G’Day Group announces Hassan as CTO
Australia: Holiday park owner and operator, G’day Group, has announced the appointment of David Hassan as its new chief technology officer [CTO].
Hassan’s previous experience includes roles in the travel and tourism industry at Qantas, Virgin and Helloworld Travel. He joins G’Day Group after most recently serving as chief technology and information officer at recruitment firm Hudson.
He will join the organisation’s senior management team, which includes newly appointed chief financial officer [CFO] Karen Jarrett.
G’day Group founder and CEO, Grant Wilckens, said: “Over the course of our 18-year history, we have been a highly successful property company, acquiring and developing quality holiday park properties around Australia.
“However, with ambitions to become a $2.5 billion company in the next five years, we know that we need to pursue growth through digital transformation to streamline the customer experience in our parks and unlock latent value in our suite of digital tools, including WikiCamps and the G’day Parks booking and loyalty platform.
“We are very excited that we have secured someone of David’s talent to lead our technology and digital program that will support our strategic ambitions and maintain our position as a market leader in the tourism and hospitality industry,” he added.
Hassan, who will be based in Sydney, said: “It’s a very exciting time to be joining G’Day Group, particularly given the rapid growth the organisation is undergoing and the opportunities this is creating. Technology plays a fundamental role in underpinning organisational growth as well as in meeting and exceeding the expectations of our consumers,”
“To be able to make a difference not only to the way in which the company operates but also in the way we create memorable experiences for our guests is something I’m really looking forward to,” he added.
Over the past 12 months, G’Day Group has invested AU$60 million in acquisitions in Australia’s burgeoning caravan and camping sector, including Beachfront Camping and Cottages Narooma, Coffin Bay Caravan Park, and the Porepunkah Bridge Holiday Park in Victoria’s High Country.
Chief investment officer Amanda Baldwin recently told Travel Weekly that the company was on the lookout for “transformative” transactions, even despite the global slowdown in mergers and acquisitions [M&A] activity across the market, as more Australians prioritise domestic trips due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
