Midmarket specialist travel management company Direct Travel
continues to build out its executive team since being acquired in April by an
investor group led by managed travel visionary Steve Singh. Direct Travel
announced on Thursday the company’s 10-year veteran chief technology officer
Darryl Hoover would take a newly created role of chief data officer. The TMC also
is bringing on Sarah Kuberry Martino as chief product officer.
Hoover will lead a team focused on unlocking data-insights
for optimizing client travel programs but also will work to deliver travel
program personalization, which must have a foundation specifically in data, and
will drive Direct Travel’s vision of “The Perfect Trip”—a concept Singh introduced
while still CEO of Concur and has reanimated since his re-entry to the managed
travel industry a few years ago.
As chief product officer, Martino—a Concur alumni who moved
onto senior technology roles in healthcare—returns to the managed travel industry
to lead the development of Avenir, Direct Travel’s open technology stack that
will allow “innovators from any field to contribute, adding value and fostering
continuous innovation across the travel ecosystem,” according to a Direct
Travel press release.
“Darryl and Sarah embody the strategic and people-oriented
leadership we need to elevate our products, technology stack and value to our
customers,” said Direct Travel CEO Christal Bemont.
Direct Travel has rapidly
expanded its executive team since April, most recently adding Michelle
Sitzman as chief people officer and Dave Breslin as, VP customer experience, new
tech stack.
