The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is pleased to announce Michael Gregory (Greg) O’Hara, Founder and Senior Managing Director of Certares Management LLC (“Certares”), as its incoming Chair. O’Hara, who will assume the position later this month, has been a member of WTTC’s Executive Committee since 2019 and Vice Chair since 2021.
He will succeed the current Chairman, Arnold Donald, former President & CEO of Carnival Corporation, who has been in the position since the spring of 2021.
O’Hara is the Founder and Senior Managing Director of New York-based Certares, one of the largest investment platforms dedicated to Travel & Tourism, and also serves as the Executive Chairman of American Express Global Business Travel, and Vice Chairman of Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings.
O’Hara has previously served on the Boards of Directors of Worldspan, Hertz Global Holdings, Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Singer Vehicle Design, and the Innocence Project.
Addressing delegates at the global tourism body’s 23rd Global Summit in Kigali today, Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, stated: “Firstly, I would like to thank Arnold for his tremendous contribution to WTTC, his unwavering dedication, and exceptional leadership during his tenure.
“We are now embarking on a new chapter, and I am delighted to welcome Greg as our new Chairman. Greg brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the Travel & Tourism sector. I believe that under his stewardship, WTTC will reach new heights in a sector that is growing faster than the global economy.”
Arnold Donald remarked, “It has been an honor to serve my fellow WTTC Members as Chair. Our Members’ collective efforts, facilitated through private and public partnerships, have been critical to the recovery of our sector from the economic and human effects of COVID. We are now on a path of responsible and sustainable exceptional growth for Travel & Tourism worldwide.
“Of course, the tremendous progress achieved across all fronts would not have been possible without the strong foundation I inherited, Julia’s leadership, and the hard work of our WTTC staff. It has been a pleasure serving our Members and working with Julia and her team over the past several years.
“As my term comes to an end, I am delighted to pass the torch to Greg, a strong contributing WTTC Member and a distinguished global leader in the Travel & Tourism sector.”
Greg O’Hara expressed, “It is a great privilege to take up the reins from Arnold Donald – a giant in our sector. I look forward to supporting our Members, WTTC, and Julia as the sector continues to grow from strength to strength.”
Under this new leadership, WTTC and its Members look forward to guiding the global Travel & Tourism sector towards a brighter and more sustainable future.