man and woman taking a selfie on vacation

Our mission

Delivering value at every touchpoint

Arrivia is a travel technology and loyalty solution that puts value front and center.

We leverage the power of your member-base to provide exclusive savings on a wide variety of travel options unavailable anywhere else and ensure that your rewards or benefits program becomes your customers’ preferred travel booking portal.

Our travel platform integrates with existing systems and loyalty currency configurations so you don’t have to start over again. Or, if travel rewards are new to your organization, arrivia can support your business every step of the way with an earning, redemption and booking experience that scales as your customers’ travel needs grow.

Leadership

Meet the team

Our leadership team is made up of product, technology and marketing experts from some of the most inventive and groundbreaking companies in travel. We have decades of experience in cruise, timeshare and loyalty marketing, which gives us keen insight into the wants and needs of today’s consumer.

Mike Nelson

Chief Executive Officer

Mike Nelson

Chief Executive Officer

Mike joined arrivia as an accomplished leader with a track record of working with high growth companies. Prior to joining arrivia, he was with Allianz, one of the world’s largest financial services companies, as the CEO of its multi-billion dollar global travel insurance business. The business achieved the top market share position and more than tripled revenue in the US during Mike’s tenure. He was previously part of the management team that launched Orbitz, a leading online travel agent, and helped grow it to over $11 billion of gross travel bookings. Mike held several roles during his 12-year tenure at Orbitz, including Global Chief Operating Officer and President of Partner Services.

Mike has been in the travel industry for more than 20 years, has strong international experience and a deep understanding of our industry, partners and customers. He leads arrivia with a great mix of operational experience, technical breadth and a passion for the customer experience.

He holds an MBA with a concentration in finance and an undergraduate accounting degree, both from the University of Minnesota.

Ross Crowder

Chief Commercial Officer

Ross Crowder

Chief Commercial Officer

Ross joined arrivia more than 18 years ago and today is Chief Commercial Officer responsible for business growth and strategy. He leads our business development and account management teams and concentrates his efforts on strengthening and optimizing existing relationships while seeking new growth opportunities and partnerships.

Equipped with years of technical and business experience and a vast knowledge of the vacation ownership business, he is instrumental in designing revenue and retention solutions for new and existing partners. His innovative solutions have earned arrivia a number of international business awards.

Prior to becoming the Chief Commercial officer, Ross served as Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President of Marketing where he focused his initiatives on setting the product innovation agenda for arrivia in an ever-changing world of digital marketing and new product ideation.

Ross holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Allegheny College.

Travis Markel

Chief Experience Officer

Travis Markel

Chief Experience Officer

Travis brings to arrivia over two decades of experience in travel, loyalty and contact center leadership. His passion for great service, knowledge of business operations, and vast understanding of the customer experience have been established through his hands-on approach with industry leaders in vacation, corporate and loyalty travel as well as leading operations outside of the travel industry.

Prior to joining arrivia, Travis led the Loyalty Travel Division at Corporate Travel Management serving leading financial institution and banking brands. Travis was also a core member of the Connexions/cxLoyalty leadership team that built the industry’s largest travel loyalty offering for global banking and travel programs. Travis has been in the travel industry for 29 years and shares with arrivia his strong experience with large scale sales/service operations, business acquisition and integration, client commercial development and onboarding and has a proven track record of managing strategic partner relationships for some of the industry’s largest brands.

Travis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University.

Alan Josephs

Chief Product Officer

Alan Josephs

Chief Product Officer

Alan is a seasoned travel industry leader with a strong track record of product management. Alan was the Chief Product Officer for Switchfly prior to joining arrivia’s leadership team, a travel technology company where he focused on dynamic packaging and loyalty solutions.

He brings 20+ years of tactical online travel experience with companies like with Travelzoo, Allianz Global Assistance and ebookers, where he led the delivery of the multi-million dollar new platform launch for Orbitz Worldwide. Additionally, he previously acted as the CEO of Perfect Escapes, a venture-capital-backed online travel company focused on luxury hotels. He brings to arrivia an extensive knowledge travel technology, loyalty solutions, online travel, online platforms and hotel industry.

Alan holds an MBA from Duke University and an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Firasat Hussain

Chief Technology Officer

Firasat Hussain

Chief Technology Officer

Firasat joined arrivia as an accomplished technologist with a successful track record of building customer-centric products and high-performance platforms. Firasat shares with arrivia his more than 23 years of experience in software architecture, development, technology leadership, his passion for learning new technologies, and his energy to build phenomenal teams. Before joining arrivia, he was VP of Software Engineering at Ticketmaster, one of the world’s largest ticketing platforms. He led a digital transformation program to modernize its core ticketing systems.

