A high-speed travel career fueled by a passion for innovation

More recently I joined Amadeus as director of R&D for Rail & Ground travel, and now, I also have the privilege of leading this Amadeus business unit. As I look forward, I am intrigued to help shape where the industry is headed towards.

Throughout my career I always strived to put front and centre my passion in technology. This passion has driven the innovation that is so essential to enrich and improve the traveller experience. As former CIO of Eurostar, I was ingrained in a deep digital transformation of the company that saw it adopt technologies very much foreign in the industry at the time: CRM, cloud and mobile.

The fact of life is, when it comes to technology, rail has traditionally opted for innovation in hardware. But a greater focus on IT innovation is essential to meet ever-growing customer expectations defined and redefined by the likes of Netflix, Spotify or Amazon.

The leading rail and ground travel operators will continuously nurture their customers, wherever they are, and harness the potential of technology to create a more engaging and rewardingdoor-to-door experience. They will continuously strive for ways to improve the journey– whether this is a mobile ticket, Wi-Fi on the train, or a pre-ordered meal.

I am confident that it will be this customer-first philosophy that will drive rail and ground travel forward - to think creatively, act accordingly, and step ahead of the curve. I couldn’t be more excited to leadAmadeus’ Rail & Ground travel businessand continue the evolution of the industry. I’d like to thank Thomas Drexler for his excellent dedication to the growth of the business over the past six years, who leaves me with a solid team eager to meet the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.