Meet the team

Rossella, who is Sicilian, has a PhD in cell biology from the University of Paris. She has worked in Barcelona, San Francisco, Paris and now London, and has travelled widely. Her heart never left Italy though, and with The Thinking Traveller she is using all her passion for Sicily and Puglia

Huw, who is British, has a degree in engineering and an MBA. He worked in Italy managing vehicle engine installation projects on 3 continents before moving to Paris as a European marketing manager for an eyewear company. He started The Thinking Traveller with Rossella in 2002.

Sian is our Finance Director and Huw’s sister. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 1995 with Ernst & Young in London and then spent several years working in the finance team at GlaxoSmithKline before joining the Thinking Traveller team.

Debbie has worked in the travel business for nearly 25 years, at the helm of several of the UK’s most successful specialist tour operators, as well as playing a part in setting up an airline! We are delighted that her enormous experience and knowhow are at the service of Think Puglia.

Katy first fell in love with Italy (and more specifically a Sicilian!) during her last year at school, prompting her to do a degree in French and Italian at Oxford University. After completing a Masters, her love of food led her into management at Carluccio's but the allure of Think Sicily and Think Puglia soon proved too much!

Having completed her degree, Ruth spent over 13 years working on several different continents, including 9 years in Italy. She joined our team in 2005 and has since travelled to Sicily more times (and eaten more bruschetta!) than any of us can remember.

After graduating in Spanish and Italian, Vicky moved to the north of Italy where she spent three years teaching English. During her time there she travelled the length and breadth of the country and knew that her future career would be in tourism: at The Thinking Traveller, she combines her passion for travel with her love and knowledge of Italy!

Laura, who is Italian, has a BA in Tourism Studies and an MA in Tourism Management from the University of Technology, Sydney. After spending a few years travelling between the UK and Australia she joined The Thinking Traveller: the perfect place to put her expertise into practice!

Clare studied Italian and Music at the University of Birmingham and the Universita’ degli Studi in Bologna, where she cultivated her love of La Dolce Vita. The resident Thinking Traveller yoga fanatic, Clare will be able to suggest the best place for your holiday sun salutations!

Having spent many memorable summers holidaying with her family in villas around Italy, Rebecca became a Sicily fanatic when she first visited the island three years ago on her year abroad. After finishing her degree in Manchester, Rebecca returned to Italy to work in Bologna but was lured back to London by the possibility of combining her skills with her passion for Italy!

After training as a Chef in Paris, our resident German, Rebekkah, moved to the UK to study Politics at Sussex University and King's College. A lover of all things Italian, she can rarely be seen travelling without her camera. When she's not behind the lens, she's helping our German speaking clients find their perfect villa.

Joe graduated from The Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Business and Marketing and subsequently completed a diploma in Integrated Marketing Communications with the IDM. A devotee of the arcane pleasures of watching Crystal Palace, Joe's next sporting challenge is to ski on Mount Etna!

Naeema qualified with the Accociation of Chartered Certified Accountants in 2004 and joined The Thinking Traveller finance team in 2007.

Dhavish has lived in Mauritius, India and finally London, where he qualifed with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and completed an MBA in finance. An avid traveller and food enthusiast Dhavish is always looking forward to the next trip to Puglia!