Cheapflights Ltd. ("Cheapflights"), the leading UK and North American internet media travel company, announces the appointment of John Clare CBE as Non-Executive Chairman with immediate effect. Mr Oliver A. Burge has stepped down as Chairman after six years in the role but will remain on the Board as a non-executive director.
Mr Clare (57), former Chief Executive of DSG International plc (formerly Dixons Stores Group plc) ("DSG"), is one of the UK's best regarded and most experienced business executives. As the principal driver of DSG’s successful shift towards international e-tailing, he is bringing his wealth of experience to Cheapflights as it enters its next period of domestic and overseas growth.
Commenting, Cheapflights' CEO, David Soskin said: "We are delighted to have secured John Clare's services as non-executive Chairman. Cheapflights is at a very exciting stage in its history. We have built a leading UK online travel deal price search and comparison company; we have duplicated that success in the USA; and are expanding the Cheapflights brand globally. John Clare’s direct experience of the internet and of building businesses and brands internationally will be of enormous value to the Board as we enter this exciting new phase of growth.” He added: "We are very grateful to Oliver Burge for his past contribution and support as Chairman."
Chris Cuddy, Cheapflights' Group Managing Director added: "John Clare brings more than 30 years’ experience in building international consumer brands. His extensive operational background will provide our executive team with invaluable insight to accelerate our growth."
John Clare said: "Cheapflights has built a leading position in its online media space. Not only has the company shown itself to be a successful innovator, it has also proven that a UK dotcom company can succeed and be profitable in the highly competitive US market. Cheapflights’ impressive track-record of consistent profit and growth going back to its foundation in 1996 gives it an excellent springboard for its next phase of international expansion and I am looking forward immensely to working with the Cheapflights team as we continue to drive the business forward."
Notes to Editors
John Clare joined DSG as Marketing Director in 1986 and retired in September 2007 as Chief Executive after 22 years. He served 13 years in the Chief Executive role and was at retirement one of three longest-serving FTSE 100 company chief executives in the UK. Mr Clare's achievements with DSG are considerable, including creating and selling the ISP Freeserve and, importantly, turning DSG into an international retailer and a European e-tailer. The latter initiative included the acquisition of the leading European e-tailing pure-play brand Pixmania. Mr Clare also oversaw creation of the PC World Chain and the international expansion of the electrical retailer Currys as well as the launch of The Link mobile phone stores.Mr Clare's other current roles include Directorships of Hammersons Plc and Dyson James Ltd.; Chairman of Job Centre Plus (part of Department of Work and Pensions); Honorary President of Incorporated Society of British Advertisers and a Member of the Development Board of Edinburgh University and a guest lecturer at the University's Management School.
Cheapflights Ltd.: (www.cheapflights.co.uk) was launched in 1996 and pioneered the concept of online flight price search and comparison. It was the first UK dotcom to introduce pay-per-click in 2000, which helped to transform online advertising. Cheapflights publishes flight deals from airlines, budget airlines, online travel agents and the long tail of other specialist flight deal providers. Cheapflights therefore provides consumers with rapid, easy-to-use comparisons of hundreds of flight deals from the broadest online selection of travel operators. The site is valued by travel-industry advertisers as a neutral, high-traffic source of quality high-conversion consumer leads. It launched its US site www.cheapflights.com in May 2003 which has grown rapidly and which now provides half of Cheapflights' millions of monthly visits by consumers. Its Canadian site www.cheapflights.ca, soft launched in April 2007, is already enjoying traffic of more than 150,000 monthly visits. Cheapflights' status as an independent online travel price search and comparison and travel news site makes it a natural starting point for finding travel deals and up-to-date travel industry information on both sides of the Atlantic.
