Chris Gale

I'm Chris – Associate Director of Enterprise Architecture at Holiday Extras. I'm all about helping us grow smarter, not just bigger. In my current role, I focus on mapping our business capabilities and driving a capability-led approach to architecture that ensures we're aligned, agile, and ready to scale. As our organisation evolves, it's crucial that we understand the full landscape of what we can do – and more importantly, how we do it. That means putting the right capabilities in the right places, streamlining how we operate, and ensuring tech and teams move together with purpose.

I believe in the power of AI and automation to supercharge our potential – not by replacing people, but by removing the blockers that slow us down. By eliminating repetitive tasks and bringing in AI-driven tools, we unlock creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking across the board. It's this balance of human potential and smart tech that builds the momentum for continuous improvement – and keeps us moving faster, staying sharp, and delivering bigger impact.

This isn't just a shift in how we work – it's a mindset. One that fuels a culture of enablement, where people feel supported and confident to try new things, challenge old ways, and lead change. That's how I earned the nickname "caregiving magician" – because I've always believed in quietly sparking magic behind the scenes, giving people the tools, belief, and support to surprise themselves with what they can do.

My journey with Holiday Extras began in 2003, when I joined as a data miner in the first web team. Back then, we had 250,000 email addresses – now it's over five million and a major business channel. From building the foundations of our digital platforms, scaling the web team from six to 80, and setting up our very first PPC team, to leading web development, project management, and digital marketing – every step has been about creating space for great people to do great things.

After a five-year sabbatical in France, I returned with fresh energy and a renewed passion for helping teams explore, experiment, and grow. Today, my focus is on architecting the future of Holiday Extras – through thoughtful, strategic capability design and a relentless drive to make things easier, smarter, and more connected for everyone.

Let's build the future – one clever capability at a time.

In 2008, I took on full responsibility for the project management team, while resuming leadership of the development team as Senior Head of Web Development and Delivery. By May 2011, I advanced to Associate Director, supporting the executive directors and CEO in steering the company toward its strategic goals. After taking a five-year sabbatical in France from 2017 to 2022, I returned to my true passion – helping teams explore, learn, and embrace the courage to try, fail, and ultimately succeed. My focus is on keeping us one step ahead, enabling us to deliver on our mission of engaging with our customers throughout their journey, ensuring we're there for them every step of the way during their valuable time away.

Life before Holiday Extras

I spent seven years at Eurotunnel, where I worked as an IT trainer for both the UK and French sides of the business, contributing to a major IT software and infrastructure migration roll-out. In 2000, I became part of a new e-commerce team of 10, as Eurotunnel made significant strides in transitioning to an online ticket sales model. I then took on the role of Web Developer for eurotunnel.com, supporting the company's move towards a digital-first approach.

Life outside of work

I enjoy fast cars, playing with code and keeping up-to-date with newest web and AI technologies, with a passion for AI, automation, Web3.0 and blockchain technologies to help revolutionise the World.

What's your perfect hassle-free holiday?

Christmas away with my parents and sister.  Preferably somewhere warm and a bit of culture.

Insipration

Clever stuff on the web. Evolution of web technologies, scripting, radical ideas that I can make happen! I love a problem to solve.