Kuoni hires new CEO

ZURICH Reto Wilhelm will take over operational management as CEO of Kuoni Global Travel Services (GTS) 1 March 2017.

Under his leadership, GTS’s ongoing reorientation as an independent company and the expansion of its activities in attractive market segments will continue.

GTS Advisory Board chairman, Walter Gehl, will continue to manage GTS on an interim basis until March 2017.

Reto Wilhelm

“Reto Wilhelm, who is taking over operational management of the business, is very experienced in the global tourism industry and has wide knowledge of GTS’s business activities, particularly in Asian source markets,” said Gehl. “I’m pleased that we’ve been able to bring in a personality like Reto Wilhelm – someone who knows the complexities of the business done by Group Travel, MICE and our Destination Management Specialists, as well as being very familiar with Kuoni’s international culture.”

Wilhelm, a Swiss citizen, has worked for Thomas Cook Group in London and Frankfurt since 2013, and has been general manager of the travel group’s joint venture activities in China since 2015.

Previously, he worked as managing director of west and east Europe at Thomas Cook Group, and was also in charge of the UK and Ireland on an interim basis.

In 2010, he founded his own consultancy firm, and among other things built up Thomas Cook International in Switzerland as a start-up company in 2011.

From 2002 to 2010, Reto Wilhelm was a member of the group executive board of the Kuoni Group in charge of Europe, Asia and the Style Division.

His appointment as CEO of GTS takes effect 1 March 2017.

GTS has run its business activities independently since the Kuoni Group was taken over by private equity company EQT in May 2016.

Under Wilhelm’s leadership, the company plans to continue expanding its position as a global provider in group travel, MICE and destination management businesses in attractive markets.

Kuoni Global Travel Services (GTS) offers destination services, from accommodation, transportation, tours and activities, to venue and event management. It handles 50,000 leisure tours per year and has a global network of destination management specialists, consisting of six largely independent and entrepreneurially managed teams covering various region (Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East, East Africa, Southern Africa and the US).