Duncan Beardsley

Duncan Beardsley, Marketing Consultant and Director of Generosity in Action.

"Duncan has spent over thirty-five years in travel industry sales, marketing and senior management capacities. His first ten years were with Young and Rubicam, Inc. Advertising during which time he handled the advertising for P&O Lines. He joined that company which soon acquired Princess Cruises which was a prime player in the growing cruise industry.

"In the mid-seventies he one of the first employees at Royal Cruise Line which initiated the marriage of a 747 and a the 450 passenger Golden Odyssey. During fifteen years at Royal Cruise line he served as Marketing Director and later Executive Vice President. In 1990 he served as President of Seabourn Cruise Line, one of the industry's highest rated products.

"For thirteen years Duncan has been involved with educational travel serving as Director of the Travel/Study program for the Stanford Alumni Association for ten years and recently managing Generosity in Action, a foundation structured to support travelers' philanthropy. The Stanford Alumni program, the largest and most highly respected educational travel program in the world, offers over 70 programs per year generating over $22 million sales. The success coming from involving knowledgeable faculty with specially designed itineraries.

"Generosity in Action was created out of the enthusiasm of travelers to "give back" to villages and people in countries they visit and the need for a structure to allow donations to be tax deductible. Since his retirement from Stanford, Duncan has expanded Generosity in Action for other travel marketers, serves on the Board of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation and assists travel operators in marketing their products.

"Duncan attended Stanford and graduated from University of California School of Business. He and his wife have two grown daughters and seven grandchildren."

• Executive Board, Sustainable Travel International