Abacus International has revealed the appointment of online travel veteran Peter Li to a new role as general manager for the company’s expanding China operations.

Reporting directly to Brett Henry, vice president - commercial, Li will build on the collaborative strategy that has established Abacus as China’s complementary foreign global distribution system used by a fast growing network of international travel agents.

Li brings with him over 17 years of experience, most recently overseeing business development at TripAdvisor where he was particularly instrumental in educating China’s hoteliers on the online opportunity, connecting them with wider domestic and overseas audiences.

He also previously focussed the China strategy for TravelClick, Travelzoo and Accor, with the benefit of experience working for China International Travel Service and with Northwest Airlines.

Commenting on the Beijing appointment, chairman for Abacus China Jack Zhai said: “We are delighted to have Peter on the team to help us further scale Abacus’ business on the mainland.

“Peter brings to the business a wealth of market knowledge and from many different perspectives, giving us the insight to meet more of our industry’s technological needs.”

Li, who holds a Master’s Degree in Economics, will oversee Abacus’ operations across six provincial offices.

He will also be working closely with his counterparts around the region and the Abacus executive team in Singapore.