The secretary general of the European Technology and Travel Services Association (ETTSA) Christoph Klenner is leaving to run a blockchain technology provider to the travel industry, TraNeXus.
Klenner has headed Ettsa, which represents leading online travel agents (OTAs) and global distribution systems (GDSs) in Brussels, for nine years.
He will join TraNeXus as chief executive of new operating company TraBeXus Global Services on September 1, where he will work alongside Geoffrey Lipman who is joint managing director of the company.
Klenner will also join the board of parent company TraNeXus Holding.
Lipman is a former president of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and has held posts as executive director of Iata, and assistant secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organisation.
Lipman said: “We are excited to have Christoph join our growing team. He brings considerable expertise in the strategic, financial, legal and regulatory aspects of the travel technology business.
“Christoph will help focus the strategic direction of TraNeXus.”
He said the company would ensure “all our travel products and services are tied to the Paris Climate Accord and its low carbon economy ambition”.
TraNeXus plans to launch an Initial Token Offering (ITO) in the last quarter of 2018, subject to regulations in the Irish Republic.
It will begin developing a series of applications including a TraNeXus Wallet and Eco Travel Assistant.
These will run on a proprietary blockchain secured by WISEkey, a cybersecurity company listed in Switzerland.
Klenner said: “We are at the dawn of a new revolution in technology for commerce. With TraNeXus we have the ambition of being at the forefront of that revolution.
“We aim to make travel and tourism more sustainable by tackling inefficiencies in information and transaction processes.
“I look forward to working to leverage the opportunities digital currencies and blockchain technology provide to help transform the way the global travel and tourism industry interacts.”
Prior to running ETTSA, Klenner advised companies including Boeing, Dubai Ports World, Emirates, Expedia, Japan Air Lines and NetJets on strategy and public policy.