Travelport chief commercial officer Armin Meier will leave the company for a non-travel "business venture" and be replaced by Travelport GTA COO Kurt Ekert

after a transition period which has Ekert assuming the role of chief commercial officer designate on June 1. Reporting to Travelport deputy chief executive Gordon Wilson, Ekert will "gradually" take on "global responsibility for customer engagement, sales, sourcing and commercial operations for Travelport GDS, comprising the Galileo and Worldspan brands," according to the company. Ekert has held a variety of executive positions at Travelport, which he joined in 2002 from Continental Airlines.