ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, announced that GBTA President Christle Johnson has appointed Scott Solombrino, President & CEO of Dav El/Boston Coach Chauffeured Transportation Network, to serve as the Allied Leadership Council (ALC) President. Johnson also appointed Dorothy Dowling, Chief Marketing Officer for Best Western International, to serve as the Allied Leadership Council Vice President. Solombrino and Dowling will also sit on the GBTA Board of Directors, joining the recently elected 2015 Board.
The Allied Leadership Council represents any GBTA member who is not a direct travel buyer. Members include hotels, airlines, credit card services, rental car agencies, travel companies, chauffeured transportation providers and expense management firms. The Council reperesents more than half of GBTA members.
Solombrino brings a wealth of experience having served in this role under the previous six GBTA Presidents. He founded his first chauffeured transportation company in 1978 before acquiring Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network in 1984. In 2014, he was named CEO of the combined operations of Dav El chauffeured car service with Boston Coach, with 1,800 owned vehicles, 3,100 employees and projected annual revenue of $250 million.
Solombrino is one of a select few to win GBTA’s Industry Icon Award and is a two-time GBTA Allied Member of the year winner. He is also a four-time President and founder of the National Limousine Association as well as founder and past President of the now-dissolved Massachusetts Limousine Owners Association. He has served and currently serves on numerous other Boards of Directors as well, both business- and philanthropy-oriented.
“The ALC represents the allied community who provide the funding for the associations programs,” Solombrino told LCT on Dec. 4. “We are here to support the direct community’s advancement in the travel sector. Our clients are our most important assists and our participation helps to expand education, networking opportunities and their professional advancement. We are also tasked with providing the Allied community with a voice in the governance and strategic planning for GBTA.”
Dowling began her hospitality career in Canada after earning a joint Masters of Arts degree in sociology and leisure studies from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Since joining Best Western in 2004, she has reenergized the Best Western Rewards loyalty program, grown the brand’s market share and undertaken several groundbreaking initiatives. She is now at the helm of a comprehensive global brand refresh for the iconic Best Western brand. Dowling was recently named the 18th most influential Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the world in the Forbes/ScribbleLive/LinkedIn’s 4th Annual CMO Influence Study.
“I am pleased to welcome Scott and Dorothy to the GBTA Board of Directors,” Johnson said. “Our industry is undergoing a period of rapid change and it is more important than ever to have veteran leaders with diverse experiences, across multiple industry verticals, helping lead the way as the voice of our Allied community. As the Allied side of the industry goes through this period of consolidation, the ALC has been tasked with developing and implementing innovative ideas in the upcoming year to help GBTA continue to evolve as an organization on the cutting edge.”
Solombrino’s and Dowling’s appointments are effective immediately and will run through GBTA Convention 2017.
2016 GBTA Convention Info Here
Sources: GBTA press release; LCT
Keywords
BostonCoach business travel corporate travel Dav El Chauffeured Transportation GBTA Global Business Travel Association group travel industry leaders Massachusetts operators NLA Scott Solombrino
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