First Indian to head the Switzerland-headquartered travel services company Zubin Karkaria, CEO of VFS Global, has been appointed as the CEO of Kuoni Group

(TRAVPR.COM) UAE - November 8th, 2015 - First Indian to head the Switzerland-headquartered travel services company
Zubin Karkaria, CEO of VFS Global, has been appointed as the CEO of Kuoni Group – VFS Global’s parent company and one of the world’s leading travel services provider – effective 05 November 2015.  He is the first Indian to be appointed as the head of the 109-year old travel services company, and will concurrently continue in his function as the CEO of VFS Global.  He will continue to be based in Dubai, UAE.

Kuoni is in the midst of implementing a strategic directional shift whereby it has exited from its traditional tour operating business and is increasing its focus on three core activities – global travel distribution, destination services and visa services – in all of which it holds leading positions.  After exiting the tour operating business, Kuoni is aiming to accelerate the implementation of its new corporate strategy, and that will be one of Mr. Karkaria’s key priorities in his new role.

Zubin Karkaria, 47, founded VFS Global in 2001 and expanded the company successfully as global leader in visa services for governments worldwide. Within the Kuoni Group the VFS Global Division has shown the strongest growth and profitability.
In the words of Heinz Karrer, Chairman – Kuoni Group, “The Kuoni Group has been transformed from a broad-based travel company pursuing a wide range of very different activities into a focussed global service provider for the professional travel industry and governments. The Board of Directors has decided to accelerate the implementation of this new strategic direction, and we have great confidence in Zubin Karkaria, who has so successfully developed VFS Global into a global leader, to lead the Kuoni Group forward.”

About Zubin Karkaria
After graduating in commerce from Mumbai University and completing his Business Management studies from Mumbai, Mr. Karkaria joined the travel industry in 1989. He joined SOTC in 1991 and was with SOTC when it was acquired by Kuoni Group in 1996. He was appointed as the COO of the Kuoni India Tour Operating Division in 1999, and it was during this period that he founded VFS Global.  He then moved on to become the Deputy CEO and Head Business Development for Kuoni India in 2003. In 2005 he was appointed as the CEO and Managing Director of Kuoni India and South Asia, responsible for all units of Kuoni India – Tour Operating, Destination Management, Business Travel, and Kuoni Academy, while concurrently developing the VFS Global business into a global leader in its field (as CEO from 2010 onwards). In March 2013, in line with the development of VFS Global as an important Division of Kuoni Group, Zubin Karkaria was appointed on the Executive Board of Kuoni Group and 5 November 2015 he became CEO of the Kuoni Group.

About Kuoni Group
Kuoni Group, a 109 year old company listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange, is a leading service provider to the global travel industry and governments with leading positions in its areas of activity and sustainable growth prospects, with a strong focus on Asia. Kuoni Group generated turnover of CHF 3.4 billion in the 2014 financial year and employed about 8,000 people (FTE) at the end of 2014.  The Group has three core business divisions – Global Travel Distribution, Global Travel Services and VFS Global.   For more information, please visit www.kuoni.com

About VFS Global
VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. With over 1837 Application Centres, operations in 122 countries across five continents and over 110 million applications processed as on 30 September 2015, VFS Global serves the interests of 48 client governments. VFS Global’s worldwide operations are certified ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management System, ISO 27001:2013 for Information Security Management System and ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management System. For more information, please visit www.vfsglobal.com

Zubin Karkaria appointed as CEO of Kuoni Group

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