StudentUniverse, Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) online travel booking platform for students, is pleased to announce that Steven de Blois has been named its new Managing Director.
de Blois replaces Mike Cleary who spent almost a decade with StudentUniverse, the last four years at the helm. As Managing Director, de Blois will be responsible for leading all aspects of the business across the four countries in which StudentUniverse operates (USA, Canada, Australia and the UK), including Product, Engineering, Design (UX), Data/Analytics, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Travel Services/Account Management, Call Centre and Customer Success teams.
de Blois brings with him a wealth of experience spanning 20 years in digital and ecommerce. More than half of that time has been spent in the travel industry including close to seven years at Expedia as Global Director of Product Management, four years at Air Canada in Corporate Strategy and ecommerce, and most recently two years as Managing Director and Head of Product at Umapped, a Flight Centre Travel Group company that powers a B2B collaborative itinerary platform for travel companies.
“I am excited to be joining the talented team at StudentUniverse, the world’s largest student and youth online travel marketplace, empowering students and youth to travel.” said de Blois.
“Now more than ever, students are looking to experience new places and cultures. The StudentUniverse team is perfectly positioned to lead the travel market in re-opening the world to students and youth.”
“Since joining the FCTG family at Umapped, Steve has demonstrated excellent leadership with a very clear vision of success.” said Marc Casto, President Leisure Americas, FCTG.
“Mike Cleary left big shoes to fill, and I have no doubt Steve is the ideal candidate to lead StudentUniverse into its next exciting phase, and to continue to unlock the potential of the world’s leading online travel booking agency for students and youth.”
Currently based in Toronto, de Blois will be splitting his time between there and the company headquarters in Boston. He is a dual citizen and has deep roots in Boston having attended high school nearby as well as a large extended family in the area.
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For further press information, please contact:
Charlotte Wright
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8927
E: [email protected]
About StudentUniverse
StudentUniverse is the world’s leading online travel booking agency for students and youth. Through negotiations with a network of global partners, StudentUniverse offers exclusive pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours. Headquartered in Boston and with offices in London, the Philippines, Australia and now Canada, StudentUniverse empowers students and youth to travel the world. www.studentuniverse.com
As an advocate for students, StudentUniverse leverages digital channels and meta partners to deliver better pricing and content that other companies and customers don’t get access to. There are no membership fees and no cost to sign up. Users simply register as a StudentUniverse member and can immediately begin booking travel.
