Edinburgh start-up TravelNest hires former FanDuel exec

Former FanDuel executive Cameron Boal has been appointed as the marketing boss at Edinburgh-based travel-tech start-up TravelNest.

Cameron Boal becomes part of executive leadership team. Picture: Nigel Davison

Boal was previously senior vice president of marketing at online fantasy sports giant FanDuel from 2010 to 2018. As TravelNest’s vice president, marketing, he will be responsible for driving the capital firm’s growth and the “continued disruption” of the holiday lets market.

TravelNest is a platform that enables holiday let owners to set up, manage and optimise all of their marketing from one place. The business was founded in 2014 by Doug Stephenson who saw first hand the difficulties his parents faced in trying to rent their cottages and lodges.

In 2017, the firm raised £3 million in seed funding from investors including Pentech Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners, Frontline Ventures and Mark Logan, former chief operating officer at Skyscanner.

Boal joins TravelNest a few months after the appointment of Rebecca Moore, vice president, operations. Together, they are part of TravelNest’s executive leadership team, led by chief executive Stephenson.

Boal said: “The holiday lets market has exploded in recent years and with so many people now renting properties, it’s tough for hosts to stand out.

“This is a truly global market and one that’s ripe for disruption. Doug has put together a fantastic team doing exactly that from right here in Edinburgh.”

Stephenson added: “As a business, TravelNest is committed to attracting the best talent. With this in mind, I am delighted to welcome Cameron to the team.

“His experience driving exponential growth at FanDuel will be invaluable as we embark on our ambitious growth plans.”