FCm Travel Solutions has appointed Dan O'Brien, who developed FCm's global strategy, as president of FCm Travel Solutions in North America. O'Brien will manage the long-term growth and consolidation of FCm in the region, according to a statement issued by the company.
Meanwhile, FCm plans to purchase the remaining equity in Garber/FCm Travel Solutions, which handles FCm's accounts of more than $2 million in travel spending, but there is no definitive timeframe for the acquisition, said O'Brien, who holds a Garber board seat. "We've got to be able to prove to them that it's worthwhile for the shareholders of that company," O'Brien said. "Flight Centre has always said that we would like to have 100 percent ownership of all of the businesses that we have equity in."
O'Brien, who has been with FCm for 13 years, replaces Greg Dixon, who held the position since July and has transitioned to president of North America for Flight Centre Limited, FCm's parent company. Both are based out of Flight Centre's North American headquarters office in Vancouver.
FCmTravel Solutions, the corporate travel division of Flight Centre, has operated FCm Travel Solutions in Chicago after the 2006 acquisition of the former Bannockburn Travel and has a minority stake in Boylston, Mass.-based Garber/FCm Travel Solutions. FCm acquired Garber, which had $181.2 million in 2006 U.S. booked air volume, in January
(BTN, Feb. 5).
In the next eight months, FCm plans to open new offices in Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle and possibly Houston, according to O'Brien. Pending the outcome of negotiations for the Garber acquisition, FCm plans to open a headquarters in either Boston or New York.