Our Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of CWT’s parent company, CWT Travel Holdings, Inc., comprises a strong blend of travel, hospitality, technology and commercial expertise.

Jim Abrahamson

Board Chair

Jim Abrahamson Jim currently serves as Non-Executive Chair of the Board of VICI Properties, Inc. (NYSE: VICI) and as a Non-Executive director on the board of BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV). He was also formerly a Non-Executive director at CorePoint Lodging, Inc. (NYSE: CPLG) and La Quinta Holdings (NYSE: LQ), as well as a former executive member of the Board of Directors at InterContinental Hotels Group (LON: IHG).

Jim previously served as Chairman and as CEO at Interstate Hotels & Resorts and, prior to Interstate, as President, The Americas at IHG, before which he served as a senior member of corporate leadership at Hyatt Corporation (NYSE: H), Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) and Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT). He is also a former Chairman of the Board of each of the U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and he also served as President of the Marriott International National Association (MINA) owners association.

Alan Bowers

Audit & Finance Committee Chair

Alan Bowers Alan is currently a Non-Executive director on the boards of Ocwen Financial Corp (NYSE: OCN) and Walker & Dunlop Inc. (NYSE: WD). He was also formerly a Non-Executive director at CorePoint Lodging, Inc. (NYSE: CPLG) and La Quinta Holdings (NYSE: LQ).

Alan is a former President, Chief Executive Officer and a board member of Cape Success, LLC (a private equity backed staffing service and information technology solutions business), MarketSource Corporation (a marketing and sales support service firm) and MBL Life Assurance Corporation. He has been a certified public accountant since 1978 and served as staff auditor, audit partner and managing partner, serving a diverse client base during his tenure at Coopers & Lybrand, L.L.P.

Ellen Keszler

HR & Compensation Committee Chair

Ellen Keszler Ellen is a Non-Executive director on the boards of Sojern (the global travel data and media services company) and Shep (the travel data analytics and communications business). She was formerly a Non-Executive board director with Extended Stay America (NASDAQ: STAY), Farelogix, North Texas Public Broadcasting, Pros Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PRO), Travel and Transport, Yapta, and Routehappy.

Ellen has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Sky Associates, a management and strategy consulting firm focused on the technology and travel industries, since 2008. She is a former President of Travelocity Business, Senior Vice President (North American Division) of Sabre Travel Network, and previously held various finance roles at Sabre Holdings, American Airlines, and JCPenney.

Patrick Andersen

President & Chief Executive Officer

Patrick Andersen is our President & Chief Executive Officer, and was appointed to the position on 1 May 2022. Immediately prior to this he was President and Chief Commercial Officer where he managed and oversaw several industry-defining initiatives including the launch of myCWT China, the expansion of RoomIt by CWT, and the development of innovative long-term GDS technology partnership agreements. He joined CWT in 2008 and has over 30 years’ experience in global travel & logistics, with various international leadership roles at Deutsche Post Worldwide and DHL. Patrick also serves as a Non-Executive Member of the Board at Global Minnesota, and MNSNAP, and is on the Board of Overseers for the Carlson School of Management. He studied management at the London Business School.

Tom O’Toole

Nominating & ESG Committee Chair

Tom O'Toole Tom is a Non-Executive board director of Alliant Energy Corp. (NASDAQ: LNT). He was formerly a Non-Executive board director with Extended Stay America (NASDAQ: STAY), LSC Communications Inc., cxLoyalty, and Pegasus Solutions, Inc.

Tom is Associate Dean for Executive Education and Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and has been a Senior Advisor at McKinsey and Company since 2017, immediately prior to which he was Chief Marketing Officer of United Airlines and President of its MileagePlus loyalty business. He was previously the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Information Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. In 2016, he was appointed, and then reappointed, by the US Secretary of Commerce to the Board of Brand USA, the public-private corporation charged with increasing travel to the United States.

Donna Wells

Donna Wels Donna is a Non-Executive director on the boards of Walker & Dunlop Inc. (NYSE: WD), Mitek Systems (NASDAQ: MITK), and Betterment. She was previously a Non-Executive board member with Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (now NASDAQ: AVPT), and Boston Private Bank (now NASDAQ: SIVB).

Donna was previously President, Chief Executive Officer and a board member of Mindflash Technologies, a B2B software company. Prior to Mindflash, she served in senior corporate leadership roles at financial services and FinTech leaders Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW), Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), and Mint.com. Donna began her career at American Express (NYSE: AXP), where she launched the Corporate Platinum and Gold Rewards Cards, and led US Marketing and the B2B Affiliate business for the Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE).

Theresa Wise

Theresa Wise Theresa is a Non-Executive director on the boards of Acropolis Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: ACRO), VIASAT Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), Midcontinent Independent System Operator, and IMPINJ Inc. (NASDAQ: PI) and was previously a Non-Executive director for TCF Financial Corp.

Theresa has been principal consultant and managing partner of Utaza, LLC. since 2016, prior to which she served as Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Delta Air Lines, and held the same role at Northwest Airlines before that.