Leeds-based travel marketing agency north9 has appointed Stephen Kenwright, co-founder of Rise at Seven and founder of the SearchLeeds conference, as non-executive director.
The agency said he joined at the end of August to help it build on its 15 years as a travel specialist and grow into AI search.
Kenwright brings almost two decades in search, according to north9.
He was strategy director at Branded3 and head of digital at Pendragon PLC before co-founding Rise at Seven in 2019.
Rise at Seven grew to more than £7m in revenue and 110 staff across Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York before his exit in 2022.
He also sits on the boards of Digitaloft and eComOne.
Tom Mcloughlin, founder of north9, said: “I’ve followed Stephen’s work for a long time. I’ve learned from what he’s shared with the industry and attended the events he’s organised going back to the Branded3 days.
“Having him join north9 as non-executive director is a real milestone for us. We’re already seeing the benefits as he helps us take the next step towards our goals and grow the impact of the work we do for travel brands.”
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Kenwright said: “I’ve long admired the way Tom and Claire run north9. They made the brave decision to specialise in travel well before most agencies did; they give their profits to charity, and they’re willing to do things differently, which means I’m still learning from them. north9 is now in an exciting phase of growth. There’s plenty I can help with, and I’m looking forward to working with a great team.”
The appointment comes as more travellers turn to AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews to research and plan trips, according to the agency.
north9 helps travel brands get recommended in AI answers through generative engine optimisation (GEO).
The agency said it is taking a more measured line than others selling AI visibility, because AI recommendations shift daily.
It said it focuses instead on the long-term factors that make a travel brand credible enough for AI platforms to recommend, and that Kenwright’s experience across search and digital PR will support that work.
Tom Mcloughlin founded north9 as SEO Travel in 2011, a tourism-focused SEO consultancy, as he believed travel companies deserved better than generalist agencies. It rebranded as north9 at the end of 2025.