Helping you build loyalty and boost revenue

Mike Nelson

Chief Executive Officer

Mike joined arrivia as an accomplished leader with a track record of working with high growth companies. Prior to joining arrivia, he was with Allianz, one of the world’s largest financial services companies, as the CEO of its multi-billion dollar global travel insurance business. The business achieved the top market share position and more than tripled revenue in the US during Mike’s tenure. He was previously part of the management team that launched Orbitz, a leading online travel agent, and helped grow it to over $11 billion of gross travel bookings. Mike held several roles during his 12-year tenure at Orbitz, including Global Chief Operating Officer and President of Partner Services.

Mike has been in the travel industry for more than 20 years, has strong international experience and a deep understanding of our industry, partners and customers. He leads arrivia with a great mix of operational experience, technical breadth and a passion for the customer experience.

He holds an MBA with a concentration in finance and an undergraduate accounting degree, both from the University of Minnesota.

Ross Crowder

Chief Commercial Officer

Ross joined arrivia more than 18 years ago and today is Chief Commercial Officer responsible for business growth and strategy. He leads our business development and account management teams and concentrates his efforts on strengthening and optimizing existing relationships while seeking new growth opportunities and partnerships.

Equipped with years of technical and business experience and a vast knowledge of the vacation ownership business, he is instrumental in designing revenue and retention solutions for new and existing partners. His innovative solutions have earned arrivia a number of international business awards.

Prior to becoming the Chief Commercial officer, Ross served as Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President of Marketing where he focused his initiatives on setting the product innovation agenda for arrivia in an ever-changing world of digital marketing and new product ideation.

Ross holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Allegheny College.

Travis Markel

Chief Experience Officer

Travis brings to arrivia over two decades of experience in travel, loyalty and contact center leadership. His passion for great service, knowledge of business operations, and vast understanding of the customer experience have been established through his hands-on approach with industry leaders in vacation, corporate and loyalty travel as well as leading operations outside of the travel industry.

Prior to joining arrivia, Travis led the Loyalty Travel Division at Corporate Travel Management serving leading financial institution and banking brands. Travis was also a core member of the Connexions/cxLoyalty leadership team that built the industry’s largest travel loyalty offering for global banking and travel programs. Travis has been in the travel industry for 29 years and shares with arrivia his strong experience with large scale sales/service operations, business acquisition and integration, client commercial development and onboarding and has a proven track record of managing strategic partner relationships for some of the industry’s largest brands.

Travis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University.

Jeff Zotara

Chief Marketing Officer

Jeff arrived at arrivia with a two-decade track record as a strategic and operational marketing leader for B2B and B2C facing brands. Today, he is centered on driving growth and marketing technology across all our brands while providing the best member experience at the intersection of travel and tech.

Prior to arrivia, Jeff served as Chief Marketing Officer for SOR Technology, where he led the digital transformation and marketing expansion of its private-label technology software platforms. Jeff also served as SVP, Marketing for Snaptracs, an IoT technology company, previously a subsidiary of Qualcomm.

Jeff has extensive experience in e-commerce, pricing, product marketing, building strategic partner relationships, direct-to-consumer online marketing and more. He strives to create a collaborative culture at arrivia to power engaging experiences for our members and propel our brand as a global leader in travel and loyalty.

Jeff attended the University of Central Florida where he studied Business Management and Marketing.

Kevin Schneider is the Chief Innovation Officer at arrivia, where he leads the charge in driving innovation and elevating our online travel platform stores. As one of the original founders and CEO of SOR Technology, Kevin brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the travel industry to his role.

With a focus on delivering value to our members, Kevin is dedicated to continually strategizing for new cutting-edge platform features that enhance the overall customer experience. Kevin’s innovative ideas and forward-thinking approach ensure that customers remain engaged and satisfied. His entrepreneurial background fosters a culture of collaboration internally, encouraging the free flow of ideas within the company.

Kevin’s extensive background supplying solutions and servicing networks of travel clubs is a testament to his ability to build and nurture strong connections within the industry. He is skilled at shaping and executing technology and product strategies that not only meet but exceed customer expectations.

