Sune Wessels
Technical Supervisor
Roodepoort,GP
Summary
I’m a motivated and experienced professional with over 20 years in the workplace, bringing energy, optimism, and a strong work ethic to everything I do. I’m highly organised, reliable, and perform well under pressure, particularly in fast-paced environments. I have a solid track record of working with diverse teams to achieve shared goals and consistently deliver results. I’m often described as punctual, dedicated, and a supportive team player who contributes positively to any environment I join. I take pride in my ability to stay focused, adaptable, and productive, even when faced with complex challenges.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Technical Supervisor
Paradise and Wilderness Ltd
08.2024 - Current
- Led the initial setup and launch of our online booking systems, configuring the backend infrastructure and content rates from scratch to create a fully functional sales platform.
- Managed rate loading across all platforms, making sure our pricing stayed consistent and 100% accurate across every sales channel.
- Improved product listings by sourcing better media and writing SEO-friendly descriptions that helped boost our conversion rates.
- Implemented management’s seasonal pricing goals, managing the backend setup for promos and discounts to keep the booking volume high.
- Served as the lead System Admin, running daily health checks to keep the booking engine running smoothly without downtime.
- Led the end-to-end user testing, catching and fixing bugs in the booking flow to make the customer's path to purchase as easy as possible.
- Managed real-time inventory to eliminate overbooking risks and handled manual overrides for emergency maintenance.
- Acted as the main point of contact for tech support, troubleshooting backend errors and resolving escalated issues.
- Kept online inventory in sync with physical stock, ensuring our operational capacity always matched what was being sold online.
- Tracked and reported on performance, providing management with clear updates on booking trends, revenue, and what was driving sales.
- Worked alongside the sales team to improve how they used the system, offering hands-on support and workflow tweaks to help them book more efficiently.
Reservations Manager
Paradise and Wilderness Ltd
08.2023 - 07.2024
- Managed room inventory across the full portfolio of Zanzibar hotels and mainland lodges, balancing availability to keep occupancy as high as possible.
- Maintained a deep understanding of every hotel and lodge in Tanzania, using that knowledge to provide accurate information on room types and features so guests knew exactly what to expect.
- Ran daily reservation audits and pulled reports on occupancy, cancellations, and no-shows to keep our data clean and accurate.
- Stepped in to handle overbookings, resolving issues quickly and professionally to protect the brand’s reputation and keep guest complaints to a minimum.
- Took the lead on training new staff, using regular performance meetings and my own professional experience to mentor the team and help them grow.
- Worked well within a diverse team, collaborating across different departments to ensure we consistently reached our organizational goals.
Assistant Reservation Manager
Africa Stay
05.2021 - 07.2023
- Handled a high volume of B2B bookings, focusing on itineraries for tour operators and travel agents while ensuring every reservation was processed accurately and on time.
- Assisted the Reservations Manager in leading daily operations, coordinating the team’s workflow to make sure we stayed on top of all incoming inquiries and hit our turnaround targets.
- Managed the charter flight operations for the Maldives and Zanzibar, handling the logistics and booking requirements specifically for those routes.
- Drove B2C sales by providing expert itinerary advice, using my product knowledge to upsell services and convert direct inquiries into confirmed bookings.
- Coordinated directly with hotels and suppliers to manage room allotments and secure space, making sure wholesale rates were applied correctly to protect our margins.
- Resolved booking conflicts and handled last-minute changes for both our business partners and direct guests to keep everything running smoothly.
Travel Agent /Sales Team Leader
Flight Centre Travel Group
02.2011 - 04.2021
- Led the team to hit our monthly targets by staying focused on our KPIs, all while managing my own busy desk and keeping up a high volume of personal sales.
- Handled the branch's daily operations and finances, which included monitoring the shop's income and expenses and finding ways to improve our overall profit margins.
- Worked closely with the consultants in one-on-one coaching sessions to help them strengthen their sales skills and learn new products.
- Focused on building a repeat client base by making sure the team gave solid, expert travel advice and followed up with customers to keep them coming back.
- Managed a busy desk of direct clients, putting together everything from simple getaway packages to complex, multi-stop international itineraries.
- Grew my own repeat client base by providing honest, expert advice that led to a high amount of repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.
- Consistently exceeded my sales targets by delivering professional, high-touch service and maintaining constant availability for my clients.
Education
Diploma - Tourism And Travel Management
University of Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa 04.2001 -
High School Diploma -
Lydenburg Hoërskool
Lydenburg, South Africa 04.2001 -
Skills
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Performance Management
Crisis Management
Time management
Strong organization
Travel arrangements
High volume environments
Timeline
Technical Supervisor
Paradise and Wilderness Ltd
08.2024 - Current
Reservations Manager
Paradise and Wilderness Ltd
08.2023 - 07.2024
Assistant Reservation Manager
Africa Stay
05.2021 - 07.2023
Travel Agent /Sales Team Leader
Flight Centre Travel Group
02.2011 - 04.2021
Diploma - Tourism And Travel Management
University of Johannesburg
04.2001 -
High School Diploma -
Lydenburg Hoërskool
04.2001 -