail store in Doncaster. This was the turning point in her career as she was in total control – from managing the people, service of the customer, foreign exchange, teamwork and a P/L and how to make money. This store became one of the most profitable stores in Victoria.

From there, Julie became regional manager for NSW and ACT, commuting between Sydney and Melbourne for 12 months before snaring the regional manager job in Melbourne for the next three years.

Thomas Cook then sold to Harvey World Travel and Julie’s role evolved into being responsible for helping sell off the stores and converting them into Harvey World Travel stores. When she left HWT, Julie joined Jetset Travelworld Group (JTG) as General Manager Sales and then experienced another major shift in her life with the birth of her twin boys. Julie was never a stay at home mum and the commute between Sydney and Melbourne was tough with the twins now in the picture. But following a merger, Julie finally ended up in Sydney where she took over running the Network Group and fell in love with life in the Harbour City. JTG’s transformation into Helloworld was a highlight in my career due to the challenges and learnings it presented.

Tell us about some of the highs and challenges you face as a General Manager of such a large travel franchise group?

The highs are certainly watching people transform their businesses’ and helping them make an amazing life through their success. The challenges are always so many ideas and just not enough hours in the day!

What traits and qualities do you admire in a leader?

People that follow through and check-in.

What decision changed your life and why?

Having twin boys certainly changed my life, it has made me prioritise my time and efforts and has given me a purpose every single day!

And what’s next on the agenda for Julie Primmer?

To continue working in the travel industry that is forever changing and to motivate and cultivate an amazing team of people to the next level

Most interesting person that you have met?

I believe that everyone that you meet has something interesting about them you can learn from.

Where is the best place that you have travelled to and why?

There are so many and for many reasons!! Cabo St Lucas for the fun that I had with my girlfriends, Tuscany for the memories that we created with friends and family and Africa for the amazing wildlife and vast countryside.

What do you love most about your job?

The people and the success that you are a part of each and every day!

https://www.helloworld.com.au/about-us

or
LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-primmer-1469b610/