Every day, Kevin wakes up with a singular focus: to ensure that our technological advancements and product enhancements drive the strategic growth of our travel offerings. His commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction is the driving force behind arrivia’s success in shaping the future of travel.

Cindi Dutton

SVP Finance, Accounting & Treasury

Cindi is a distinguished financial leader with a dynamic career spanning various sectors. With a robust background in financial planning and analysis, strategy, and accounting, Cindi has made her mark in industries ranging from financial services and real estate to technology and retail. Including, University of Phoenix, Discover Card, Marshall Field & Co to name a few.

Having honed her expertise over five years at arrivia, Cindi is a driving force behind the company’s financial prowess. Her proven track record includes crafting comprehensive annual budgets, developing forward-looking strategic plans, and fostering the growth of finance professionals into resilient financial teams. Cindi’s leadership has been instrumental in overseeing major financial system implementations that have streamlined workflows and amplified financial literacy across organizations. Her adeptness at integrating acquired entities into financial systems and reporting mechanisms further underscores her proficiency. With a keen focus on enhancing profitability through astute analysis and robust business relationships, Cindi Dutton is an indispensable asset.

Cindi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University and previously held her CPA license in Illinois.

Jennifer Strauel

Chief People & Diversity Officer

Jennifer leads arrivia’s international human resource functions. Her focus is on developing total rewards and talent management programs that foster an inclusive and rewarding environment for the employment experience of our global workforce. Jennifer acts as an internal consultant to the leadership team creating people strategy, aligning groups, facilitating change, and delivering results in a cost-effective and compliant manner.

Jennifer joined arrivia with over 25 years of leadership experience in human resources, business operations automation, and sales in a variety of industries. In a previous role, she managed HR for Carhartt in their US supply chain operations center and unionized manufacturing facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee, specializing in succession planning, performance management, and labor relations.

Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University with an emphasis on Integrated Communications and also a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Arizona State University. She holds several HR professional designations including Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) from WorldatWork.

Trevor Steege

General Counsel

Trevor has been advising businesses on product development, regulatory matters and commercial transactions for over 8 years as a corporate counsel. He brings experience supporting consumer-focused businesses in the financial services, technology and travel industries.

Trevor manages all things legal for arrivia, while overseeing the company’s global legal function with a business and growth-minded approach. He has been instrumental at arrivia in helping it reach some of its largest milestones; including the recent acquisitions and largest partnerships. Trevor holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Sociology from Regis University and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law.

John Williams

Managing Director, Asia Pacific, India and UK

John began his arrivia career as Chief Financial Officer at headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2005, and beginning in 2015 he’s been serving as Chief Financial Officer & Managing Director of Asia Pacific on the Gold Coast of Australia. Before joining arrivia, he gained extensive experience in financial roles at Price Waterhouse and Bell Sports.

John is a key driver in running the operations and advising on financial matters pursuant to the Asia Pacific efforts and initiatives. He works closely with various key leaders to guide the Australia financial investment strategy, strategic business development matters, vendor relations, financial remodeling, projections, and various other valuable financial, legal, and operational initiatives for Asia Pacific.

John holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island.

Ashley Wilson

SVP, Account Management

Ashley fulfills a key role at arrivia by providing executive business management for our current and new partner accounts. Ashley’s wealth of knowledge of the company’s products and processes in sales, marketing, technology and product development brings Account Management a sharp eye for precise detail, initiative execution and performance. Her skills and experience are instrumental in providing dynamic growth within our current partnerships in addition to developing new domestic and international alliances.

With more than 15 years of experience in travel technology, Ashley’s strong understanding of Account Management, Business Development and Operations allow her to be an integral leader for the arrivia team. She optimizes the operations of arrivia’s valued partners and clients with her extensive experience and understanding of key programs with a focus on process improvement.

