About Us
Kusini means ‘south’ in KiSwahili, a Bantu language widely spoken from Kenya to Mozambique. Our foundation was with a select group of clients found throughout the Southern Hemisphere and hugging the Equator in both Latin America and Africa. We have since selectively expanded to include like-minded partners in North America and the Indian subcontinent.
The Kusini Collection is a US-based travel marketing firm that represents an exclusive group of complementary, owner-operated camps, lodges and ground handlers in Africa, the Americas and India. Our collection offers a premium service and truly unique travel experiences. We are intimate, personalized and entirely focused on connecting highly-qualified, knowledgeable North American agents and outfitters with elite operating partners in Africa, the Americas and India. Ultimately, we strive to increase occupancy and drive travelers to the destinations we support.
Armed with an intimate knowledge of and first-hand experience in the North American adventure and luxury travel industry, we understand the needs of agents and outfitters and what they are looking for in an overseas partner. We provide destination and product training to our North American agents, equipping them with accurate, up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of our travel experiences, camps and lodges. Become a member of our Travel Trade area for exclusive access to trade-only information for our Collection partners.
Additionally, we assist with urgent communication needs, are actively involved in VIP client services, and furnish photography and marketing materials on request.
Who’s Who
Tad Bradley
Principal
From the theater stage and video game console to the backpack and compass, Tad Bradley has been exploring new worlds his entire professional life. MORE
After a successful career directing marketing and advertising campaigns for theatrical companies on and off-Broadway, Tad then worked on a global advertising sales team at Microsoft developing interactive marketing programs on the Xbox platform for brands such as AT&T, Verizon, Ford, Unilever and Frito Lay.
After several years of virtual adventures, he gladly took the leap into the real-world adventures of the travel industry. He got his start working in Guatemala as a guide and marketing consultant for several local adventure operators. This led to an opportunity with Wildland Adventures where he served as Marketing Director and launched a major company rebranding while streamlining and improving the overall sales process.
He joined Kusini Collection in 2012. He relishes the short commute to his home office and the opportunity to connect and consult with the best adventure and luxury operators on three continents.
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Finally, a personal word of thanks to my former business partner and Kusini founder, Lyndsay Harshman. I owe her a debt of gratitude for the opportunity to help grow and develop this amazing portfolio. She’s been a mentor, sounding board, and most importantly a great friend. To this day, one of the best and most respected travel portfolios in the industry, is built on her foundation.
Gretchen Healey
Marketing Director
Gretchen Healey was prepared for a lifelong career immersed in the world of information technology. MORE
She spent years in executive leadership at Fortune 50 companies such as IBM and AT&T, but her passion for sustainable travel and wild places won out.
Gretchen left the corporate world for a safari consultancy position in 2009, where she developed award-winning itineraries, a sustainability program and expanded the company’s community involvement programs. In 2010, Gretchen founded Pangolin Media, a full service copy writing and consulting company focused on the travel industry and wildlife conservation. She has worked with representation companies, tour operators, travel agents, product development organizations and NGOs in areas that range from communications to field implementation of wildlife protection technology.
Her adventures have taken her from the depths of the rainforest to see bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the pristine waters of the Galapagos and beyond. She is a past president of the board of directors for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA), served as a board member for the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), and formerly served on the board of AfricAid, an organization facilitating girls’ education in Tanzania. Gretchen brings her passion for travel and extensive first-hand experience with Kusini Collection partners to Kusini’s communications.
Marc Sison
Business Development Director
Born in the Philippines, raised in the Middle East and now living in Canada, travel has always been a big part of Marc’s life. MORE
On his first trip to Africa in 2013, Marc caught the Africa bug and has spent the majority of his tourism career developing travel products within the continent. During his tenure as the Africa Product Director at Kensington Tours, he visited over one hundred safari camps and lodges, and to this day, he still gets excited whenever he’s on a site inspection! More importantly, he has developed strong supplier relationships to help influence decision makers to put their product top of mind. There is nothing he finds more rewarding than sharing his passion and knowledge by curating immersive product trainings for sales consultants, and seeing them succeed in convincing guests to travel. He particularly enjoys training anyone that is new to the industry and turning them into excellent story tellers and sellers of travel.
Marc also taught a tourism course at Humber College in Toronto and is also a member of their program advisory council. He is an avid birder and has a lifetime count of over 400 birds.
Already familiar with many Kusini clients from his time as a tour operator, he now looks forward to representing our partners in his new role.