The Wigmas Management Team
 |
 |
 |
Peter Fitzgerald, CEO
With over 20 years experience in the travel, technology and hospitality industries Peter Fitzgerald has considerable expertise in distribution technology, e-commerce, online consumer marketing and channel management strategies.
Formerly President of Utell and Unirez, the world’s largest independent hotel marketing company, Peter also has a proven track record in strategic vision, revenue growth, new product development, client acquisition and retention, and brand positioning. During his time at the helm of Utell, Peter was responsible for repositioning the company from its primary focus on the travel-trade to become a fully consumer-facing entity. This was achieved through a combination of organisational restructure, hotel portfolio segmentation, strategic web development, new products and new website design.
Prior to Utell, Peter was Vice President Global Sales for Pegasus Solutions Inc responsible for the worldwide sales and account management teams selling CRS, PMS, booking engine and API technology, financial and representation services to hotels, travel management companies, online travel planning providers and wholesalers. Peter was successful in developing new markets for the company including China, India and Eastern Europe.
During the ‘dotcom era’ Peter was responsible for Pegasus’ technology and distribution sales. Consequently, Peter was fully involved in the emergence of online travel portals and negotiated agreements with all of the major players, including Opodo, LastMinute etc., to source and provide them with hotel inventory. During this time, he gained the commitment of hotel chains and independent hotels to work with the new online travel portals and advised them how to maximise their revenue through rate strategies and channel management.
In 1995 Peter established his own company to exclusively contract and operate as VIP Corporation Inc, now a part of Travelclick. As Managing Director EMEA and ASPAC Peter negotiated CRS and GDS contracts for hotel chains such as Stakis and Sarova as well as bringing independent connectivity to the GDS for car rental companies such as Holiday Autos and Sixt.
Peter’s early career was spent in the City of London working in banking and insurance.
Peter is a graduate of Leeds University with a BA (Joint Honours) Management Studies and Spanish. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Surrey, Guildford, Faculty of Management Studies and lectures for the online distribution module of the BA E-tourism course. An experienced public speaker, he is a respected presenter at industry conferences including Eye for Travel, Phocuswright, ENTER, and HEDNA.
Gideon Dean, CEO USA
Gideon Dean is a 25 year veteran of the hotel and travel industry with specific experience in sales, marketing, client service and product management areas. Much of this time has been spent in senior executive roles directing global scale projects, developing product and go-to-market strategies. Gideon has a particular skills in business engineering and product integration.
Beginning his career as a hotelier with Southern Suns Group, Gideon then joined Utell International and Reed Travel Group, in sales, product management and marketing roles before moving to Pegasus Solutions.
At Pegasus, he held a variety of roles from head of business development internationally, SVP of International Operations and after moving to the USA, SVP Global Sales, Account Management and Service Delivery. In this role, Gideon was responsible for all customer side processes and functions from sales through implementation and life cycle management.
Following a period with TIG Global as SVP Sales and Marketing, particularly focused on new generation eCommerce solutions and web services, Gideon joined Questex Media Group as Executive VP of the Travel Hospitality Group. In this role, he was responsible for transitioning the business from traditional mixed media to a majority digital media service.
Gideon is a visiting fellow at the University of Surrey in the UK, assistant coach of George Mason University Rugby in Virginia and a coaching instructor.
Contact Gideon Dean.
Heather Fitzgerald, Director
A marketing professional with over 20 years experience in sales and marketing in the hotel industry, Heather has worked with both global brands and independent, start up companies. A communications specialist, Heather is passionate about clear, effective customer communication and targeted advertising and promotions that yield tangible results.
Before becoming an independent consultant, Heather was most recently Director of Marketing for Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Summit Hotels & Resorts working on global brand awareness campaigns including PR, advertising and market research. Prior to that Heather was Corporate Marketing Director for Utell International developing their rate management and online strategies. Trained in Hotel Management, Heather began her career working in both sales and marketing roles for Holiday Inns and then Marriott Hotels.
A qualified webmaster, Heather has been commissioned by clients to advise on website design and optimisation, copywriting, online distribution, marketing strategy, and event management.
Contact Heather Fitzgerald.
Alan Jeffers, Consultant
Alan Jeffers works with Wigmas as a consultant providing support in the areas of organisational re-design, operational efficiency reviews, call centre consolidation, in-shoring and relocation, service delivery design, and start-up and implementation.
A leading travel industry executive with over 34 years experience in the airline and hospitality industries, Alan’s most recent role was Chief Operating Officer of Utell Hotels and Resorts. Responsible for leading the global operational and service based teams, his leadership resulted in improved customer satisfaction and retention whilst delivering greater efficiencies across the organisation.
Contact Alan Jeffers.
Hoteliers supplement declining, low margin GDS travel agent business with higher profit direct business. Read More »
Two-thirds of your online customers are using social media. Are you engaging with your customers to develop relationships and understand their needs?Read More »