Key digital appointment at Costa
Rahul Chakkara has joined Costa Group as chief digital officer following the creation of the Costa Group Digital Unit in Hamburg earlier this year.
He will report directly to Michael Thamm, Costa Group CEO.
Chakkara previously worked at TalkTalk PLC in the UK, where he led the digital transformation in the consumer division.
Previously he was general manager future media for the BBC, playing a leading role in the development of BBC iPlayer and Youview.
The Costa Group Digital Unit was founded to support the Costa Group brands – Costa Cruises, Costa Asia and AIDA Cruises.
As well as using digital innovation, products and technologies to improve customer engagement and satisfaction, the cruise company also plans to use technology to increase the safety of guests and crew.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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