Cendant announced that leading
technology executive, Jeff Clarke, has been appointed CEO and president
of its Travel Distribution Services (TDS) Division, effective May 1,
2006.
Mr.
Clarke joins TDS from CA, formerly Computer Associates Inc., where he
had served as the software company's chief operating officer since 2004.
The naming of Mr. Clarke as CEO and president further strengthens the
TDS management team, and completes the division's senior leadership.
Gordon Bethune became Chairman of the division last month.
"Jeff Clarke has been a rising star in the technology sector for many
years and I am delighted that he has agreed to accept the position as
CEO and president," Cendant's Chairman and CEO, Henry R. Silverman,
said. "Jeff's strong management and operational skills played an
integral role in the successful revitalization of CA. As head of global
operations at Hewlett-Packard following its merger with Compaq Computer
Corporation, he helped to facilitate one of the largest and most
successful merger integrations within the technology sector. Jeff's
unique experiences make him a seasoned executive who is well prepared to
continue to strengthen TDS's position as one of the world's leading
travel distribution services businesses."
"As we noted in December 2005, we have moved from the acquisition phase
to the execution phase of TDS's development, and
Jeff is an ideal choice to lead that effort. His experiences at CA and
HP will be extremely helpful in driving revenue and profit growth from
our global, leading portfolio of brands and businesses. Together with
Gordon Bethune's extensive background in travel, our world-class
management team is now complete."
Mr. Clarke began his career at Digital Equipment Corporation in 1985,
holding several financial, operational and international positions
before joining Compaq in 1998. He was Compaq's Chief Financial Officer
and Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration before being
asked to lead the integration with HP. Clarke joined CA in 2004, and in
his role of Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for sales,
services, corporate strategy, business development, finance and
information technology for the $3.5 billion company.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a company with such a
strong management team and a remarkable portfolio of assets," Mr. Clarke
said. "TDS, with its leading brands such as Orbitz, Galileo and GTA (Gullivers
Travel Associates), is ideally positioned to experience considerable
growth in the months and years ahead and I am excited about being part
of its success."
Mr. Bethune joined TDS in March after a career spent in the airline
industry, including his role as Chief Executive Officer of Continental
Airlines, where he was credited with turning around the struggling
carrier. Between 1979 and 1988, Mr. Bethune held executive positions at
several other major airlines including Braniff, Western and Piedmont,
along with serving as a vice president and general manager at Boeing
Corporation.
TDS to be Named as Travelport
The Company also announced that TDS, comprised of widely recognized
travel industry brands such as Orbitz, Galileo and GTA (Gullivers Travel
Associates), has been re-named Travelport, Inc.
"Taking on the Travelport name offers us the opportunity to create a
strong and unifying brand identity for the distinct travel businesses
that comprise our company. It also allows us the opportunity to leverage
the brand equity that already exists in the Travelport name and
identifies our company as the destination for travel bookings," Mr.
Bethune said. "Travelport will continue to focus on transforming the
travel experience by improving operating systems and employing a more
customer-focused approach."
The division will continue to be referred to as TDS until such time as
the logo and complete brand identity have been announced, which is
expected to be in the early summer.
Travelport will be headquartered in New Jersey and is one of the most
geographically diverse and vertically integrated travel distribution
companies in the world, with over 8,000 employees operating in more than
130 countries.
