RUTHERFORD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northstar Travel Group (“Northstar”), the largest information services, data, events, and marketing solutions company focused exclusively on the travel industry, announces Jason Young as its new CEO. Young succeeds Thomas Kemp, who has been Chairman & CEO since 2009. Kemp will transition to the role of Chairman.
Jason Young has been an innovative leader in the digital transformation of the media industry, as well as a visionary in advertising technology. Young spent 20 years with Ziff-Davis Media, the leading IT information and media business, eventually ascending to the CEO position. Young was the founder of Smart Device Media, a mobile advertising network, later acquired by Crisp Mobile, where Young became CEO of the combined company. After the acquisition of Crisp by Quotient Technology, a data-driven advertising technology company serving the packaged goods industry, Young became Chief Media & Marketing Officer. Over his 30+ year career, Young has driven product innovation around new advertising platforms and data led media. He most recently served as President of Chicory, a contextual commerce media company serving the consumer-packaged goods industry.
“We are thrilled to have Jason join Northstar as our new CEO to lead the company in our next strategic transformation as a content, marketing services, event, and data company. I have known Jason for over 20 years as a visionary leader integrating data and technology into solutions for media companies and their clients,” said Kemp.
“I am honored to join the team at Northstar. At a time of significant evolution in the media and digital ecosystem, Northstar’s market leading brands and unparalleled content/data footprint provide essential benefits to the audience and for its travel marketing partners. I look forward to working with this amazing team and driving the next stage of strategic growth,” said Jason Young.
Along with this leadership change, Bob Sullivan, the long-time travel industry icon, and President of Northstar’s Travel Group, is being promoted to Chief Commercial Officer of the Company. “I am thrilled to have the benefit and opportunity to work and partner with a leader like Bob, whose industry knowledge and expertise will be critical as Northstar looks to expand on its leadership position,” said Young.
Bob Sullivan added, “I am excited about the passion, experience and skills Jason brings into the business and am eager to work with him to unlock even more value for our customers and partners. I could not be more excited about the opportunity ahead for Northstar.”
Anup Bagaria, Co-Managing Partner and Michael Struble, Senior Partner at EagleTree Capital, Northstar’s primary investor, added “We would like to thank Tom for his leadership of Northstar over the last fourteen years, and we are excited to bring in a visionary talent in Jason Young to lead the next transformation of Northstar Travel Group serving our communities, our partners and our clients.”
About Northstar Travel Group
Northstar Travel Group is the leading information services, event, data, and marketing solutions company serving the global travel industry. Northstar’s extensive audience covers all segments of travel, including leisure, business, meetings, sports, incentives, hospitality, and travel technology. Northstar is also the majority shareholder in Inntopia, the leading e-commerce software, marketing cloud, and business intelligence company serving the mountain destination, golf, activities, and hospitality markets. Based in Rutherford, NJ, the company has five offices across the U.S., UK, and Singapore. For more information about Northstar’s solutions, audiences and brands, visit www.northstartravelgroup.com. Northstar Travel Group is owned by funds managed by EagleTree Capital.
About EagleTree Capital
EagleTree Capital is a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm that has completed over 40 private equity investments and over 80 add-on transactions over the past 20+ years. EagleTree primarily invests in North America in the following sectors: media and business services, consumer, and water and specialty industrial. For more information, visit www.eagletree.com or find EagleTree on LinkedIn.
