Throughout his career, Mike has been focused on helping travel agents master the art of sales and marketing by leveraging technology to their advantage. As founder and former CEO of Expedia CruiseShipCenters, he spent 25 years working with franchise owners and travel agents to implement personalized marketing systems that create Customers For Life. Recognizing the importance of social media as the next tool for travel agents, Mike became a founding partner of BranchUp in 2015.
In addition to his many accolades as an entrepreneur, Mike was inducted into the Cruise Industry Hall of Fame by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as recipient of the Travel Advisor Innovator Award in 2013.
“Mike’s innovations are visible across the travel distribution landscape, from technology to marketing to franchising,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “The CLIA member lines are indebted to Mike for pioneering many aspects of the support we enjoy from travel agents today. He is truly deserving of induction into the CLIA Hall of Fame.”
Peter has been on the leading edge of digital marketing since 2000. As CEO of Revenue Automation Inc. (RA) a digital marketing agency that specializes in B2C Marketing, he oversees the implementation of B2C marketing processes, systems and services for Fortune 500 brands and emerging companies.
In his role at BranchUp, Peter ensures that the team is equipped with the resources and technology to exceed our customer expectations and to support the company’s exponential growth.
In the role of Director of Technology, Silviu provides leadership for BranchUp technology, focusing on platform technical performance, business tools integration, software and database architecture, and development team agility through process improvements. Silviu is passioned by customer success and creating tools which simplifies and improves users’ life.
Silviu worked in travel industry from early 2000, being the most senior technology leader for Expedia CruiseShipCenters / Expedia Cruises for 17 years. Silviu provided leadership for the development of the B2C and B2B tools travel agents used on daily basis to manage clients and sales, including back-office. The technology architected and managed by Silviu was recognized by suppliers and travel agents as the best of breed in the travel industry.
As Creative Director at BranchUp, Michelle oversees the production and distribution of our digital content including our daily Facebook posts, website landing pages, and personalized email marketing for travel advisors.
Prior to joining BranchUp, Michelle held senior positions in a variety of travel industry segments including publishing at Travelweek magazine; tour operation at Sunquest and Adventure Tours (now part of the Travel Brands Group); retail travel at American Express and Eaton’s Travel as well as the accommodation sector at CN Hotels (now Fairmont).
Michelle’s commitment to serving travel agents shine through in her inspiring content and the volumes of thank you notes that fill her inbox.
Frank was an entrepreneur and travel industry veteran who left his mark on the industry through both his professional and personal relationships.
During his long career in the industry, Frank held a variety of executive positions in the hotel, retail and wholesale travel sector including Skylark Holidays and CP Air Holidays. He then went on to found Travelwatch, an innovative marketing and technology company delivering more than 2 million permission-based emails per month using his proprietary applications.
Frank played a key role in the development and launch of BranchUp, introducing the platform to travel advisors and suppliers nationwide. He was a passionate advocate for the travel professional, committed to helping agents create and keep customers through personal marketing.
Frank’s life was well lived. He was truly an original and will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed. Thank you to our Travel Media for publishing the tributes below.
As a BranchUp strategic partner, GVG provides marketing, sales, and distribution expertise to deliver B2B and B2C solutions by applying innovation in technology and business approaches for the cruise and travel industry.
David is President of Global Voyages Group. He is a cruise industry pioneer who introduced small-ship adventure cruises to the consumer market and innovated many products and experiences across the global cruise and travel industry. David’s previous leadership roles include Executive Vice President of Holland America Line, President & CEO of Windstar Cruises, President & CEO of Paul Gauguin Cruises, President of American West Steamboat Company and Delta Queen Steamboat Company. He is also a past Chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
