The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has appointed United Airlines’ Jake Cefolia as vice president of the Allied Leadership Council (ALC) following the promotion of Dorothy Dowling.
Cefolia is currently senior vice president of worldwide sales at United and has been a “tireless advocate” for the GBTA, according to Dowling. In his airline role, he is responsible for leading more than 700 sales professionals who manage sales programmes, services and relationships with corporations, travel management companies and distributors around the world. Prior to this, he served as the carrier’s vice president of sales for the Americas.
Dowling is now president of the ALC.
Commenting on Cefolia’s appointment, Dowling said: “Jake Cefolia is a well-respected and trusted leader as well as a tireless advocate for GBTA and I am thrilled to welcome him to the ALC. His over 20 years of experience and insight will make him an asset to our organisation and industry. I look forward to working closely with Jake to help and lead the ALC as we begin this new chapter.”
Cefolia added: “This is an exciting time to be involved in business travel, and I am honoured to take a leadership role within GBTA and the Allied Leadership Council. I look forward to drawing on my experience and relationships at United to advocate for business travellers, travel managers and business travel suppliers, and to make sure each of these groups continue to see value in their support of GBTA.”
The ALC represents GBTA’s Allied Members, acting as a voice for the community within the association, and works to assure a strong Allied and GBTA relationship to address common issues facing the travel industry. The council’s vice president also sits on the organisation’s board of directors, offering input and voting on all issues pertaining to the future direction of the GBTA.
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