Travelport’s New CEO Lays Out Bold Plan for a Tech Overhaul
Photo Credit: Travelport CEO Greg Webb poses for a photo at the travel technology company's headquarters in Langley, UK. Travelport / Travelport
Skift Take
Travelport CEO Greg Webb tells us that the travel distribution giant's private equity investors support a major technology overhaul and that it will involve minimal heartache for agencies. It'll be notable if Travelport's backers defy the reputation of private equity investors for mercilessly extracting value.
It's tough being the CEO of a public company. But holding the top job at a company owned by private equity investors can be tougher. Even harder is being the chief executive under Elliott Management, a firm that earned its rep as an activist investor with unrelenting scrutiny on its companies.
That's why many eyes are on Greg Webb, who last August became CEO of travel technology company Travelport.
Elliott Management's private equity arm Evergreen Coast Capital and buyout firm Siris Capital took Travelport private last year in a $4.4 billion deal. It used borrowed funds for part of the transaction and presumably will want to sell the company at a profit several years from now. It'll expect quick decisions and want tangible results toward a lucrative exit.
Travelport's private equity owners tapped Webb for the top job, poaching him from Oracle Hospitality, the global market leader in hotel property management systems. At that brand, Webb had led a turnaround effort that may hav
