Montreal, Qc, Canada, October 14, 2004
Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat A.T. Inc., announces the appointment of Olivier Kervella as General Manager of Transat’s French subsidiary Look Voyages. Mr. Kervella, who succeeds Jean-Marc Batta, will assume his new duties on October 20.
Since 1999, Mr. Kervella has been General Manager of the online company Anyway.com, which he helped create. This company, which posted gross sales of approximately 80 million euros in 2003, today employs 160 people.
Mr. Kervella worked previously as General Manager, France and Benelux, for Sabre, a world leader in computerized travel reservation systems. His achievements in that role included contributing to the development of GDS Sabre for the French market and to the design and launch of a new line of Web products for travel agencies.
A 1989 graduate of École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) business school, Mr. Kervella started his career with Air France, where he served successively as assistant to the Sales Manager of Air France in Great Britain, assistant to the Vice-President and General Manager of Air France in the United States and Sales Manager of Air France in Canada.
“Throughout an entire career in the travel industry, Olivier Kervella has proved his ability to succeed in simultaneously developing a company and improving its financial situation,” Mr. Eustache said in announcing the appointment. “His competence and energy will benefit Look Voyages’ redeployment in the French tourism products market, where the brand is already a leader. He brings to this initiative his extensive knowledge of distribution networks and Internet resources, in order to improve the productivity of Look Voyages’ operations with travel agencies (B2B) and to build its presence in the online sales market (B2B2C and B2C).”
Mr. Eustache also acknowledged the contribution of Mr. Batta for his leadership of Look Voyages during a difficult period.
With this appointment of a new General Manager, the main components of Look Voyages’ repositioning plan are now in place, namely discontinuation of certain non-profitable operations (sales of regular air-only), intensified development of its tour operator activities, increased use of Web technologies to drive sales to travel agents and consumers, and an organizational review that led to the proposed social plan announced on July 13.
Transat A.T. Inc., with its head office in Montreal, is an integrated company specializing in the organization, marketing, and distribution of holiday travel. The core of its business consists of tour operators in Canada and France. Transat is also involved in air transportation, value-added services at travel destinations, as well as in distribution through travel agency networks. Transat is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE:TRZ).