Before Ticketmaster, he was VP of Enterprise Architecture at RR Donnelley, one of the largest print and digital service providers in North America. He led the enterprise Agile and DevOps transformation across its 1000+ global IT organization, which improved business agility and realized higher developer productivity. Before RR Donnelley, he was part of Orbitz’s software engineering team for nearly ten years. During his tenure he delivered key aspects of new platform capabilities that powered sixteen global brands, including orbitz.com.

He holds several certifications and completed coursework in mobile development, microservices architecture, machine learning, and Agile and Lean product development.

Jeff
Zotara

Chief Marketing Officer

Jeff Zotara

Chief Marketing Officer

Jeff arrived at arrivia with a two-decade track record as a strategic and operational marketing leader for B2B and B2C facing brands. Today, he is centered on driving growth and marketing technology across all our brands while providing the best member experience at the intersection of travel and tech.

Prior to arrivia, Jeff served as Chief Marketing Officer for SOR Technology, where he led the digital transformation and marketing expansion of its private-label technology software platforms. Jeff also served as SVP, Marketing for Snaptracs, an IoT technology company, previously a subsidiary of Qualcomm.

Jeff has extensive experience in e-commerce, pricing, product marketing, building strategic partner relationships, direct-to-consumer online marketing and more. He strives to create a collaborative culture at arrivia to power engaging experiences for our members and propel our brand as a global leader in travel and loyalty.

Jeff attended the University of Central Florida where he studied Business Management and Marketing.

Jennifer Strauel

Chief People & Diversity Officer

Jennifer Strauel

Chief People & Diversity Officer

Jennifer leads arrivia’s international human resource functions. Her focus is on developing total rewards and talent management programs that foster an inclusive and rewarding environment for the employment experience of our global workforce. Jennifer acts as an internal consultant to the leadership team creating people strategy, aligning groups, facilitating change, and delivering results in a cost-effective and compliant manner.

Jennifer joined arrivia with over 25 years of leadership experience in human resources, business operations automation, and sales in a variety of industries. In a previous role, she managed HR for Carhartt in their US supply chain operations center and unionized manufacturing facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee, specializing in succession planning, performance management, and labor relations.

Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University with an emphasis on Integrated Communications and also a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Arizona State University. She holds several HR professional designations including Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) from WorldatWork.

Cindi Dutton

Chief Financial Officer

Cindi Dutton

SVP Finance, Accounting & Treasury

Cindi is a distinguished financial leader with a dynamic career spanning various sectors. With a robust background in financial planning and analysis, strategy, and accounting, Cindi has made her mark in industries ranging from financial services and real estate to technology and retail. Including, University of Phoenix, Discover Card, Marshall Field & Co to name a few.

 

Having honed her expertise over five years at arrivia, Cindi is a driving force behind the company’s financial prowess. Her proven track record includes crafting comprehensive annual budgets, developing forward-looking strategic plans, and fostering the growth of finance professionals into resilient financial teams. Cindi’s leadership has been instrumental in overseeing major financial system implementations that have streamlined workflows and amplified financial literacy across organizations. Her adeptness at integrating acquired entities into financial systems and reporting mechanisms further underscores her proficiency. With a keen focus on enhancing profitability through astute analysis and robust business relationships, Cindi Dutton is an indispensable asset.

 

Cindi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University and previously held her CPA license in Illinois.

Trevor Steege

Chief Legal Officer

Trevor Steege

General Counsel

Trevor has been advising businesses on product development, regulatory matters and commercial transactions for over 8 years as a corporate counsel. He brings experience supporting consumer-focused businesses in the financial services, technology and travel industries.

Trevor manages all things legal for arrivia, while overseeing the company’s global legal function with a business and growth-minded approach. He has been instrumental at arrivia in helping it reach some of its largest milestones; including the recent acquisitions and largest partnerships. Trevor holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Sociology from Regis University and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law.

John Williams

Managing Director, Asia Pacific, India and UK

John Williams

Managing Director, Asia Pacific, India and UK

John began his arrivia career as Chief Financial Officer at headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2005, and beginning in 2015 he’s been serving as Chief Financial Officer & Managing Director of Asia Pacific on the Gold Coast of Australia. Before joining arrivia, he gained extensive experience in financial roles at Price Waterhouse and Bell Sports.

