Stephan Baars
BCD Travel president and CEO John Snyder will step down from his roles leading the travel management company on July 1, with former BCD CFO Stephan Baars returning to succeed him, the company announced.
Snyder has been BCD's CEO since 2014 and with the company for more than 30 years, joining in 1992 when it was still WorldTravel Advisors. He played a leadership role when BCD Travel was created in 2006, when WorldTravel BTI's parent company BCD Holdings acquired TQ3 Travel Solutions as well as ownership in the U.K.'s The Travel Company, giving it global reach. He has been named as one of BTN's Top 25 Most Influential twice: in 2013, following BCD Holdings' acquisition of Travelocity Business from Sabre Holdings, and in 2019 for the launch of technology marketplace SolutionSource.
Snyder in a statement said it was the "right time" for his departure, with "BCD well on the road to recovery" following the Covid-19 pandemic.
John Snyder
"As a testament to what a fundamentally strong company and culture we have here, we've maintained an extraordinary track record of client retention and sales success," according to Snyder. "We've rebuilt our teams with an eye on delivering the world’s very best travel solutions and customer service. And we have a clear path for our next phase of growth."
Baars was BCD's CFO for 11 years, departing in 2017 to become CEO of Boron, BCD founder John Fentener van Vlissingen's private investment company. The Hanover, Germany, native has been BCD Travel Germany's supervisory board chair since 2013 and also has been a leader in the telecommunications and oil and gas sectors.
"Stephan shares my conviction that client focus lies at the heart of a successful enterprise. He also believes in the importance of people and innovation and in long-standing relationships with business partners," Snyder said. "His track record in steering companies through times of change and growth speaks to his skill in aligning commercial, operational, technology and central service teams toward common goals."