—by Kim Wilson
Carrying the legacy of a family business forward is rarely a straightforward journey, but for Rob McGeary and Lou Tandy, assuming leadership of an Australian travel empire marks a pivotal point in its evolution and chance to channel the joy of jet-setting into broader societal benefits.
For siblings Rob McGeary and Lou Tandy, the APT Travel Group apprenticeship began around the dinner table when they were children. Holidays with their parents Geoff and Anne were designed around the family business, whether joining existing tour groups or visiting hotels to determine their suitability. “It was a bit like being part of a circus, in a really fortunate way,” Tandy says. “It’s been a very long indoctrination,” McGeary continues lightheartedly. “I always felt it looked like a great journey and something I wanted to do… whether my father was trying to launch a new product or the discussion was a problem-solving one of ‘there’s a cyclone in northern Queensland and we’ve one tour group stuck in Townsville, another in Cairns’.”
The co-directors are the third generation to lead the near-century-old Melbourne business that owns Australian Pacific Touring (APT), horticultural tour specialist Botanica World Discoveries and upscale operator Captain’s Choice, known for its commercial private jet itineraries. Their grandfather Bill started with a regional bus company in the 1920s, his death in 1963 placing the responsibility of the firm squarely upon the shoulders of their father, then aged 22. Despite being warned by the family accountant at the time that the business would fail, Geoff spent 50 years boldly transforming it into a global travel company. Last December he formally stepped aside, empowering his heirs to write the next chapter of the story.
With more than three decades of hands-on experience, Rob McGeary seems as comfortable at the helm as he is inspired by his father’s tenacity. “Dad was living at home when he took over so I think he felt a keen sense of obligation to support his mother,” he says. “From that came a fierce determination to make it work, which is why he started to improve the business and cultivate the spirit of innovation that has carried all the way through to today.”
In other words, embracing the speed and breadth of change that defines the travel industry is simply business as usual at APT.
01 With travel and adventure in their genes, the siblings’ tenacity for steering the business was instilled at an early age.
02 Artist’s impression of the Hecker Guthrie-designed sundeck of APT Ostara set for its maiden voyage next year.
03 With six dining venues, the new ships will surpass other vessels on the Rhine and Danube in culinary variety (artist’s impression)
04 APT has partnered with Seabourn to offer polar expedition cruises complete with wellness amenities
“There’s constantly something happening here and that’s what’s so rewarding; you can’t stand still, you have to keep developing and evolving and progressing,” McGeary shares. “Following the same DNA that the business was founded on just comes very naturally, it’s not something we have to consciously think about,” adds Tandy. “We know that product innovation is core to the business, we know that collaboration is core, and we always have this eye on building for the long term.”
ANCHORING SUCCESS
While Covid restrictions hit the business hard, the period also accelerated some important processes of consolidation and strengthening. McGeary explains: “Now we’re out of that we’re glad we reinvested heavily, continuing to elevate our international product to ensure it is the premium offering, from Europe to Vietnam to Egypt.”
APT will end a long partnership with US cruise line AmaWaterways later this year, transitioning to its own fleet of uniquely Australian custom-built ships. These include the Mekong Serenity, which tours Vietnam and Cambodia, plus three new luxury river ships due to sail Europe in 2025. Tandy explains: “We saw an opportunity to elevate ship design and this enables us to have complete control, not just over the design and infrastructure but the whole onboard experience.”
Celebrated Melbourne design practice Hecker Guthrie— whose work is as likely to win industry awards as fit into an art gallery setting—was engaged to customise the vessels. “We deliberately chose an organisation that hadn’t worked on ships before in order to bring fresh thinking,” Tandy says. “We wanted local designers who have worked on high-end hospitality venues around Australia and really understand our customer.” Larger cabins, commissioned artwork, more entertainment and socialising spaces are all part of the plan.
There is also a renewed focus on the Captain’s Choice offering, which seeks to streamline travel to remote destinations with finely tuned itineraries that might combine private jet transfers with a luxury train journey or supercar self-drive. A “phenomenally high” rate of return suggests they have cracked the code for this tier of small group travel. Tandy says: “This is our six-star brand; there’s nobody else in Australia doing anything like it and very few around the world so guests treat it somewhat like a secret club.”
PRIVILEGE AND PRESSURE
Both are conscious of preserving the essential character of the family business for their own children and ensuring future generations have the same chance to enjoy and contribute to their grandfather’s legacy. McGeary says: “Dad’s view of the business is that it has afforded him a wonderful life in terms of enjoyment, financial wellness and personal fulfilment, and he wants the same to be available to his children, grandchildren and great-children as an opportunity, not an obligation.” He continues: “If they choose to be doctors, tradesmen, analysts, whatever, so be it. They have a choice, but he’d like this business to be an opportunity. From that point of view, we see ourselves as custodians, here to preserve—but that does not mean standing still, it means continuing to keep our business at the forefront of the industry.”
The siblings candidly address doubts over their credibility as inheritors, acknowledging that concerns about nepotism are understandable. Tandy says: “I think as a family member you have to work harder than anybody else, at least that’s how I’ve always felt, you don’t want to make mistakes.” She adds: “We’re also lucky to have a great team of people around us; we’ve always had a nonfamily CEO running the business day-to-day, with [current chief] David Cox having been with APT almost four decades.”
The firm also has a non-family chairman and board of directors, which enables this generation’s leaders to be laser-focused on parts of the business where they feel they can add the most value. McGeary says: “We get the best of both worlds in terms of the professionalism and efficiency of a corporate structure, plus the longterm vision and dedication to excellence that a familial approach can bring. For us, it’s a formula that works.”
CHERISHED VALUES
Strategic philanthropy is another important part of that formula. APT’s OneTomorrow charitable fund supports the habitats and communities around the world that are touched by its tours, with volunteering and fundraising activity treated as part of the business rather than an offshoot.
“Giving back and supporting other people is very much something that has been part of our life from when we were kids, largely driven by our mum, who always had a strong involvement in philanthropy and often at a grassroots level,” Tandy recalls.
Informed by their own childhood travel memories of modest bus trips and local adventures, McGeary and Tandy are keen to ensure their children appreciate the privilege associated with luxurious holidays and lifestyles. “We’re very conscious of raising well-grounded kids who can also have a positive impact on the world when it’s their time to create change,” she says.
Of course, taking over a global company with the welfare of more than 500 staff to consider has the potential to be a burden as much as a blessing, but McGeary and Tandy are proud and pragmatic about the task ahead. Tandy says: “Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, I can’t imagine a more interesting and joyful industry to be part of. What we do can enrich people’s lives, create experiences that they might have spent a lifetime working for.” She adds: “Dad’s influence on the business and who we are as individuals made this transition more natural and smoother than it could have been.”
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