John is a key driver in running the operations and advising on financial matters pursuant to the Asia Pacific efforts and initiatives. He works closely with various key leaders to guide the Australia financial investment strategy, strategic business development matters, vendor relations, financial remodeling, projections, and various other valuable financial, legal, and operational initiatives for Asia Pacific.

John holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island.

Ashley Wilson

SVP, Account Management

Ashley Wilson

SVP, Account Management

Ashley fulfills a key role at arrivia by providing executive business management for our current and new partner accounts. Ashley’s wealth of knowledge of the company’s products and processes in sales, marketing, technology and product development brings Account Management a sharp eye for precise detail, initiative execution and performance. Her skills and experience are instrumental in providing dynamic growth within our current partnerships in addition to developing new domestic and international alliances.

With more than 15 years of experience in travel technology, Ashley’s strong understanding of Account Management, Business Development and Operations allow her to be an integral leader for the arrivia team. She optimizes the operations of arrivia’s valued partners and clients with her extensive experience and understanding of key programs with a focus on process improvement.

Patrick Young

SVP, Strategic Business Development

Patrick Young

SVP, Strategic Business Development

Pat brings more than 25 years of experience in the travel and financial services industries to arrivia. His most recent roles have been leading Business Development and Account Management at companies such as Allianz, Cover Genius and Cross Country. At Allianz, Pat was SVP of Travel and Event partnerships, where he was responsible for strategic partnerships with leading travel and leisure companies such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Priceline, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Hotwire, AAA, Ticketmaster, and Orbitz.

Under his leadership, the team was able to triple revenue by growing existing partnerships and winning new business. Pat also worked at Avis/Budget, Hertz, and Enterprise earlier in his career. In his role at arrivia, Pat shares his broad knowledge of building strategic partnerships that benefit our valued partners and clients with the best solutions for their travel technology and membership program needs.

Pat has a degree in Economics from Syracuse University.

Stacey Sutherland

VP, B2B Marketing & Strategic Development

Stacey Sutherland

VP, B2B Marketing & Strategic Development

Stacey is responsible for the thought leadership, overall strategy and creative approach to arrivia’s B2B marketing, enhancing the value and visibility of the arrivia brand as a trusted resource in key markets. In collaboration with the internal marketing team, business development team and external PR agency she focuses on increasing the value of strategic partnerships. She is key to cultivating and securing new business and supporting existing business through innovative sales, marketing and product offerings and special project initiatives.

Her background includes more than 20 years of experience in the corporate branding and communications area for the vacation ownership industry with brands such as Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Starwood and Hilton. Working with cross-functional teams, she is focused on optimizing and strengthening existing business while helping form new strategies to expand arrivia’s operations into new market segments and communicate the value of doing business together with arrivia.

Stacey attended Florida State University and the Art Institute where she studied Design and Marketing.

Jack
Waller

SVP of Business Development

Jack Waller

SVP of Business Development

Jack Waller has been a member of the arrivia leadership team for more than 5 years and is responsible for leading our business development efforts within the vacation ownership and travel club industries. He has extensive timeshare industry knowledge and experience having served as Vice President of Marketing at both Wyndham Vacation Ownership and Shell Vacations, overseeing operations throughout North America at both companies.

Jack is focused on driving business expansion within this business vertical as he develops new programs and partnerships for timeshare and travel club companies who want to deliver exceptional value to their customers, while driving new revenue opportunities to their bottom line.

Jack holds a bachelor of science degree from Arizona State University.

Michelle Spatafore

SVP Consumer Marketing

Michelle Spatafore

SVP Consumer Marketing

Michelle is responsible for driving brand growth, campaign effectiveness, brand awareness, and long-term consumer loyalty for hundreds of unique programs and partnerships. She leads international, B2C marketing activities for arrivia, championing multi-media performance across email, direct mail, point-of-sale, SMS, and other customer interactions. This includes the development of sophisticated automation strategies that fuel the organization’s demand generation and advertising approach throughout the customer lifecycle. She also oversees the company’s Creative Design Division that generates brand, product, and visual collaterals across print & digital mediums.

