HRG North America recently appointed Lee Fimmen as executive vice president of business management in charge of business retention and strategic client development. The company also acknowledged that former WorldTravel BTI executive Jim Pagano joined HRG North America as COO last August.
In other executive changes, Richard Butterworth, COO of HRG in Canada, and Jeany Zuhde, president of global strategic client management for North America, have left the company. Butterworth oversaw the 2006 operational integration of the former BTI Canada, Sea Gate Travel Group, Robustelli World Travel and Partnership Travel Consulting
(BTNonline, May 1, 2006).
According to HRG, Fimmen will oversee a team of 60 HRG North America employees. Most recently, Fimmen was Galileo International vice president of sales and relationship management for the Americas. He also previously held roles at American Express Corporate Services, where he served as director of business development and global business partnerships, and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
HRG North America president Tom Gleason said Fimmen is bringing on new personnel and adapting current business managers to handle HRG's large-market client base.
"When we were three or four smaller companies, in many cases most of our customers were small to midsize companies," Gleason said. "The business model now is that we handle mostly
Fortune 100 to 500-type companies. That type of expertise for the business manager is different than the one who is handling the small to midsize company."