Rome2Rio, the global trip planner, is pleased to announce the appointment of Wendy Olson Killion as its new Chief Executive Officer. With nearly 25 years of experience in online marketing, sales, product, and technology and an extensive travel industry background, Olson Killion is well-positioned to lead Rome2Rio into a new era of growth and excellence. Her appointment aims to fulfil Rome2Rio’s vision of becoming the world’s trusted companion for planning travel.
Previously, Olson Killion led Expedia Group Media Solutions, the travel advertising platform of Expedia Group, during a time of incredible growth and scaling. During her tenure, she was responsible for leading the business, which included product, analytics, engineering, strategy, operations, marketing, and commercial partner-facing teams. She also previously ran her own consultancy firm and has served on various industry boards, including the VisitBritain Tourism Advisory Council.
Wendy Olson Killion expressed her enthusiasm for her new role, “Rome2Rio is an exciting global brand with a powerful platform that has revolutionised the way travellers discover and plan their journeys worldwide. My focus will be on expanding and monetising the powerful search capacity of Rome2Rio, while further increasing its relevance with travellers and advertising partners worldwide.”
Olson Killion follows an incredible scale-up act by Yesh Munnangi, who led Rome2Rio for the previous five years after finding and leading the high-profile acquisition of the company for Omio. During that time, Munnangi successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic – retaining all employees during this challenging time for travel companies. He then fueled the company’s recovery, created an inspiring vision for its product, and doubled the team in size. He turned the company into a reputable scale-up, tripling revenue and helping millions of people around the world discover and plan their trips.
Munnangi reflected on his time at Rome2Rio and the Omio Group, stating: “The journey of acquiring two businesses for Omio – Busradar and Rome2Rio, moving across the world to Melbourne to run Rome2Rio in 2020, navigating the pandemic with no jobs lost, and then scaling the business and team by a big number – it’s been amazing and I will cherish these memories. I would like to thank Naren Shaam, Founder and Group CEO of Omio, and the board for believing in my vision for Rome2Rio and enabling me to achieve the scale. I wish Wendy and the team all the best in their journey towards the vision.”
Rome2Rio has been part of the Omio Group since 2019. The platform is a vital resource for travellers worldwide to compare the cheapest, quickest, and most convenient travel options all in one spot.
With over 50 million monthly visits, Rome2Rio gathers data from over 12,000 transport operators across 240 countries and territories with over 10 million locations globally to provide dynamic multimodal transport itineraries. The platform offers ticket booking via trusted partners or directly with transport operators to ensure a seamless planning experience.
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