Michelle is an integral leader to the arrivia team and has held a variety of marketing & leadership roles focused on strengthening arrivia’s partnerships, brands, and member interactions. Her background includes over 15 years of experience in Sales & Marketing across financial, retail, and travel industries, and her expert understanding of marketing strategies, cost control, campaign development, and digital automation help arrivia power thousands of marketing workstreams.

She attended the University of Arizona where she studied the psychology of marketing.

Chris Cole

SVP Memberships Packages Sales

Chris Cole

SVP Memberships Packages Sales

Chris is an industry veteran and exceptional motivator leading our global memberships and subscriptions teams to deliver world-class customer service to both members and partners.  He is focused on driving revenue channels and customer loyalty through our product offerings.  Chris has held a variety of positions including front-line sales associate during his nearly 20-year career at arrivia and oversees more than 400 associates in 4 locations around the globe.

Recognized throughout the industry, Chris has a proven track record and has developed a team culture of continually improving member retention and increasing member value while delivering our partner-branded travel benefit programs across our portfolio.  His teams are integral in educating members and generating brand loyalty for our partners.

Diane Smith

SVP Operational Excellence

Diane Smith

SVP Operational Excellence

Diane is a seasoned leader with three decades of experience in travel and contact centers. Prior to joining arrivia, Diane held key leadership roles at JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. She ensures operational excellence across the arrivia enterprise for our brand partners and customers.  This includes agent quality, learning and development, ongoing process improvement, customer feedback and experience management functions.

Additionally, Diane ensures standardization of all processes and procedures to protect our brand partners and their members through extensive fraud/revenue integrity functions.  She has been instrumental in the growth and development of arrivia’s customer service organization.

Nick Kuhl

SVP Global Contact Center Operations

Nick Kuhl

SVP Global Contact Center Operations

Nick has been leading arrivia’s contact center operations for more than 12 years and has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the travel and leisure industry. He has been a key figure in the growth and expansion of arrivia’s sales and service organization to 5 international locations, including a vast home-based agent network. Nick oversees a tenured team of highly experienced contact center leaders with a passion for performance and a commitment to quality in servicing both our business partners and our highly-valued member base. He has a keen understanding of all aspects of contact center operations including sales, service, workforce management, omni-channel operations and back office.

Before joining arrivia, Nick spent 8 years managing marketing and contact center operations for Marriott Vacation Club including the launch of their Asia Pacific division. His international experience includes managing operations in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Portugal, Ireland, India, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. He has a strong record of building and growing successful contact centers from start-up all the way through to large scale, multi-national operations.

Nick graduated from Ball State University and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.

Mark Wilson

SVP Product Strategy & Operations, Cruise & Tour

Mark Wilson

SVP Product Strategy & Operations, Cruise & Tour

Mark has been with arrivia over 15 years and has served in multiple executive roles including product, marketing, creative services, account management and supporting business development. Most recently, Mark has been promoted to Senior Vice President and is responsible for arrivia’s cruise & tour business including overall product strategy, supplier relationships, revenue management, content & operations. Recognized in the industry as a cruise authority, he instrumental in establishing arrivia’s cruise strategy and driving future growth in both B2B and B2C channels.

Mark brings more than 30 years of travel experience serving in executive roles with Sabre, Travelocity, Global Vacation Group, Certified Vacations and Alamo Rent A Car. Mark led the cruise & vacations business at Sabre and Travelocity and has managed the development of multiple online travel booking platforms across cruise, vacation packaging & car rental. Mark also previously served as Executive Vice President of eCommerce for RazorGator Interactive Group and was responsible for the company’s eCommerce and marketing functions as well as its consumer-direct online event ticketing business.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the School of Journalism & Communications at the University of Florida.

Shawn Sandy

SVP Software Engineering

Shawn Sandy

SVP Software Engineering

Product Development

Shawn brings over two decades of expertise in software architecture, development, and technology leadership, with a 20-year tenure in the travel industry, he began as a skilled software engineer which led to various leadership roles focusing on cutting-edge technology. Under his leadership, his high-performance delivery team brings innovative contributions and multiple integrations with esteemed partners like American Express, USAA, and other prominent timeshare and hospitality players.

His dedication to progress drives him to craft strategies that accelerate all phases of software development, elevating the quality of arrivia’s technology system support. Driven by a strong desire for knowledge, Shawn’s commitment to ongoing education propels his professional development in the rapidly changing technology domain. This combined academic experience with his vast practical experience, make him a valuable asset in shaping arrivia’s future as a leading travel and loyalty provider in the industry.

Shawn has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of South Florida.

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