Kevin Turnbull is the Chief Executive of SpaFinder Europe, the European arm of the largest spa marketing company in the world.   Turnbull’s marketing background and his experience in building businesses from the ground up makes him uniquely positioned to expand the SpaFinder brand throughout Europe and the Middle East.  In addition, Turnbull brings hands-on experience of successfully transferring US business models to Europe and launching new Internet marketing concepts to untapped business sectors.

Like many in the spa industry, Turnbull has arrived via an unexpected route – the automotive industry.  Recognizing a sea change happening in this dynamic industry, Mr. Turnbull joined forces with former colleague and now President and CEO of SpaFinder, Inc., Pete Ellis, to create a more cohesive, global spa market.  A partnership that proved successful in the past when Ellis brought Autobytel.com, a revolutionary online car buying and selling concept, to the UK and Europe with Turnbull’s help.

Turnbull’s insight into the luxury part of the spa market comes via his recent stint as Director of Daimler Chrysler UK’s luxury car brand division, where he oversaw business operations for the ultra-luxurious Maybach and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

His illustrious career in the automotive industry saw him as CEO of Autobytel UK, a subsidiary of Inchcape plc, and Chief Executive of Toad plc, a technology business start-up focussed on consolidating the fragmented automotive aftermarket business. At Toad, Turnbull played a pivotal role in raising £16m in City funding for the company and was responsible for successfully floating Toad on the London Stock Exchange.  Turnbull spent his early years at Ford and Nissan Motors in the sales and marketing departments.  

Turnbull received a BA (Hons) in History/Politics from Warwick University and holds an MBA from Durham University. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCHIM), a Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry (FIMI) and a member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (MIPD).  Turnbull is a frequent speaker at industry events throughout the UK and Europe.

Cassandra Cavanah brings more than a decade of PR and marketing experience to SpaFinder Europe, as well as a love for pampering spa treatments and an ever-enduring desire to make health and fitness a key part of her life. As Executive Director of SpaFinder Europe, Ms. Cavanah is responsible for the overall marketing and PR efforts, including working closely with spa partners.

Previously, Ms. Cavanah was the Managing Partner of her own communications firm, Fizz Communications. With offices in London and Los Angeles, Fizz was created to provide unique international PR and marketing strategies to clients in a variety of industries, including automotive, telecommunications, health and beauty and mass transit.

Prior to Fizz, Ms. Cavanah worked with Los Angeles-based RBI Communications managing a variety of accounts for both publicly-traded and private companies - including SpaFinder, Inc. and Autobytel Inc. Throughout her career, she has worked with clients who are on the cutting edge of Internet marketing and e-commerce. Her award-winning marketing campaigns have resulted in extensive international newspaper and magazine coverage.

The first part of her career was in publishing and journalism with stints as editor and contributing editor to numerous national business publications, including Entrepreneur Magazine and PC Laptop Magazine.

Ms. Cavanah attended UCLA where she received a BA in English Literature.

Pete Ellis has been a leading business innovator with every enterprise he has owned and operated since the mid-1970s. As one of the largest automobile dealers in the western United States, Ellis pioneered one price selling, bringing consumer-oriented policies to the sale of new and used automobiles. His holding company, P.R. Ellis Company, also owned one of the largest after market manufacturing companies for van conversions, and his advertising agency, EIIJ, developed campaigns for leading businesses and political figures, including California Governor Pete Wilson.

In 1994-95, using technology and innovative marketing strategies, Ellis launched the first automobile buying and research website, Autobytel. His approach revolutionized an entire industry, for both manufacturers and consumers, and his efficient marketing and transaction platform continues to be the basis for every commercially viable automobile website in existence.

After taking Autobytel public in 1999 (NASDAQ: ABTL), Ellis formed Jubilee Investments. In 1999, Jubilee funded an investment in SpaFinder, eventually becoming the majority shareholder, and in 2001 Ellis became chairman and CEO. Under his leadership SpaFinder has become the world's largest spa marketing and media company, growing from a U.S.-based marketing program to an international platform with joint venture partners in Europe and Asia.

Ellis has been honored by Advertising Age as one of the top marketers in the U.S., and his Internet technology innovations have been made part of the Permanent Research Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.