Nick Vournakis to lead the global customer team and Derek Sharp to lead the global traveler experience team
MINNEAPOLIS, November 18, 2021 – CWT, the Business-to-Business-for-Employees (B2B4E) travel management platform, today announced the appointments of Nick Vournakis as EVP and Chief Customer Officer and Derek Sharp as EVP and Chief Traveler Experience Officer. Both positions will report to Michelle McKinney Frymire, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CWT and serve as members of the company’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Both appointments are effective 1 December 2021.
“I am thrilled to have Nick and Derek join the ELT, having so successfully led the customer and RoomIt teams respectively,” said Michelle McKinney Frymire, CWT’s CEO. “Separating Customer and Traveler Experience into distinct functions will flatten our leadership structure and bring greater focus to our strategic initiatives moving forward. This also aligns the business units with our recently announced investment plans. Nick and Derek’s breadth and depth of experience and leadership talents make their appointments a natural fit for our team.
“At the same time, I am sad to announce that Niklas Andreen will be leaving CWT. The transformation that he and his team have achieved positions us for ongoing success and I extend my thanks and deep gratitude to him for his friendship, leadership and contributions to CWT. I speak for us all when I wish him the warmest of best wishes for the future.”
Immediately prior to this appointment, Nick Vournakis was Managing Director, Global Customer Development, before which he was President, US Military & Government. He joined CWT in January 2000 and his other senior roles in the company have included responsibility for North American Air Solutions, and managing our Canadian operations. Nick spent four years with EY Global Consulting services having been awarded a BA in Economics at Miami University.
Derek Sharp was Chief Operating Officer for RoomIt, CWT’s global hotel platform, prior to this appointment, and previously ran CWT Meetings & Events. He spent eight years at Travelport in various senior management, strategy and consulting positions, as he has with HP Enterprise Services, EDS, UPS and Bain & Company. Derek holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a BA in Political Science from Texas A&M University.
Ms. McKinney Frymire added, “As CWT embarks on this exciting journey forward, I thank all of the teammates who have worked diligently over the last 18 months ensuring a bright future beyond the pandemic. With our recapitalization complete, and our new leadership team in place, we are excited about a bold future, one rooted in our rich heritage as we celebrate 150 years in travel in 2022.”
About CWT
CWT is a Business-to-Business-for-Employees (B2B4E) travel management platform. Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected – anywhere, anytime, anyhow – and, across six continents, we provide their employees with innovative technology and an efficient, safe, and secure travel experience.