Travelport has announced the appointment of Guido Verweij from the UK to the role of Regional Managing Director, Africa, based in Johannesburg.
Guido, who has been part of Travelport since 2012 is currently Global Head of Strategy within Agency Commerce and charged with driving the strategic direction and growing the business with Travelport’s existing and new agency customers around the world. Prior to Travelport, Guido worked for over 7 years in management consulting and has advised governments, corporations, and private equity firms on policy, strategy, and transactions. Guido is a Dutch national and holds a degree in Medicine from University of Leuven in Belgium, an honours degree in Management and Systems from City University in the UK and an M.B.A. from INSEAD in France and Singapore. Reporting into Rabih Saab, President and Managing Director at Travelport Europe, Middle East, Africa & South Asia, Guido will be taking up his new role from January 2018.
Travelport would also like to announce the appointment of Claudette Thorne as Acting Country Manager of Southern Africa from 1 December 2017. She replaces Robyn Christie who has decided to leave Travelport at the end of the year to pursue other interests.
As Acting Southern Africa country manager, Claudette will be responsible for managing operations and accelerating growth in this key market. She will be reporting into Guido Verweij, Regional Managing Director, Africa and will be based at Travelport’s office in Johannesburg. Claudette’s previous roles include Business Development Director at GDS Technologies in the telecommunications sector.
Shashi Menon, commercial director Central, West and East Africa continues to oversee our operations in that region and will report into Guido.
In a statement issued by Travelport, it said that the management team changes are designed to respond to and maximise the growing opportunities Travelport is working on in the region whilst enabling the commercial team to meet customers’ needs; connecting them to a world of travel choice in supporting the growth of their businesses in Africa.