Travel blockchain start-up Chain4Travel appoints Anke Hsu as business development head

The firm was founded by Peakwork chief executive Ralf Usbeck to build a new 'stable and secure' distribution eco-system for the travel sector

Travel blockchain start-up Chain4Travel has appointed experienced travel technology and distribution executive Anke Hsu as its head of business development.

The Switzerland-based firm was founded by Ralf Usbeck, the chief executive of Peakwork and former chief of Traveltainment and Amadeus Leisure Group.

It is building a blockchain-based ecosystem to provide a “stable and secure” platform for B2B and B2C leisure travel products. 

Once built, tourism partners will be able to trade and purchase a variety of services on the platform.

Usbeck, chief executive of Chain4Travel, said: "We are extremely delighted that we were able to win Anke Hsu for Chain4Travel and convince her of our strategy. 

“Anke has in-depth experience and a first-class understanding for our new approach. Combined with her passion for blockchain, she really knows international tourism and its technical specifics like no other."

Hsu is currently working on her doctorate in blockchain at the University of Zurich, which is considered to be one of the planet’s best blockchain universities.

Chain4Travel said she will play a key role in shaping and building the expansion of the new blockchain-based ecosystem for the international travel industry.

Hsu said: “It offers enormous potential to build a decentralised shared infrastructure and make collaboration in our industry more efficient, easier and ultimately more cost-effective. 

“I am very excited to be actively shaping this transformation at Chain4Travel, leading the way alongside a highly motivated team."

Hsu will continue her doctoral studies as an external blockchain researcher at the University of Zurich where she has been developing the potential of blockchain for travel since September 2021. 

She has also been teaching tourism management and travel technology at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) since 2018.

Hsu has more than 25 years’ experience in the travel industry. Since 2015 she has been leading on the digital transformation of flight distribution at IT specialist and Tui subsidiary, InteRES. 

Prior to this, she worked at FTI France as managing director. From 2005 to 2013, Hsu held various leading positions at Sabre, most recently as director EMEA online sales and key account manager. 

She started her career in 1996 as manager alliances at the Lufthansa Group, followed by leading positions at flights.com and the establishment of her own marketing consultancy vaya/marketing.