Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global Internet media company, today announced that Christopher “Chris” Loughlin, executive vice president, Europe, will become the company’s chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2010, while CEO Holger Bartel will become chairman of the board of directors.
“We think that our proactive and transparent CEO succession plan will ensure that Travelzoo continues to have top-notch leadership in the years to come,” said Ralph Bartel, chairman of the board, Travelzoo. “The company has aggressive growth plans. With Chris as chief executive officer and Holger as chairman of the board, we will continue to have a winning team with a strong track record. Chris has led Travelzoo’s business in Europe to year-over-year growth rates of 100% or more in each of the four most recent quarters. We have a great leader in Chris, an individual who has the vision, aptitude and character to lead Travelzoo into the future.”
Chairman and Travelzoo founder Ralph Bartel, who has served as the chairman of the board of directors for more than eleven years, will continue to serve as one of the five members of Travelzoo’s board of directors.
Holger Bartel, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, stated: “We have great confidence that Chris will be able to continue to grow Travelzoo as a global brand and as the world’s most trusted publisher of travel deals. Throughout his career at Travelzoo, Chris has shown his dedication to the business and its employees and his range of experience in both North America and Europe will be invaluable in taking up the post of CEO in July 2010.”
Speaking of his appointment, Loughlin said, “I am delighted to accept this position as CEO of Travelzoo. I am looking forward to working with Holger to ensure a smooth transition in the run up to July 1, 2010 and I am committed to carrying on the exemplary standard he has set, not just in this company but in the Internet media industry and the travel industry as a whole.”
Loughlin, 36, joined Travelzoo in 2001 as vice president of business development based in the company’s Silicon Valley office in Mountain View, California. In 2003, he moved to Chicago to expand Travelzoo’s operations in North America. Loughlin moved to London in 2005 to take up the post of executive vice president, Europe, where he launched Travelzoo in the U.K. and subsequently in Germany, France and Spain. Loughlin holds a BSc(Hons) in Technology Management from Staffordshire University and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York City. He is married with two children. In May 2009, Loughlin was named the “2009 Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by The British Travel & Hospitality Industry Hall of Fame.
Loughlin, who is currently based in the company’s London office, will transfer to the company’s global headquarters on Madison Avenue in New York.
