Who got a new gig this week? Check out this week’s travel industry movers & shakers!
1. Gate 7’s Visit California team expands
Gate 7 announced an expansion to its Visit California team to help manage the company’s strong growth into 2016.
Among the new appointments are former Tourism Australia Strategist, Laura Jones, who is the new Account Director; and Kat Wanoa and Phil Haines who are the new Content Manager and Travel Trade Manager.
The three will work with Kristy Meudell, Gate 7’s Director of PR for the past six years, who continues to drive the public relations efforts for Visit California.
“We’re excited about the additional depth of diverse experience we are bringing to our team.”
Jo Palmer, Gate 7 Managing Director
“Our service offering to destinations and iconic tourism products in marketing to the Australian and New Zealand markets is rounding out to become really comprehensive across trade, PR, content, social, events and activations.”
Outside the California team, Gate 7 has also appointed Stefanie Eberhard take the reins as Account Manager at the German National Tourist Office, while Penny Brand is representing a variety of Gate7’s Southern and Northern Californian destinations as Account Manager, including Californian ski destinations (North Lake Tahoe & Mammoth), South Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Napa Valley and San Diego.
James Cooley joined the agency’s collective of PR Account Managers, looking after a mix of destinations within California including Greater Palm Springs, Huntington Beach, Universal Studios Hollywood and Sonoma County Tourism.
2. New boss steps in at MTT
David Moran has today been named as Chief Executive Officer of MTT, the specialist in mobile travel commerce and digital travel services.
Acquired by Travelport in July last year, MTT provides sophisticated mobile applications and digital services to some of the best known brands in the global travel industry. Based in MTT’s Dublin headquarters, David will join the company on 1 March, 2016.
A seasoned business leader, and an expert in mobile and enterprise technology, David led ChangingWorlds Inc., an early-stage company providing personalization solutions to mobile operating companies, through to its acquisition by Amdocs Inc. He continued with Amdocs, a $3 billion multi-national enterprise software company, as President of its “Dedicated Solutions Division”.
A dual U.S. and Irish citizen, David has also held executive positions in North America with companies including Morgan Stanley, Software AG, Prism Solutions, Ardent Software and Insight Venture Partners, where he specialised in turn-around and scaling of portfolio companies.
He was also CEO of MediaBin, an enterprise software company which addressed digital asset management needs for numerous Fortune 2000 clients, and also spent time as Executive-in-Residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he assisted over 30 start-up companies with strategic planning, market analysis, and raising of initial funding.
In his new role, David will report to Bryan Conway, one of Travelport’s most senior executives, who was MTT’s CEO on an interim basis while an executive search for a permanent head of MTT was underway.
3. Molinaro to step down as GM of Uniworld
General Manager of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, John Molinaro, has announced his departure from The Travel Corporation (TTC), after eight years with the company and almost 40 years in the cruise industry.
Molinaro will remain with the company until March, with a successor to be announced shortly.
He said he made the decision to “place a greater emphasis on personal life”.
“It has been an immensely enjoyable period leading a tremendous team at one of the most prestigious brands in the travel industry.”
John Molinaro, Uniworld GM
The Travel Corporation Australia CEO John Veitch added that the company was “extremely sorry” to see Molinaro depart.
“During his eight years with us and made an enormous contribution to the growth of Uniworld during this time. We sincerely thank John and wish him and his family all the very best for the future,” he said.
4. Michael Maczan appointed Chief Information Officer
International leader in assistance services, Allianz Global Assistance (AGA), has appointed Michael Maczan as its new Chief Information Officer.
Commencing his position from 1 February 2016, Michael brings to the team over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry. This includes 10 years working for Accenture as the project and program manager responsible for controlling all technological resources.
Following this, Michael entered the insurance industry and spent four years working as the CIO of AGA Germany. Most recently, Michael worked as the Regional Head of IT Transformation for AGA Europe, where he was responsible for 10 business units and managed all of the I.T strategy and architecture and program delivery.
Michael commented: “I am excited to be returning to Allianz Global Assistance to work with the team in Australia. My passion is to ensure that we continue to deliver the best assistance service in the region alongside superb customer and employee experience.”
