DataArt appoints new European head of travel and hospitality

DataArt appoints new European head of travel and hospitality

Max Zhdanov joins after decade at global IT service provider Luxoft Continue reading

Outsourcing technology development partner DataArt has appointed Max Zhdanov as European vice president of travel and hospitality.

He joins DataArt from Luxoft, a global IT service provider, where for the last decade he has led its travel practice.

Having worked with global travel companies such as Expedia, HomeAway, Hotwire, Sabre, and Amadeus, Zhdanov brings extensive knowledge of the travel industry.

DataArt said this will further strengthen its travel and hospitality division, particularly the “growing service initiatives in enterprise transformation”.

Greg Abbott, head of travel and hospitality at DataArt, said: “Max is a recognized industry expert.

“His deep domain expertise servicing some of the top brands in travel will enhance the level of service we’re able to provide and will be of a tremendous benefit to our clients.

“Additionally, Max’s prior experience in a large IT service organization where he has firsthand experience in management and operational practices at scale, will be quite complimentary to DataArt’s future growth trajectory.

“We believe that Max is the right kind of leader to help take our European business to the new heights. His experience will be invaluable to us.”

DataArt’s travel clients include  OTAs, meta-search, travel management companies, and other distribution technology companies, as well as hospitality vendors and operators.

DataArt said it plans to bring new services to market to reflect major shifts in data management, digital travel and legacy platform modernisation.

Zhdanov said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to join this exciting, top tier team.

“DataArt has been a reliable technology partner for many travel tech companies. I am certain that as the practice continues to serve digital transformation and engineering programs in companies across Europe, the client will benefit from the services DataArt has to offer.”

Zhdanov graduated from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute of National Technical University where he earned his MS degree with honors in Applied Math. He also holds an MBA from Ukrainian Foundation for Management Development.

He began his career in engineering, progressing through system administration and project management, eventually heading business development and senior leadership positions.