Death of industry icon Michael Rudny
Announcement from Jo O’Brien, CEO Tramada Systems P/L
It is with great sadness that we announce that Michael Rudny, our Founder and Chairman, passed away on the evening of Friday July 7, after a short illness.
This has come as an enormous shock to everyone who knew him, especially those of us who worked closely with him at Tramada. It is particularly incomprehensible as there was little or no warning, but the sudden nature of this announcement is indicative of the way the illness progressed.
Michael will be greatly missed and his larger than life persona will never be replaced. Many in the industry have known Michael since he joined the travel industry in 1981. He is especially known for growing two highly successful travel businesses, Sydney Business Travel (SBT) and Tramada Systems Pty Ltd.
Michael was absolutely committed to Tramada and the current management team see it as our responsibility to take the company forward and to honour his memory in doing so. Jo O’Brien and David Lanning have taken full management responsibility for the day to day running of Tramada.
Michael’s partner of 25 years, Anna Buduls, will acquire Michael’s majority, controlling shareholding in Tramada. Anna is a professional non-executive director of several listed and unlisted companies and has extensive commercial experience, including seven years in investment banking.
While not having worked in the Tramada business, she is already well versed in it due to the years of discussions about Tramada with Michael. Anna is committed to ensuring the ongoing success of Tramada and to building it into an even greater organisation. She will take on the role of Director and non-executive Chairman of the company.
Michael’s funeral will be private however we will hold a celebration of his life for his friends in the travel industry later this week and details will be distributed shortly.
Graham Muldoon
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