5. Dr Jones joins AMEX GBT
American Express Global Business Travel (“GBT”) announced the appointment of Dr. Carl Jones as Vice-President, Global Client Management, Asia Pacific (APAC).
In this role, Dr. Jones will have APAC-wide overall responsibility for Global Client Management, which works with GBT’s largest prospective and existing customers. He will also be responsible globally for leading GBT’s Mining, Marine and Energy portfolio, and will report to Chief Global Sales Officer, Christine Ourmieres-Widener.
Dr. Jones spent the last twelve months at Carlson Wagonlit Travel™, where he was the General Manager for the Solutions Group in APAC. Prior to that, he worked for American Express® in a number of business units, including Global Corporate Payments, Merchant Services and Global Business Travel, over the course of more than eight years.
Originally from the U.K. and now based in Singapore, Dr. Jones has a wealth of experience throughout APAC, with over a decade working in a variety of regional roles in both B2B and B2C environments in countries including China, Singapore and Thailand.
Dr. Jones has a Bachelor of Physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Manchester, as well as a recently completed Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
6. Amadeus appoints Justin Montgomery as Head of Commercial
Amadeus today announces the appointment of Justin Montgomery as the new Head of Commercial for the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands).
Montgomery, who took office on 18 January 2016, joins the senior management team in the Sydney office and will be responsible for growing Amadeus’ distribution business across the South West Pacific.
Tony Carter, Managing Director, Amadeus Pacific said, “Justin is a very talented, success-driven leader with a proven track record in the travel, aviation and hospitality sectors. He’s a well-known and respected leader of people and is adept in growing businesses and relationships. I’m excited to see what Amadeus will achieve in the next few years with Justin at the helm of our Pacific commercial team.”
Under Montgomery’s leadership, Amadeus will continue to work collaboratively with customers across all segments and specialisms to deliver the technology, solutions and industry expertise that help them provide a traveller-centric experience.
Commenting on his appointment, Montgomery said, “The Pacific region has been a story of success for Amadeus over the past few years, and will be a major growth hub for Amadeus in 2016 and beyond. I’m thrilled to be part of the team and look forward to maintaining our strong relationships with customers and increasing our footprint in the region.”
Prior to accepting this role, Montgomery was Managing Director at TraveltheWorld. Earlier in his career he has worked with Virgin Australia and Creative Holidays, as well as start-up Contiki Resorts, managing teams across key markets including Asia Pacific, the Americas and South Africa.
Montgomery is active in the travel industry having served on the advisory board for Business Events at Tourism Australia, the Smart Traveller consultative group for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and as a founding sponsor and mentor with the Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME).
7. IHG appoints a new Head of Communications in Australasia & Japan
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has appointed Yvette Peverell to the role of Director of Communications – Australasia & Japan, in readiness for IHG’s anticipated expansion in the region.
Yvette has over 15 years’ experience in public relations in the tourism sector, including a decade in the hotel industry. She previously worked for Accor Asia Pacific and most recently for Mantra Group, overseeing both internal and external communications. She will also be the conduit for media in region to access information from the global IHG network.
Yvette joins COO Karin Sheppard’s leadership team as the region’s senior communications counsel and will be based at the Sydney office.
IHG will launch its Holiday Inn Express brand in Australia in April with the opening of the brand new Holiday Inn Express Sydney Macquarie Park; part of a 15-hotel partnership with Pro Invest, with other openings to follow in Brisbane, Adelaide over the next 12 to 18 months.
Further additions to IHG’s luxury InterContinental brand are slated for Perth in 2017 and for the upscale Crowne Plaza brand in Sydney and Hobart in 2018.
8. Excel gets local representation
Excel Travel has appointed Jones & Co Collection as their new Australia and New Zealand Director of Sales.
Founder of Jones & Co Collection, Nadine Jones, says she is excited to be partnering with Excel travel and is looking forward to promoting bespoke Egyptian holidays to travel agents throughout the region.
With the growing competition for consumers in the travel industry, travel agents are looking for points of difference to offer clients and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) around the world are providing solutions by creating customised travel itineries for individuals and groups. DMCs are local to the holiday destinations and have access to unique locations, experiences and properties often not readily available or known.
Jones & Co Collection specialises in partnering with select DMCs to connect agents within Australia and New Zealand with amazing travel experts from around the world.