Stephan Baars has taken on the role of BCD Travel president and CEO, replacing CEO John Snyder, who stepped down on July 1.
Snyder was BCD's CEO since 2014 and was with the company for more than 30 years.
Baars, who previously served as the company’s CFO for 11 years, has returned to the TMC after six years as CEO of private investment company BORON.
Baars said: “In the short term, I plan on meeting with as many people as possible throughout the organisation, in all regions and at all levels. I’ve remained close to BCD, but there’s a great deal to learn from our incredible employees, executive team and partners. Together with the team, I pledge our continued commitment to helping our clients drive success in their business.”
Baars, from Hanover, Germany, has three decades of executive leadership experience in the telecommunications, oil and gas production, business travel and investment sectors.
In 2013, he became chairman of the Supervisory Board for BCD Travel Germany, a role he still holds today. Baars will split time between the global headquarters in Utrecht and other regional offices around the world.
He added: “BCD’s accomplishments come from within – our people and their commitment to living the BCD values every day. I’m humbled and inspired by what I’ve come back to here at BCD Travel. I could not be more confident that, together, we will continue to build and grow a company and culture that, as our founder is fond of saying, endures for the next, next generation.”
In May, Snyder said in a statement it was the "right time" for his departure, with "BCD well on the road to recovery" following the Covid-19 pandemic. BCD recorded US$16 billion in total sales in 2022, and its global workforce is now more than 13,000 employees.
BCD Travel was ranked second overall in Europe, after American Express Global Business Travel, in the recently published Europe’s Leading TMCs 2023 report.