Patrick Young

SVP, Strategic Business Development

Pat brings more than 25 years of experience in the travel and financial services industries to arrivia. His most recent roles have been leading Business Development and Account Management at companies such as Allianz, Cover Genius and Cross Country. At Allianz, Pat was SVP of Travel and Event partnerships, where he was responsible for strategic partnerships with leading travel and leisure companies such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Priceline, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Hotwire, AAA, Ticketmaster, and Orbitz.

Under his leadership, the team was able to triple revenue by growing existing partnerships and winning new business. Pat also worked at Avis/Budget, Hertz, and Enterprise earlier in his career. In his role at arrivia, Pat shares his broad knowledge of building strategic partnerships that benefit our valued partners and clients with the best solutions for their travel technology and membership program needs.

Pat has a degree in Economics from Syracuse University.

Stacey Sutherland

VP, B2B Marketing & Strategic Development

Stacey is responsible for the thought leadership, overall strategy and creative approach to arrivia’s B2B marketing, enhancing the value and visibility of the arrivia brand as a trusted resource in key markets. In collaboration with the internal marketing team, business development team and external PR agency she focuses on increasing the value of strategic partnerships. She is key to cultivating and securing new business and supporting existing business through innovative sales, marketing and product offerings and special project initiatives.

Her background includes more than 20 years of experience in the corporate branding and communications area for the vacation ownership industry with brands such as Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Starwood and Hilton. Working with cross-functional teams, she is focused on optimizing and strengthening existing business while helping form new strategies to expand arrivia’s operations into new market segments and communicate the value of doing business together with arrivia.

Stacey attended Florida State University and the Art Institute where she studied Design and Marketing.

Jack Waller

SVP of Business Development

Jack Waller has been a member of the arrivia leadership team for more than 5 years and is responsible for leading our business development efforts within the vacation ownership and travel club industries. He has extensive timeshare industry knowledge and experience having served as Vice President of Marketing at both Wyndham Vacation Ownership and Shell Vacations, overseeing operations throughout North America at both companies.

Jack is focused on driving business expansion within this business vertical as he develops new programs and partnerships for timeshare and travel club companies who want to deliver exceptional value to their customers, while driving new revenue opportunities to their bottom line.

Jack holds a bachelor of science degree from Arizona State University.

Chris Cole

SVP Memberships Packages Sales

Chris is an industry veteran and exceptional motivator leading our global memberships and subscriptions teams to deliver world-class customer service to both members and partners.  He is focused on driving revenue channels and customer loyalty through our product offerings.  Chris has held a variety of positions including front-line sales associate during his nearly 20-year career at arrivia and oversees more than 400 associates in 4 locations around the globe.

Recognized throughout the industry, Chris has a proven track record and has developed a team culture of continually improving member retention and increasing member value while delivering our partner-branded travel benefit programs across our portfolio.  His teams are integral in educating members and generating brand loyalty for our partners.

Diane Smith

SVP Operational Excellence

Diane is a seasoned leader with three decades of experience in travel and contact centers. Prior to joining arrivia, Diane held key leadership roles at JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. She ensures operational excellence across the arrivia enterprise for our brand partners and customers.  This includes agent quality, learning and development, ongoing process improvement, customer feedback and experience management functions.

Additionally, Diane ensures standardization of all processes and procedures to protect our brand partners and their members through extensive fraud/revenue integrity functions.  She has been instrumental in the growth and development of arrivia’s customer service organization.

Nick Kuhl

SVP Global Contact Center Operations

Nick has been leading arrivia’s contact center operations for more than 12 years and has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the travel and leisure industry. He has been a key figure in the growth and expansion of arrivia’s sales and service organization to 5 international locations, including a vast home-based agent network. Nick oversees a tenured team of highly experienced contact center leaders with a passion for performance and a commitment to quality in servicing both our business partners and our highly-valued member base. He has a keen understanding of all aspects of contact center operations including sales, service, workforce management, omni-channel operations and back office.

Before joining arrivia, Nick spent 8 years managing marketing and contact center operations for Marriott Vacation Club including the launch of their Asia Pacific division. His international experience includes managing operations in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Portugal, Ireland, India, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. He has a strong record of building and growing successful contact centers from start-up all the way through to large scale, multi-national operations.

