Pioneering expedition and adventure company, Secret Compass, has increased its UK-based staff by 50% to cope with demand in its popular bespoke adventure department.

(TRAVPR.COM) UK - July 2nd, 2013 - New Operations Manager, Hugo Turner, is leading Secret Compass’s operations team with expedition and destination research, logistics and feasibility studies. He joins Secret Compass after completing the world’s toughest rowing challenge, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (2,632 miles in 42 days).

Turner said, “I’m thrilled to work with such a risk-taking, market-leading brand. Secret Compass strives to keep everything fresh and unique – most of our expeditions are world firsts and we never do the same thing in the same way twice.”

He added, “An increasing amount of my time is devoted to creating tailor-made adventure and expedition plans for individuals, charitable groups, and film and TV companies. Following our successes with series like BBC2’s Wild Shepherdess – where we oversaw Kate Humble’s trek into Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor – we’re seeing interest burgeon in our expeditions to unusual, remote and seemingly inaccessible destinations.”

New marketing manager Kerry O’Neill joins the team following stints as writer-at-large with Alastair Sawday’s travel guides and as a marketer in the super yacht industry.

O’Neill said, “I saw the vacancy advertised on leading adventure job site Escape the City. As an aficionado of classic adventure (I solo cycled the Victorian Grand Tour across Europe and the Alps in 2011), I love the nature of Secret Compass expeditions as they have exploration and self-discovery at their heart.”

O’Neill continued, “We’re currently organising unique trips to highly unusual destinations for some high-profile individuals, and our activities are gaining attention in all the right circles; it’s the right time for the team to grow. We’ve seen a 100% rebooking pattern with the film and TV production companies we’ve worked with to date, and look forward to working on more exciting projects in the near future.

“In the last fortnight alone, we’ve taken top mountain bike film production company, Anthill Films, into a post-conflict zone (inaccessible to most mere mortals) to film a cutting edge extreme sports feature, and Kate Humble’s ‘Wild Shepherdess – Afghanistan’ aired on BBC2. The job’s like our expeditions: anything could happen next!”

Co-founder Tom Bodkin, FRGS, added, “Alongside our bespoke adventures, we run a select handful of group tours throughout the year, led by world-renowned guides. To book the final places on our pioneering expeditions for 2013 to South Sudan (the world’s newest country) and Socotra – a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site off the coast of Yemen – visit us online now.”

Upcoming expedition destinations include:

· Sudan

· South Sudan

· Madagsacar

· Socotra

· Panama

· Iraqi Kurdistan

· Sberia

· Afghanistan

To download the Bespoke Adventures media kit, visit:

http://www.secretcompass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Bespoke-Media-Kit-2013-3.pdf

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NOTES TO EDITORS
Secret Compass is a pioneering expedition company creating world-first experiences for teams of like-minded adventurers. Through group and bespoke adventures, Secret Compass helps each team member achieve the extraordinary in the world’s wildest places. Founded by ex-British Army Parachute Regiment officers, its expeditions reach the planet’s most remote regions in the spirit of exploration’s earliest pioneers. Its highly trained professionals deliver well-planned and safe experiences, while encouraging daring leaps out of comfort zones. Secret Compass is passionate about returning tourism to post-conflict zones and emerging economies to stimulate local development and challenge preconceptions.

Specialist Film and TV services
Secret Compass also takes film crews, journalists and photographers to remote and previously inaccessible areas thanks to its unrivalled location management expertise. Clients to date include the BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet and Channel 4.

www.secretcompass.com
info@secretcompass.com
Press enquiries: 0203 2398 038
www.facebook.com/secretcompass
www.twitter.com/Secret_Compass

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