The founder and chairman of travel company Wexas, Dr Ian Wilson, has died at the age of 77, following a recent cancer diagnosis and complications after surgery.
The company, parent of Wexas Travel Management (38th in the leading 50 TMCs ranking), was founded by Wilson in response to a bet in the early Seventies.
Wilson believed travel shouldn’t be the privilege of the few and approached airlines to offer him cheap flights, which he in turn would market only to people who signed up for Wexas membership.
Katherine Gershon, Wexas’ managing director said: “We are deeply saddened to announce this news. Ian was an innovator, a pioneer, and believed in travel as an experience."
Born in Edinburgh, Wilson's first taste of travel was at the age of nine, when his family emigrated from Nottingham to New Zealand.
He lived there until the age of 22, when he returned to the UK to undertake a doctorate in French political philosophy at Brasenose College, Oxford. He also held an MA first class honours in French from Auckland University.
Wilson is survived by his three children – Mark, Jackie and Thomas – and two grandchildren, Otto and Elska. Mark, Ian’s oldest son and a member of the board, will be taking on the role of chairman.
“Ian was hugely frustrated by the current travel restrictions and his greatest wish was to see travel open up again,” added Gershon.
“Everyone knew Wexas was Ian’s fourth child and he was rightly proud of all of his children. Our hearts and thoughts are with all of them at this difficult time.”
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