Nick graduated from Ball State University and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.

Mark Wilson

SVP Product Strategy & Operations, Cruise & Tour

Mark has been with arrivia over 15 years and has served in multiple executive roles including product, marketing, creative services, account management and supporting business development. Most recently, Mark has been promoted to Senior Vice President and is responsible for arrivia’s cruise & tour business including overall product strategy, supplier relationships, revenue management, content & operations. Recognized in the industry as a cruise authority, he instrumental in establishing arrivia’s cruise strategy and driving future growth in both B2B and B2C channels.

Mark brings more than 30 years of travel experience serving in executive roles with Sabre, Travelocity, Global Vacation Group, Certified Vacations and Alamo Rent A Car. Mark led the cruise & vacations business at Sabre and Travelocity and has managed the development of multiple online travel booking platforms across cruise, vacation packaging & car rental. Mark also previously served as Executive Vice President of eCommerce for RazorGator Interactive Group and was responsible for the company’s eCommerce and marketing functions as well as its consumer-direct online event ticketing business.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the School of Journalism & Communications at the University of Florida.

Shawn Sandy

SVP Software Engineering

Product Development

Shawn brings over two decades of expertise in software architecture, development, and technology leadership, with a 20-year tenure in the travel industry, he began as a skilled software engineer which led to various leadership roles focusing on cutting-edge technology. Under his leadership, his high-performance delivery team brings innovative contributions and multiple integrations with esteemed partners like American Express, USAA, and other prominent timeshare and hospitality players.

His dedication to progress drives him to craft strategies that accelerate all phases of software development, elevating the quality of arrivia’s technology system support. Driven by a strong desire for knowledge, Shawn’s commitment to ongoing education propels his professional development in the rapidly changing technology domain. This combined academic experience with his vast practical experience, make him a valuable asset in shaping arrivia’s future as a leading travel and loyalty provider in the industry.

Shawn has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of South Florida.

Benito Ralph

SVP IT and Security Operations

Benito brings with him over 20+ years of IT experience in building and leading IT & Security operations. He is an Integrity-driven, strategic, and visionary technology leader, driving complex initiatives including analytical automation-powered programs using AI, running disaster recovery programs, driving key organizational Security cloud initiatives, End User Computing Services, Service Desk, Service Management, Identity management, Business intelligence and all of M365 services. At arrivia, Benito manages the IT, Security & Business Intelligence teams laying out the overall technology roadmap while ensuring its integration with the overall business and enterprise strategic plans. His key strengths and core skills are in leadership, people management, influencing skills, relationship building, and problem-solving skills to overcome challenges and thrive in time-sensitive settings.

Benito’s forte is in building and leading large global enterprise teams, managing financials, driving business strategy, implementing transformational programs, maintaining long-term relationships, foundations of trust with business stakeholders and employees alike. Over the course of his career, he has helped lead firms utilize cutting edge technologies effectively and securely, maximizing organization potential by simplifying process, risk management, optimizing IT costs, while developing low-cost and high efficiency solutions embedded with outstanding customer care.

Stephen Haskins

SVP Software Engineering

As the Senior Vice President of Software Engineering with over 20 years of experience in the travel and leisure industry, Stephen brings a rich background in account management, operations, and product management. His role encompasses the strategic oversight of technology and product initiatives across crucial segments including cruise, resort, and air domains. This position leverages his extensive understanding of business dynamics, platforms, and supporting technologies, enabling him to drive innovation and maintain technological leadership in a highly competitive market.

Stephen has been responsible for shaping and executing technology and product strategies that significantly enhance operational efficiency and customer engagement. His approach is deeply rooted in a comprehensive grasp of the industry’s needs and the potential of emerging technologies and business trends, which facilitates the development of robust solutions that align with both current and future business objectives. Through strategic foresight and a commitment to excellence, Stephen ensures that our technological advancements and product enhancements sustain and propel the strategic growth of our travel offerings.