EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT- Kuoni Destination Management
New organisation structure following the acquisition of GTA
ROLF SCHAFROTH - CEO Global Travel Services
He joined Kuoni Switzerland in 1996 as Head of Financial Controlling; and after just one year, in 1997, he was named Head of Finance & IT for Kuoni’s Incoming Strategic Business Unit. In 2003 he assumed overall responsibility for Incoming Europe, and in 2006 he was named CEO of Destination Management. In 2007 he was appointed to the Group Executive Board as Head of the Strategic Business Division Destination Management.
Following the restructuring of the Kuoni Group in 2009, Rolf Schafroth became Executive Vice-President Procurement & Production. Following the acquisition of Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA), he was appointed as CEO of Kuoni Global Travel Services as per 1st October 2011.
THOMAS PEYER- CFO Global Travel Services
Thomas Peyer studied business and administration at the University of Applied Science, Zürich, graduating in 1997. After graduation he worked as senior project manager for Winterthur Insurance Switzerland and Winterthur International (now XL Winterthur) in Zürich and London.
Thomas joined Kuoni Destination Management in 1999, starting as Head of Financial Accounting and later on taking the function of Head of Financial Controlling. In 2002 he was promoted to Head of Finance of Kuoni Destination Management Europe.
Since January 2006 Thomas has been in charge for Finance & IT of the Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Kuoni Destination Management and is a member of the SBU management committee. Following the acquisition of Gullivers Travel Assiociates (GTA) in May 2011 he became Senior Vice President Finance & Legal Kuoni Global Travel Services.
OLIVER MOESCHLER-Senior VP Sales Asia Pacific & USA
Olivier Moeschler graduated from the professional school of commerce in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1984. He worked for La Neuchâteloise insurance and the city of Neuchâtel and then relocated to New York, USA and studied tourism at the New York University. In 1990 he took on responsibility as Operations Manager for Golf International.
In 1993 Olivier joined Kuoni Travel Ltd and was immediately posted to Hong Kong as Operations Manager Asia. Four years later he was promoted to Director of Operations, Asia Pacific. As of 1999 Olivier was based in Zurich, Switzerland to take on leadership as Director of Global Operations. He was at the same time appointed to the Management Committee of Kuoni Destination Management.
In 2003 Olivier was appointed Vice President Far East & China and with this returned to Hong Kong. In 2006 he was made Vice President, Asia Pacific. In 2010 he was further promoted to his current position of Senior Vice President Sales, Asia Pacific and USA.
IVAN WALTER-VP Kuoni Connect
Ivan Walter joined Kuoni Destination Management in 2001 as Head of FIT Europe and held this position until 2005. During this time, he was the project leader for the company’s own reservation system which he brought to a successful launch in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In 2005, Ivan Walter was named Head of Kuoni Connect, taking over responsibility for transforming the European unit into a global organization, which distributes travel products to the travel trade.
In 2008, he was made Vice President Kuoni Connect and appointed to the Management Committee of Kuoni Destination Management.
Before joining Kuoni, Ivan managed international sales and marketing activities for a private railway company. He studied in the USA and graduated from a Tourism Management School in Switzerland. Ivan holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland.
STEFAN EGLI-Senior VP Destination Europe
Stefan Egli started his career with Kuoni as a young apprentice in 1981. Fascinated by Kuoni’s international network, he deepened his language skills whilst a one year internship at Kuoni France in 1986. Three years later he got to know Kuoni Japan during a one year stay, expanding his far east sales knowledge. After his return to Switzerland in 1990, Stefan completed his studies in Marketing Management during the following year.
In 1993 he switched his field of responsibility to being in charge of establishing and running the Placing & Reservations department of the Kuoni incoming unit. One year later, Stefan became Head of Purchasing.
In 1999 Stefan was made a member of the Management Team of Kuoni Incoming Services and in the same year assumed responsibility for Procurement within Destination Europe. In his current position as Senior Vice President Destination Europe. Stefan is also in charge of the various Destination Management Centres in Europe since 2010.
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT- Local DMC specialists
YASSER NOMAN-Head of DMC Specialists and CEO Destination Middle East & Africa
After having graduated from the University of Tourism & Hotels Sciences in Florence, Italy with a European MBA, Yasser Noman joined Kuoni Destination Management as Manager Transportations in Zurich, Switzerland in 1998.
He held various management positions in the company before he was appointed CEO Destination Management Arabia in 2006. The business unit grew significantly after the acquisition of Desert Adventures in 2008 and Gulf Dunes and Reems Tours and Travel in 2010.
Destination Africa was added to his responsibilities in 2009 and since then he holds the position CEO Destination Middle East & Africa. In addition to his role, Yasser became Head of local DMC specialists on 1st October 2011.
LUZI A. MATZIG- CEO Destination Asia Pacific
Luzi Matzig graduated from the school of transportation (Verkehrsschule) in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1967. The same year he began his professional career with Swissair.
From 1971 – 1988 Luzi Matzig held various management positions for Diethelm Travel in Bangkok, Thailand. In 1988 he became General Manager of this company and in 1998 he was appointed Group Managing Director with responsibilities for all operations in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Yunnan/China.
In 1999 Luzi Matzig established the inbound travel company Asian Trails, which today consists of 33 offices in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam and which employs 600 staff. In 2006 Kuoni Destination Management acquired Asian Trails and in 2008 it acquired Australian Tours Management.
Today Luzi Matzig is responsible for both Asian Trails and Australian Tours Management as the Chief Executive Officer Destination Asia Pacific.
DIPAK DEVA-CEO Destination India and South Asia
After specialising in the field of commerce at university, Dipak Deva started his career in Jaipur, India in 1989, as the Branch Manager of Travel Corporation of India (TCI). He was promoted to General Manager Inbound in Mumbai before he moved on to join hands as one of the partners of Distant Frontiers in 1999, where he established and run the incentives business.
In 2006 Distant Frontiers was acquired by Kuoni and Dipak assumed overall operational responsibility for the company. Two years later Dipak was appointed CEO Destination Management India & South Asia, taking on the leadership of Kuoni Destination Management India with its two sub-brands Sita and Distant Frontiers.
He is also actively involved in various tourism related bodies. At present, he is Co-Chairman Tourism Committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and a Member of World Travel & Tourism Council, India Chapter.
JANE ROSSMANGO-CEO Destination North America
A citizen of both the US and Greece and educated in both countries, Jane embarked on her travel career in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she was Director of a small outbound tour operator.
Upon her return to the USA, she continued her path in travel primarily focusing on international inbound travel. Following a short stint in the domestic Meetings & Incentives arena, she worked for major receptive operators such as Americantours International and Allied Tours in senior VP positions. Her responsibilities included overseeing multiple offices, strategic planning and operations, negotiations and contracting and many years of sales and marketing.
In 2002, with the acquisition of Allied Tours by Kuoni, she held the position of COO for the newly formed AlliedTPro Inc., followed by a promotion to the CEO position of this unit in 2006. In February 2010, Jane was instrumental in Kuoni’s acquisition of a USA based DMC, focused on domestic MICE business and which she now heads as Kuoni Destination Management USA.
New organisation structure following the acquisition of GTA