Worldspan Names Vela McClam-Mitchell to Lead Worldwide Travel Supplier Services

Worldspan, the leader in global reservation systems and e-commerce for the travel industry, has appointed Vela McClam-Mitchell as vice president and general manager Worldwide Travel Supplier Services. In her new post, McClam-Mitchell is responsible for building Worldspan’s portfolio of travel supplier participants, such as tour operators, airlines, hotels and car rental businesses, and delivering enhanced value to this key customer base.

McClam-Mitchell succeeds Jesse Liebman, who is taking the newly created position of senior vice president ­ Strategic Projects. Liebman is leading Worldspan¹s long-term initiative to restructure the business model by which the company prices its global distribution system (GDS) services and the contributions of its distribution partners, who typically comprise traditional travel agents, on-line agencies and on-line travel portals.

“Vela is the ideal person to lead our Worldwide Travel Supplier Services business into the future. Our travel supplier customers, who are becoming increasingly oriented to electronic commerce, will benefit greatly from Vela¹s leadership experience in both e-commerce and supplier distribution,” commented Paul J. Blackney, president and chief executive officer for Worldspan. “One of her main tasks will be to define for the travel supplier community the cost-saving and other advantages of our new pricing model when it emerges, securing their trust and confidence in this forward-thinking new strategy.”

“Travel suppliers now work within a ‘quick mover’ market that is constantly evolving. Suppliers are seeking creative technology to help them manage their various channels of distribution while controlling costs and maximizing revenue,” said McClam-Mitchell. ³We are committed to developing the enhanced technology that helps our customers discover more about where their business comes from. We will continue to upgrade our system and work with our distributors to ensure we keep our distribution costs low for our suppliers, thus enhancing the value we bring to all our customers in the travel distribution chain.”

Before being appointed to lead Worldwide Travel Supplier Services, McClam-Mitchell served as vice president ­ Worldwide E-Commerce Business Development for Worldspan. She was responsible for the company¹s e-commerce business and consumer travel products, including business development, product programs and developing strategic relationships.

From January 1999 until July 2000, McClam-Mitchell was staff vice president ­ E-Commerce for Corporate and Consumer Markets. Under her guidance, Worldspan developed key relationships with a number of leading e-commerce and wireless Internet suppliers. Earlier, McClam-Mitchell served as director‹Associate Sales and Marketing for Worldspan, where she oversaw worldwide sales and marketing efforts for Worldspan’s products and services for hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines and tour operators.

Before joining Worldspan in 1993, McClam-Mitchell was director, National and Industry Sales Programs for Northwest Airlines, responsible for the carrier¹s sales and incentive development program for domestic travel agencies.

McClam-Mitchell holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a Master of Science from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and has completed an executive development program in strategic management at the Wharton School of Business.