Southlake-based travel tech company Sabre Corp. has announced that Kurt Ekert will become the company’s CEO on April 27, following current CEO Sean Menke’s transition to become solely chairman of the board.
Ekert is currently president of Sabre. He has also been nominated as a director for election at Sabre’s 2023 Annual Meeting to be held on April 26. Sabre said the moves are being made as part of its ongoing succession planning.
“I know I speak on behalf of Sabre’s entire board of directors when I say that Sean has been an incredibly strong and successful leader over the last eight years, especially in those unprecedented moments during the global pandemic,” Sabre independent lead director Gregg Saretsky said in a statement. “He leaves behind a tremendous legacy, including an ambitious multi-year strategy that the leadership team will continue to move forward. We thank Sean for his outstanding leadership and service and are pleased to continue to serve alongside him as executive chair.”
“We look forward to having Kurt join the board as he steps into the chief executive officer role at the company,” added Saretsky, who will continue in his lead independent director role. “He’s a strong, forward-focused leader with the experience, operational and technical acumen and industry perspective to successfully execute Sabre’s strategic plans.”
Menke joined Sabre in 2015, with Ekert coming on board in January 2022
Menke joined Sabre in 2015 as president of its largest business division, before being promoted to CEO in late 2016. Under his leadership, the company said it set out, and executed against, bold plans to reimagine the future of travel enabled by its technology transformation, key strategic partnerships, and building a leadership team to deliver that vision.
Ekert joined Sabre in January 2022 as president and as part of the company’s long-term succession plans, as the company split the role of president and CEO.
He oversees all aspects of Sabre’s business and technology operations. Over the last year, Ekert developed new growth strategies and successfully executed against the company’s operating plans, including successfully reorganizing its Travel Solutions business, implementing robust operating principles to enable faster and more efficient execution, and putting a refined leadership team in place.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Bob Pragada took the reins of leadership Tuesday as CEO of Dallas-based Jacobs, one of the largest professional services companies in the world. Following its leadership succession plan announced in September, Pragada also is expected to join the company's board of directors upon certification of the results of its annual meeting. He succeeds Steve Demetriou who will serve as executive chair for a minimum of two years, the company said, working as a member of the board advising Pragada on strategic and capital deployment initiatives. Demetriou will provide executive sponsorship for several key client engagements and ongoing culture initiatives and…
-
Are you or your company a leader in innovation? The Innovation Awards celebrates trailblazers and innovators in North Texas. Nominate your organization, a colleague, peer, or yourself—by September 22.
-
As New Year's Eve approaches, thoughts are turning to holidays, fireworks, and—yes—business plans for a whole new year. That may be why December is National Business Plan Month, and TWU's Tracy Irby has the perfect way to celebrate it—by avoiding 5 key business plan mistakes.
-
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has put state agencies on the clock to implement policies that would prohibit the downloading or use of apps such as TikTok on state-owned devices. Abbott announced the statewide model security plan Monday for Texas state agencies to address vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and other software on personal and state-issued devices. Each state agency will have until February 15 to implement its own policy to enforce this statewide plan. “The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state must not be underestimated…
-
Rajesh Midha, CEO of Dallas-based digital experience consultancy Bottle Rocket, is joining forces with IBM Global Demand VP Ari Sheinkin on a new podcast. Called "Thematically Speaking," the new podcast will feature knowledge and insights gained over decades in the B2B marketing business—discussed "through the lens of various seemingly unrelated themes or stories."
