Behind the name
Behind the brand is Anne Vestmar Pedersen. Anne is a Danish national who grew up and lived in various European countries before settling in London over 20 years ago.
Since then, Anne has honed a long-standing and in-depth career in tourism & hospitality. As a PR expert she has defined and delivered PR strategies and campaigns through marketing and media communication activities on behalf of various products and high-profile destinations.
She has held roles at Switzerland Tourism and as Head of PR at Atout France, the French National Tourist Board. Outside of tourism she has delivered Global Brand PR and Thought Leadership at a leading agency within the media buying industry.
Anne has developed an extensive knowledge and expertise in all aspects of PR and, in particular, a profound understanding of destination management, the role of complex organisations and especially governmental policies within tourism.
Being a Dane, Anne has a natural affinity with Scandinavia and the sea, and a love of colder climates. This love is echoed in her enjoyment of the mountains, snow and skiing - she has spent a season in the Austrian Alps and also developed an inside knowledge of both the Swiss and French Alps.
The story behind the brand
Niels Christian Vestmar was a Captain in the Danish Merchant navy, sailing on the ‘Greenland’ boats. He captained the shipping routes between Denmark and Greenland with both goods and passengers.
During WW2 the shipping routes were expanded to Greenland-New York & North America, but on one fateful journey in the summer of 1942, M/S Gertrud Rask collided with a rock formation and sank, forcing all crewmates to abandon ship. As Captain, Niels Christian Vestmar was last to abandon ship and was later told that the ship was chased by German submarines. He spent the remainder of the war years in America and Greenland with no contact with his family, only returning to Denmark in 1946.
It just so happens that this man was my great-grandfather! Travel, adventure and a love of the sea (and cold) have always been in my blood, so to speak.
Besides that, there are only 39 people who carry the name Vestmar in Denmark - so this is my way of paying homage to it and ensuring it lives on!