ITN Hires High-Tech Veteran

<B> ITN Hires High-Tech Veteran</B>

By Mary Ann McNulty

<i>Palo Alto, Calif.</i> - Strengthening its batting line-up for what is expected to be a run at Wall Street, Internet Travel Network this month hired a new president and CEO.

Gadi Maier, a high-tech business executive who made his mark at Memco Software, Cisco Systems and Oracle Corp., took over day-to-day operations from Richard Whilden. Whilden will continue to serve as chairman of the board, a position he has held since 1996.

Maier's hiring, along with that of a new vice president of engineering and an eastern region sales director, is part of ITN's efforts to enhance its management team to garner more corporate business and, presumably, the favor of Wall Street.

Last month ITN hired Eric Sirkin, an 18-year software development veteran, as vice president of engineering, charged with the development and deployment of online booking products. Dan Whaley, ITN co-founder and interim vice president of engineering, will continue to lead product development, but Sirkin's hiring will allow Whaley more time to meet with corporate customers, particularly those on the East Coast, Whilden said.

Sirkin spent the past 18 months as an executive engineering management consultant for several Silicon Valley startups and before that spent many years at Apple Computer and Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center. Ironically, Maier was the person who recommended Sirkin to Whilden during his own interview at ITN.

Late last year, former United Airlines sales executive Anthony D'Astolfo joined ITN as executive director of sales for the eastern region--an area that encompasses more than three-fourths of ITN's expected sales, Whilden noted.

Maier will work with the board and ITN's co-founders, Al and Dan Whaley and Bruce Yoxsimer, who began the company in 1995 and have expanded it through venture capital financing since 1996. One of its investors is the Contrarian Group, of which Whilden is a director.

When he took over in 1996, Whilden said his commitment was to "run the company for as long as it made sense." Five months ago, the board began searching for a new president and CEO.

Maier, meanwhile, said this is the third time in his career that he has "come to a situation like ITN, where there's a good foundation, a lot of work has been done and now what needs to be done is to take it to the next level. Our expectation is that we will be the number-one corporate online tech provider. It will take a lot of effort from everyone's perspective--sales, technology and operations. We need strengthening all around."

Maier was reticent to forecast when ITN would take over the lead spot, noting that the market is just now emerging. But he did say that the company sees the online booking software market as "enterprise software sales." Part of the model that will make ITN successful, he added, is the corporate focus, "the fact that we're able to offer corporations a compelling, easy-to-use Internet experience from the convenience of their desktop."

Whilden said Maier and Sirkin are meeting with key accounts to answer corporate customers' questions and concerns over the management changes--and "within 20 minutes of meeting them, I think our customers are reassured."

Meanwhile, several people have left ITN in recent months, including former president Ken Swanton, who's looking for an East Coast position in a more traditional travel company; Jeanette Slepian, former vice president of sales, who just joined a Portland company; and Lois Shore, former vice president of marketing, who joined a leisure travel agency.