ATPI CEO Ian Sinderson stepped down from his role at the end of 2025, and Direct Travel CEO Christal Bemont now has overall responsibility for the combined business of the merged travel management companies.
Sinderson has served as ATPI's CEO for nearly six years and has been with the travel management company since its origins, when he and Graham Ramsey acquired UK TMC Seaforths Travel and Ticket Window, which was the foundation for ATPI and TripStax, the technology provider that ATPI spun off as a standalone company in 2022, Sinderson said in a LinkedIn post announcing his departure.
He served as ATPI's CFO for more than 15 years prior to taking the CEO position.
"It has been my pleasure and privilege to be part of the development of ATPI and to provide leadership to bring the business to the prominent position it now holds in the travel industry," Sinderson said in the post.
Sinderson said his "tenure of CEO is now at an end" following ATPI's acquisition by Direct Travel, already a longtime partner of ATPI. Direct Travel in a statement said the TMC is "grateful for his leadership and the impact he had in growing ATPI and strengthening its global client relationships."
Direct Travel and ATPI said no other changes to the senior executive team are planned as part of the acquisition.
“Integration is intentionally focused on continuity for our existing customers across the many business segments and regions we serve,” ATPI said in a statement to BTN Europe.
“Those customers, and our supplier partners that help support them, remain critical to our strategy. We are committed to maintaining the relationships, expertise and service models they rely on today, while continuing to invest to enhance our offerings across corporate, leisure, events and specialised travel sectors over time.”
The combined business now serves approximately 7,500 clients and, with operations in more than 100 countries, manages around $6 billion (€4.5 billion) in annual travel volume, according to ATPI.
Headquartered in Manchester, ATPI was ranked the eighth largest business in Europe’s Leading TMCs 2025 report, with around €1 billion in sales in 2024.