Philippe Chereque (pictured above), president at American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), is to leave the company on 31 March 2020 for a role at Certares, a travel industry investment firm led by Amex GBT’s executive board chairman Greg O’Hara.
Certares leads a private equity group that holds a 50 per cent stake in GBT.
Paul Abbott, Amex GBT chief executive, said: “Amex GBT owes Philippe a debt of gratitude. When he joined in 2014 he brought an unparalleled knowledge of business travel and technology. His charisma and infectious passion inspired people at all levels of the business. I am delighted that Philippe will retain a close connection with GBT in his new role with Certares.”
Chereque, who was appointed president in 2016, spearheaded the acquisition of travel and expense technology firm KDS that year.
He was a guest this summer on the How I Got Here podcast, a series produced by PhocusWire and Mozio aimed at "getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation".
Meanwhile, Amex GBT has appointed Andrew Crawley (pictured below) as its new chief commercial officer. He will join Amex GBT on 1 April 2020, based in London. He is currently chairman and chief executive of the Avios Group, the loyalty company owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), and a member of the IAG management committee.
Abbott said: “Drew is ideally placed to lead our commercial organisation on the next phase of its journey. He is a dynamic leader with a deep knowledge of the global travel sector. Drew has broad commercial, marketing and digital experience, and a proven track record of driving innovation and change.”
Crawley’s previous roles include chief executive of IAG Cargo and chief commercial officer of British Airways. He was also an executive board member at BA, and has chaired the boards of BA Holidays and OpenSkies, BA’s wholly-owned French airline subsidiary. Crawley started his BA career in 1992, working in a variety of sales, marketing and operational roles in the UK, Europe and Asia.
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