Travelport Limited (www.travelport.com), which provides transaction processing and data for the global travel industry, appointed Douglas M. Steenland as chairman of the board of directors. Steenland has served as vice chairman since August 2011.
Jeff Clarke, who had served as chairman of the board since February 2012 and a board member since 2006, will continue to serve as a director and chairman of the audit committee. He'll also serve on the compensation committee.
The changes are effective immediately and follow the recent successful comprehensive refinancing of the group.
With a presence in over 170 countries, approximately 3,500 employees and 2012 net revenue of more than $2 billion, Travelport is comprised of the global distribution system business, which includes the Galileo and Worldspan brands, its Airline IT Solutions business and a majority joint venture in eNett.
"I am delighted to have both an industry expert of Doug's caliber serving as chairman of Travelport and the continuity of Jeff's contribution to our company in this board position," said Gordon Wilson, Travelport's President and CEO.
In connection with the refinancing, the board was further modified as more fully set forth in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The privately held TravelPort is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.
Travelport Handles Zuji's Distribution
Separately on Wednesday, Webjet, the largest online travel agency in Australia and New Zealand, appointed Travelport as the global distribution partner for Zuji, a major online travel agency in Asia, which Webjet recently acquired.
Webjet has a long term partnership with Travelport and has begun the migration of Zuji onto its GDS platform. Webjet allows consumers to search and book flights, travel insurance, car rentals and hotel accommodation.
With this extended partnership, Zuji customers in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong will soon have access to Travelport’s technology and content – including airlines’ web fares and full published inventories.
“Zuji’s leadership in Asia, where it is the number one OTA for air ticket sales in both Singapore and Hong Kong, makes it a critical component of our geographic growth strategy, said John Guscic, managing director, Webjet. "Travelport has been our trusted partner for many years and we look forward to extending our relationship through the Zuji business."