Executive Search Travel-Tech for Growth Leadership
In 2022, MitchelLake successfully executed a regional executive search Travel-Tech mandate for Travlr, an innovative startup reshaping the global travel industry. Travlr’s leadership team was seeking a growth-experienced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to support the company’s scale-up journey and to guide financial strategy during a critical stage of expansion.
The CFO role was pivotal in ensuring Travlr could manage hypergrowth effectively, strengthen investor confidence, and accelerate its unique “Travel as a Service” (TaaS) model into new markets.
The Appointment
Through a targeted executive search Travel-Tech process, MitchelLake identified and appointed a finance leader with deep expertise in scaling digital platforms, managing cross-border operations, and building financial systems for growth-stage ventures. The successful appointment enabled Travlr to build stronger financial governance, align business strategy with investor expectations, and position the company for long-term success in the competitive travel-technology ecosystem.
This placement demonstrates how specialist executive search in Travel-Tech can secure leadership talent capable of balancing entrepreneurial agility with financial discipline and strategic foresight.
About Travlr
Travlr is a technology provider consolidating the global travel industry into one seamless platform via its innovative Travel as a Service (TaaS) model. By licensing its platform to leading companies and global brands, Travlr allows audiences to discover, plan, and book curated once-in-a-lifetime experiences directly within a brand ecosystem.
This model provides a “win-win-win” solution:
-
Consumers enjoy seamless, curated travel experiences.
-
Brands retain audiences for longer and capture valuable behavioural data.
-
The travel industry reduces fragmentation and strengthens distribution.
Key highlights:
-
Current partners include Network 10, MTV, Bali Bible, and Stuff.co.nz.
-
Founded in 2017 by Simon and Lani te Hennepe (creators of Bali Bible).
-
Offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Denpasar.
-
Mission: to become the world’s leading travel platform, transforming how people dream of, plan, and experience travel.
Why Travel-Tech Leadership Matters
Travel-tech is one of the most competitive and fast-evolving industries. According to Skift Research, the digital travel market is projected to exceed $1 trillion in the next few years, with platforms that offer seamless, integrated, and personalised experiences leading the way. Leadership in this sector requires not just financial expertise, but the ability to scale global partnerships, optimise digital ecosystems, and anticipate shifts in traveller behaviour.
Partner With MitchelLake
MitchelLake has extensive experience in executive search Travel-Tech, connecting startups and scaleups with world-class leaders across finance, product, technology, and operations. From CFO and CTO appointments to C-suite growth executives, we help ventures secure the talent they need to scale globally.
👉 Contact us to learn more about our experience delivering executive search for Travel-Tech ventures and high-growth digital platforms.
The market for this leadership
Live MitchelLake intelligence across this sector and Oceania.
Adjacent signals across Oceania
Product Launch · Oceania
Bound →Sydney-based startup Bound launched Looplock, a reusable roll-top bag seal device, which has gained international recognition including a Red Dot Award for Product Design approximately two years post-launch.
Product Launch · Oceania
Charles Sturt University →Charles Sturt University's School of Rural Medicine is piloting Visionflex telehealth technology at its Central West Clinical School in Parkes. The technology captures high-quality images, videos, and patient vital data for remote specialist consultation. The university is embedding this into its medical curriculum and conducting a qualitative study of clinical adoption across NSW.
Product Launch · Oceania
Dedalus →Dedalus completed proof of concept for next-generation cloud-enabled, web-based i.Pharmacy platform. Work underway to modernize architecture, enhance UI, and integrate AI capabilities. Collaboration with AWS and technical teams in Chennai to validate architectural assumptions and develop AI features.
Capital Raising · Oceania
Plenti →Plenti secured $660.5 million in automotive asset-backed securities (ABS), marking the company's largest deal to date amid strong investor demand.
Restructuring · Oceania
Alinta Energy →Alinta Energy scaled down its proposed Whitsundays wind farm project following community opposition and insufficient wind resource.
Ma Activity · Oceania
Arcadis →Dutch engineering consultancy Arcadis is in takeover discussions with multiple bidders including Canadian peer WSP Global, with sources indicating the company is viewed as undervalued