Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading provider of travel solutions and services, today announced that Martin Symes has been named Vice President of Marketing, where he will lead product and content marketing, corporate and marketing communications, market research and training. Mr Symes will be responsible for planning and execution of Abacus’ strategic marketing plan to support Abacus’ growth well into the future.

“Martin’s addition is an important contributing factor in creating a best-in-class marketing organisation to help reinforce Abacus’ leadership standing in the Asia Pacific region,” said Mr Robert Bailey, President and CEO of Abacus International. “Abacus is known for its innovative technology and end-to-end solutions and service in the industry. Martin’s experience and vision will help to further define our company’s unique place in the travel landscape.”

“Martin’s leadership style and success in leveraging marketing strategy to achieve optimal results stood out amongst a very distinguished group of candidates, and I’m pleased to welcome him to Abacus,” Mr Bailey added.

An industry veteran, Mr Symes has spent more than 20 years in shaping some of the world’s leading brands. Before joining Abacus, Mr Symes was the CEO and Chairman of Wego, a leading, travel search engine that he helped to set up and establish. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director, Commercial for ZUJI, where he was instrumental in establishing and building the brand to become Asia Pacific’s leading regional online travel retailer. Mr Symes also played a key role in bringing Priceline’s buyer-driven e-commerce model to Asia.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to work for such an exceptional travel player,” commented Mr Symes. “The Abacus Marketing Division has some of the most experienced and passionate people around and I really look forward to working with them.”

Mr Symes has held numerous senior commercial roles in the airline industry, including British Airways and American Airlines, where he was the Managing Director, Asia Pacific. He also has significant experience in financial services, having worked at HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Fidelity Investments.

Mr Symes holds a master’s degree in Geography from Oxford University and an MBA from London Business School. He is based in Singapore, and takes over the role from Mr Brett Henry, who has taken on the position of Vice President, Commercial.