The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) is very close to appointing its new chief executive, after being forced to provide an update on the recruitment process.
The Australian Financial Review reported late yesterday that Darren Rudd is set to occupy the chief’s chair at AFTA, which was recently vacated by Jayson Westbury following his comments about TV host Tracy Grimshaw during an online seminar.
Rudd is currently the head of corporate affairs and public relations at Tata Consultancy Services across Australia and New Zealand, which counts the likes of Qantas, Telstra, CBA, Westpac, Vodafone, and KPMG among its local clientele.
He is currently a board member of the Australian Council for the Arts, and is on the advisory boards of Asia Society Australia and Australia India Youth Dialogue.
Rudd was previously the lead corporate affairs manager for NBN Co Limited, and has also held senior roles at telecommunications companies AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent.
And, in case you were wondering, Rudd is not related to the former Australian Prime Minister of the same surname, according to the AFR.
Late last month, AFTA revealed what it would be looking for in recruiting a new CEO, but has been quiet about the process ever since.
However, the AFR’s report forced the peak body for agents to release the following statement this morning: “The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) board is in the final stages of the recruitment process and will be sure to announce when there is an appointment.”
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