Business travel management platform TravelPerk has announced its expansion to the UK, including the appointment of Richard Viner as country manager of the London-based team.
The start-up says it plans to double the size of its UK team in the coming months, with employees supporting customers across Britain and Ireland.
TravelPerk raised US$44 million (nearly £33.5 million) in a Series C investment round in 2018 and said at the time that it would use the capital to expand into new markets, including the UK. It had earlier raised £15 million in its second round of funding.
The company says London was the “natural next step” for its growth plans, with 10 per cent of all trips booked through the platform in 2018 starting or ending in the capital.
Industry veteran Viner has held several senior positions in business travel at companies including Egencia and Expedia Affiliate Network/Hotels.com. Most recently, he was director of global sales at ATPI.
TravelPerk says it has recruited a number of experts in London, hiring employees who have worked for Expedia, Egencia, Traveldoo and Salesforce to work alongside Viner.
CEO Avi Meir commented: “The decision to expand our on-the-ground team to London was an obvious one, particularly as our revenue and booking in the UK have increased 400 per cent in the last year. It is a dynamic city for business, home to a wealth of start-ups that are achieving recognition in the global arena – as well as to many of our customers – so this is the natural next step for TravelPerk as we continue to innovate and scale.”
Viner added: “TravelPerk is one of the most exciting companies in business travel and is doing something unique in the industry: taking the simple, single-platform approach that is familiar to consumer travellers and applying it to the many issues ingrained in legacy business travel. In doing so, it provides customers with immediate savings and 100 per cent travel policy compliance, while putting trip control back in the hands of those travelling.”
travelperk.com