Drew Brown is Group Chief Operating Officer of Forge Holiday Group, one of the UK’s leading holiday and travel businesses, encompassing brands such as Sykes Holiday Cottages and Forest Holidays and managing more than 30,000 properties nationwide.

Drew is a hands-on operational leader who is actively applying AI to solve real problems at scale. His focus is not on experimentation for its own sake, but on finding practical, value-creating uses of AI that improve customer and owner experiences, increase first-contact resolution and remove friction from complex operating models.

At Forge, Drew is leading initiatives that embed AI into day-to-day operations — from guest and owner communications across multiple channels, to intelligent automation in contact centres and operational management. His work sits at the intersection of technology, data and people, with a clear belief that AI delivers the greatest impact when it augments frontline teams rather than replaces them.

At MA Leaders 2026, Drew will share candid insights from the frontline of AI adoption, discussing what has worked, what hasn’t, and how operators can move beyond hype to unlock meaningful business value from AI in service-led organisations.