Northstar Travel Group (the parent company of TravelAge West) has announced a new CEO, among other leadership changes.
Today, the company announced that Jason Young will succeed Thomas Kemp in the role of CEO; Kemp has served as Chairman and CEO of Northstar since 2009, and will now transition to the role of Chairman.
“We are thrilled to have Jason join Northstar as our new CEO to lead the company in our next strategic transformation as a content, marketing services, event and data company,” Kemp said. “I have known Jason for over 20 years as a visionary leader integrating data and technology into solutions for media companies and their clients.”
Young, a leader in the digital transformation of the media industry, most recently served as president of Chicory, a contextual commerce media company focused on the consumer-packaged goods industry. His 30-plus-year career has also included founding Smart Device Media (a mobile advertising network) and serving 20 years with IT information and media business Ziff-Davis Media, where he became CEO.
At a time of significant evolution in the media and digital ecosystem, Northstar’s market-leading brands and unparalleled content/data footprint provide essential benefits to the audience and for its travel marketing partners.
“I am honored to join the team at Northstar,” Young said. “At a time of significant evolution in the media and digital ecosystem, Northstar’s market-leading brands and unparalleled content/data footprint provide essential benefits to its audience and its travel marketing partners. I look forward to working with this amazing team and driving the next stage of strategic growth.”
In addition to the CEO transition, Northstar has announced a promotion for Bob Sullivan, President of Northstar’s Travel Group. Sullivan will now serve as Chief Commercial Officer for the company in his newly expanded role.
“I am excited about the passion, experience and skills Jason brings into the business, and am eager to work with him to unlock even more value for our customers and partners,” Sullivan said. “I could not be more excited about the opportunity ahead for Northstar.”
Young’s experience driving product innovation, as well as Sullivan’s longtime expertise in the travel and media industries, will help Northstar continue to lead the information services, event, data and marketing solutions markets.
“We would like to thank Tom for his leadership of Northstar over the last 14 years, and we are excited to bring in a visionary talent in Jason Young to lead the next transformation of Northstar Travel Group serving our communities, our partners and our clients,” said Anup Bagaria, Co-Managing Partner at EagleTree Capital, and Michael Struble, Senior Partner of EagleTree Capital, Northstar’s primary investor.
