Travel Industry Exec Tony Gonchar Hired to Lead ASTA

15 December 2010
Translate

Alexandria, Va. - Today, ASTA is pleased to announce that Tony Gonchar, a travel industry veteran with more than 25 years of global travel industry experience, has accepted the position of CEO. Gonchar will leverage his successful leadership roles in complex strategic planning; marketing and branding, sales management; and customer recognition and retention in taking ASTA to the next level and maintaining its position as the foremost travel trade association. Gonchar's first day will be Jan. 3, 2011.

"ASTA is excited to introduce Tony Gonchar as the incoming CEO. He has an extensive background in many different facets of the industry," said Chris Russo, ASTA president and chair. "I have said we need a strong ASTA for the future, and we believe Tony gives us the ability to change with the industry to be strong now and in the future."

"I am honored and excited to have been selected for this position," said Gonchar. "I look forward to building upon the 75-year history of ASTA's relevancy and value to its members and the travel industry."

In 2007, Gonchar was appointed executive vice president of sales and marketing at Virtuoso, the global luxury travel consortium, where he was responsible for the company's member and supplier relationships, as well as all marketing programs and strategy.

Prior to working at Virtuoso, Gonchar spent seven years at Expedia running its private label and branded partnerships division. There, he was responsible for the identification, negotiation and execution of partnerships, acquisitions and integrations with smaller technology startups, as well as major multinational corporations. Additionally, he oversaw product planning, business development, account management, partner marketing, operations and public relations for the firm.

Most recently, he was a consultant for Microsoft, where he was responsible for building a CRM strategy for the online Microsoft Store division.

Prior to working in the travel industry, Gonchar was a database marketing partner for Bozell, and a manager of direct marketing for Bank of America. Gonchar received his B.A. in economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

For more information, please contact Chris Russo at [email protected] or Tony Gonchar at [email protected]

Comments