Journey Mentor appoints Paul Sies as President & CEO

Sies has been in the industry for over 35 years

Travel-tech company Journey Mentor has announced the appointment last week of Paul Sies as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO).

Sies, a renowned leader in the aviation and hospitality industries, has held board and C-level positions at various airlines and travel providers over the past 35 years.

During this period, he has been instrumental in turning around challenged airlines and hospitality companies as well as launching new airlines.

He joins from Cyprus Airways, where he was the chief executive officer for the past two years. 

During this time, he successfully created and implemented a new strategic plan and dividing the business into three main revenue streams (ACMI, Charter and Scheduled Operations), implementing a new fleet, distribution and pricing strategy and built a network which resulted in Cyprus Airways returning to an important and successful player in the Cypriot Market offering year round connectivity in a very seasonal market.

Prior to Cyprus Airways, he served as chief commercial officer (CCO) for a number of airlines, including Air Malta, where he worked for four years and successfully transformed the airline, pivoting from a legacy to a hybrid business model. 

He played a vital role in Air Malta’s survival during the Covid-19 crisis – heading up a restructuring plan and securing EU funding.

Prior to Air Malta, Sies has acted as CCO for other carriers including Virgin Express, BMI Regional, Syphax Airlines and Wataniya Airways.

He's also served as CEO and non-executive director (NED) at Hillman Travel, a senior management consultant for IATA and PS&M, as well as a senior management consultant at travel-tech company, Sabre Airline Solutions, where he was part of the team that launched new airline Nile Air in Cairo, Egypt.

Sies directed and supervised the project from inception. He assisted the airline in recruiting its commercial staff and overseeing the seamless implementation of the reservation platform, all the way from drafting the business plan to the successful launch of the inaugural flight.

Sies’ appointment is the latest step in Journey Mentor’s strategy to steadily grow and develop the business.

As the CEO, he will provide overall direction and leadership to the Company and will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies to enable growth and drive profitability.

Sies said: “I am most excited to join Journey Mentor. I have worked over 35 years in the aviation and hospitality industries and seen the challenges they have faced.

“More recently, they have been struggling to meet the increasing demands because of the limitations of aging systems that were built 50 years ago.

“Overcoming these technological limitations is something Journey Mentor has achieved and it’s a great pleasure to have the opportunity to start implementing this into the market and offer tailored solutions to Travel Agents, Airlines, and many more players in the travel industry.

“It has been clear that in this post covid era, the way people want to travel and procure has changed significantly.

“They are looking at single transactions and are more willing to do this on-line.”

He added: “Journey Mentor gives back control to the passenger even in a 100% on-line environment.

“Change is long overdue in this industry, we believe that this is the right time to initiate this change.”

Gordon Hague, chairman of Journey Mentor, said: “We delighted to have Paul join us as CEO of Journey Mentor.

“It is a measure of the business we are trying to build that we are able to attract high-quality people who have been at the heart of the aviation industry and achieved so much in it,” he said.

“Paul brings his vast industry knowledge to this position coupled with the technology know how of what this industry needs as it adapts to fulfil the ever-increasing demands of travellers.

“He has impressed the Board with exciting ideas on how to take the company to the next level and shape the future of Journey Mentor as a global business. We look forward to working with him and leveraging his extensive experience.”