The travel industry has scored a bunch of new hires. Which is good news for business, less so for office toilet wait times.

Helloworld Travel announces the appointment of Ana Pedersen

Helloworld Travel Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Ana Pedersen to the role of Global Director of Corporate Sales for QBT & APX.

Pedersen joins QBT/APX on 1 July and will bring the benefit of more than 27 years’ experience in the travel industry, most recently as Vice President – Large Market Global Sales for BCD Travel based in the U.S.

Prior to the VP role in the USA, Pedersen was Vice President Asia Pacific for BCD Travel based in Singapore. Pedersen’s Vice President experience has been over 10 years in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Earlier positions included BCD Travel in Australia, TQ3 Travel Solutions, Galileo and Qantas.

“Ana brings an enormous wealth of Corporate Travel Management experience in international and regional sales, distribution, hotel programs, account management and industry knowledge to this critical role helping the corporate business focus for the Helloworld Travel Group,”  said Helloworld Chief Executive Officer Andrew Burnes.

“We are delighted to welcome Ana to the team here at Helloworld Travel. She has a proven track record in exceptional business development and has created strong established relationships within the global business community.

“Her international reputation is of the highest calibre and Ana will assist the Corporate Division to identify national, regional and global opportunities.”

“I am very excited about this new challenge,” said Pedersen.

“The QBT and APX TMC businesses have a very strong operation with great leadership, amazing people, first class service and outstanding technology solutions and we are looking forward to developing the business in Australia and New Zealand as well as expansion in North America, Asia and Europe.”

Wendy Wu Tours Announces New AU MD

Wendy Wu Tours, Australia’s leading Asia travel specialist, has appointed Andrew Mulholland as managing director for Australia and New Zealand.

Based in Sydney, Mulholland will continue working closely with global chief executive Joe Karbo to drive company growth, digital transformation and innovation across the entire company portfolio.

Mulholland has been pivotal to Wendy Wu’s success since joining in June 2016 initially as General Manager, and has been instrumental in achieving record growth in revenue of over 32 per cent year on year. In addition Mulholland has been leading the business transformation team enhancing strategic direction and integration across the business.

Mulholland said, “Wendy Wu Tours is in a really strong commercial position.

“Escorted touring, our key market, is one of the fastest growing travel sectors and a key reason why we’re significantly expanding our range of tours.

“It’s a privilege to be given this new opportunity with Wendy Wu Tours and to be leading our business through the next phases of digital transformation.”

Joe Karbo, Group Chief Executive said, “Andrew has really shaped our business over the last 12 months, proving to be a strong and dynamic leader.

“Andrew is uniquely qualified and experienced for this role and so I have every confidence that Wendy Wu Tours will continue on what has been a steady path to growth and transformation.”

Shangri-La Hotels And Resorts Announces Oliver Bonke As New President And Chief Operating Officer

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has announced the appointment of Oliver Bonke as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Reporting to Shangri-La Asia Limited Chief Executive Officer LIM Beng Chee, Bonke will assume responsibilities on September 1, 2017 and will be based at Shangri-La’s headquarters in Hong Kong.

In his capacity as President and Chief Operating Officer, Bonke will oversee the group’s Executive Vice Presidents responsible for regional hotel operations, as well as the operational division heads of Food and Beverage, Sales, Marketing, Rooms, Engineering, Security, and Quality Improvement.

“We are delighted to welcome Oliver and look forward to his arrival as the new President and COO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts,” said Lim.

“With his proven strong leadership and operational experience globally, I am confident Oliver will drive excellence and lead Shangri-La through the next phase of the group’s development and strategy.”

Bonke has nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently with Loews Hotels & Co. as Chief Commercial Officer.  Loews Hotels & Co., headquartered in New York, is a luxury hotel brand comprised of 24 properties that it owns and operates in key urban and resort destinations across the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to joining Loews Hotels & Co., Bonke was Chief Commercial Officer for InterContinental Hotels Group in the Americas; he was also with Starwood Hotels and Resorts as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing in Asia Pacific, and then in the same role with Starwood covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Sabre makes two leadership appointments

In its efforts to strengthen its team to better serve customers in APAC, Sabre Corporation, made two significant leadership appointments this week.

Axel Bench, Regional Director, Asia, Sabre Airline Solutions

Axel Bench is appointed as Regional Director – Asia, and will be responsible for South Asia, North Asia and Southeast Asia. In conjunction with this appointment, the Sabre Airline Solutions business in the APAC region will be restructured into three regions:

• South Asia, North Asia and Southeast Asia led by Axel Bench
• Pacific region and Japan led by Scott Barratt
• Mainland China led by Peter Wu

Bench joins Sabre with more than 25 years of experience in senior Sales and Account Management roles.

Previously, he was the Global Sales Director for the Harris Aviation Solutions Group and has previously worked for such companies as Thales, ERA and Lufthansa Systems with a specific focus on Asia Pacific.

He rejoins Sabre, after having spent two years with Sabre Airlines Solutions (2005-2007) as Account Director for the Pacific region in addition to having sales responsibilities in Asia for some of Sabre Airline Solutions products.

Clayton Grant, Senior Account Director, South East Asia, Sabre Airline Solutions

Clayton Grant has been appointed Senior Account Director for Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Grant is an experienced Account Director who has been with Sabre for 4.5 years, and plays a key role in with several strategic clients such as Virgin Australia.

Grant has an extensive first-hand airline industry experience gained from his 12 years employment at Virgin Australia. At Virgin, he started at the Reservations department and spent majority of his career in Commercial and Revenue Management positions, until eventually becoming Manager of Revenue Management Development.

He has also recently completed studies in Aviation Management at Griffith University in Australia.

Wyndham appoints new SVP Legal and Compliance

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific has appointed Liz Collinson in the executive role of Senior Vice President Legal and Compliance, based at the company’s Gold Coast corporate office.

Reporting to President and Managing Director Barry Robinson, as well as the US-based Wyndham Vacation Ownership General Counsel, Collinson will be responsible for providing strategic legal advice in respect of compliance with applicable securities and managed investment legislation, property and corporate acquisitions, consumer financing, commercial contracts and leases, hotel management and franchise agreements, dispute resolution, and employment and industrial relations matters.

The position oversees Wyndham’s Legal and Compliance team, which is domiciled across offices on the Gold Coast and Singapore.

Collinson joins Wyndham after almost three years as principal of her own firm, Elizabeth Collinson, Barrister & Solicitor. Previously, Collinson spent 12 years living in Singapore, with more than 10 years as Senior Vice President Legal and General Counsel at InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific.