Team

Michael Gregory (Greg) O’Hara is the Founder and a Senior Managing Director of Certares. Prior to forming Certares, he served as Chief Investment Officer of JPMorgan Chase’s Special Investments Group (“JPM SIG”). Prior to JPM SIG, Greg was a Managing Director of One Equity Partners (“OEP”), the private equity arm of JPMorgan. Before joining OEP in 2005, he served as Executive Vice President of Worldspan and was a member of its Board of Directors. Greg is the Chairman of American Express Global Business Travel and the Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council, and serves on the Boards of Directors of Hertz Global Holdings, TripAdvisor, Certares Holdings, where he is the Head of the Investment Committee and is a member of the Management Committee of Certares Management LLC, CK Opportunities Fund, where he is a member of the Investment Committee and the Management Committee, and Certares Real Estate Holdings, where he is a member of the Investment Committee and the Management Committee.

Greg received his Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University.

Colin Farmer is a Senior Managing Director and the Head of the Management Committee of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a Managing Director of One Equity Partners (“OEP”). Prior to joining OEP, he worked for eight years at Harvest Partners, a middle market private equity firm, and for two years at Robertson Stephens & Company, a middle market investment bank. Colin is the Chairperson of Hertz Global Holdings and serves on the Boards of Directors of Avoya Travel, Guardian Alarm, Internova Travel Group, and Mystic Invest. In addition to leading the Management Committee of Certares Management LLC, Colin is also a member of the Investment Committee of Certares Holdings and the CK Opportunities Fund. Colin further serves as a member of the Certares Real Estate Holdings Investment Committee and Management Committee.

Colin received his A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University.

Tom Klein is a Senior Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, Tom was a Director, CEO and President of Sabre Incorporated (NASDAQ: SABR) (“Sabre”), a global technology company serving the travel industry and its subsidiary, Travelocity.com, one of the world’s leading online travel brands. Prior to being appointed as CEO, Tom held a number of executive positions at Sabre, including President, Executive Vice President and both domestic and international Senior Vice President roles. Tom led the very successful IPO of Sabre in 2014. Prior to joining Sabre, he held various management positions at American Airlines and Consolidated Freightways and has spent 29 years as an operator in the travel sector. Tom was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Board of Directors of Brand USA in 2010. He was reappointed twice and ended his third term in 2017 as Chairman. Tom also served on President Barack Obama’s President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. Tom serves on the Board of Directors of Avia Solutions Group, Global Blue, and Wheels Up and is a member of the Investment Committee and the Management Committee of Certares Management LLC. Tom previously served on the Boards of Directors of Cedar Fair Entertainment, Nirvana Travel & Tourism, and Playa Resorts (NASDAQ: PLYA).

Tom received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Villanova University, where he serves on the Board of Trustees.

Henry Briance is a Senior Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, Henry served as a Managing Director of One Equity Partners (“OEP”), where he started in 2006. While at OEP, Henry primarily focused on investments in the business services and travel sectors. Henry serves on the Boards of Directors of Marietton Developpement and Mystic Invest and is a member of the Investment Committee and the Management Committee of Certares Management LLC.

Henry received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge.

Nolan Hecht is a Senior Managing Director & Head of Real Estate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he oversaw hotel investment (both opportunistic equity and debt origination strategies) and hotel asset management at Square Mile Capital Management. In this role, he was responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting, closing investments, and overseeing all asset management duties related to hospitality investments, including operating partner and franchise relationships. Nolan oversaw the creation and deployment of SMW Hospitality, a dedicated Hotel Fund, where he served on the Investment Committee.

Nolan is an active member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Investment Roundtable. Nolan received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where he serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Real Estate and Finance (CREF).

Vincent Agovino is a Fund Accountant at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked as an investment accounting analyst in the VC space where he assisted with handling all M&A transactions for Bessemer Venture Partners.

Vincent received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Iona University, LaPenta School of Business.

Chris Ahrens is an Advisor with Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a Managing Director of One Equity Partners (“OEP”). He was active in OEP’s healthcare, technology and travel industry investments. Prior to joining OEP, he worked at Goldman Sachs. Chris serves on the Board of Directors of Guardian Alarm, Internova Travel Group and Singer Vehicle Design.

Chris received his A.B. in Modern European History from Princeton University.

Anessa Amin is an Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she worked at RBC as an investment banking analyst, where she focused on equity and debt private capital transactions across a variety of sectors.

Anessa received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jisung Baek is Controller of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he served as Controller and Chief Compliance Officer of Staple Street Capital. He previously was an Assistant Fund Controller at Avista Capital Partners, overseeing the firm’s accounting and tax, and an Assistant Vice President in the Alternative Investment division of Credit Suisse.

Jisung received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Domenico is a Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, Domenico was an investment professional at EMIP, a Milan-based consultant and advisor providing services to Elliott Management, focusing on European special situations including activism, listed equity, private equity, listed debt, private debt, and structured products. Domenico started his career at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking division and leveraged finance department, in both London and Milan, advising private equity funds and large corporates on large M&A, LBOs, equity and debt capital market transactions.

A chartered industrial engineer, Domenico graduated summa cum laude from Polytechnic University of Milan.

Michael Batt is an Advisor with Certares and the Founder and Chairman of Internova Travel Group, where he serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Certares, he served as an executive with Carlson Companies (“Carlson”), where he was President of Carlson Leisure Group. He joined Carlson in 1996 and was responsible for leisure travel operations in the United States for 11 years as well as Carlson’s initial investment and subsequent sale of Thomas Cook Group in the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining Carlson, Michael was Executive Vice President, sales and marketing of Alamo Rent-A-Car (“Alamo”). Prior to Alamo, he served as Marketing Director and a member of the executive board of British Airways. Michael started his business career working for M and M Mars, enjoying a 12-year tenure with the company in various sales and brand management positions working in the United Kingdom, Spain, Africa and the Middle East.

Michael was inducted into the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a native of the United Kingdom. Michael received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Materials from the University of Wales.

Philippe Chereque is a Managing Director with Certares and serves on the Board of Directors of Voyageurs du Monde. Prior to joining Certares, Philippe was the President of GBT where he led the company’s customer-facing divisions including sales and client management, global business consulting, meetings & events, supplier relations, marketing, and technology.

Prior to GBT, Philippe was one of the founders of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A. He served as Executive Vice President of Commercial at Amadeus Technology Group S.A. where he led the worldwide implementation of Amadeus Technology’s commercial strategy. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, responsible for the company’s business development. Prior to founding Amadeus, Philippe worked at Air France, where he held various managerial positions in operational research, computer analysis, and passenger application software development.

Philippe received his graduate degree in Engineering from the Institut Supérieur d’Electronique de Paris. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Electronics from the University of Paris.

Steve Curts is a Managing Director and oversees Portfolio Operations at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he spent four and a half years at American Express Global Business Travel. Most recently, he served as Strategic Advisor, focusing on enterprise initiatives, including governance and oversight of acquisitions and integrations. Steve previously served as Chief Strategy Officer, where he focused on the stand up of the joint venture, M&A strategy and technology transformation. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Vice President, Services Delivery at Dell Services, focusing on strategy, M&A and global delivery. Prior to Dell Services, Steve led the Commercial Solutions Group at Perot Systems. Steve serves on the Boards of Directors of Avoya Travel and Internova Travel Group.

Steve received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University.

John Dailey is a Paralegal at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a student at Georgetown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 2022.

Katie Erhardt is an Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she worked at Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst in the Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging group.

Katie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame.

Dhiren Fonseca is an Advisor with Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was Chief Commercial Officer of Expedia, Inc. (“Expedia”) from 2012 through April 2014 and served as Expedia’s Co-President, Partner Services Group from 2009 through 2012. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy beginning in 2005 and, prior to that role, held several roles responsible for the development of external facing relationships and business development at Expedia. Prior to Expedia, Dhiren was a longtime Microsoft Corporation employee and a member of the management team responsible for creating Expedia.com in 1995, while still part of Microsoft Corporation.

Dhiren serves an independent director on the Boards of Directors of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), Diamond Resorts, HotelTonight, Rackspace, and RentPath.

Natalie Garcia is an Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she worked as an Associate in Real Estate Equity at KKR and as an Investment Banking Analyst in J.P. Morgan’s Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging Group.

Natalie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Engineering and Economics from Dartmouth College.

Meredith Hunt is a Managing Director & Associate General Counsel of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York, where she specialized in M&A and other corporate transactions and corporate governance matters.

Meredith received her Juris Doctor degree from William & Mary Law School, where she graduated summa cum laude and Order of the Coif, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship from Brown University, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Amin Ismail is a Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at American Express Global Business Travel. Amin has served in a number of executive management positions including as the CEO of Palestine Investment Fund’s real estate and hospitality investment company Amaar Group. He started his career working in leveraged finance for Bank of America and Abn Amro Bank. Amin previously served on the Boards of Directors of Nirvana Travel & Tourism.

Amin received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Nebraska, and a Master of Business Administration from University of Miami.

Drew Kaplan is an Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked at Guggenheim as an investment banking associate in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications group.

Drew received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

Matt Kasparian is an Accounting Manager at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked as a senior accountant at Geller Advisors, a multi-family office. Prior to that role, Matt worked at Perilune Group, a single-family office, as a senior accountant. He began his career at Demasco Sean & Jahelka, a public accounting firm.

Matt received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting from Syracuse University.

Jane Kim is a Vice President at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she worked as a vice president at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, a premier hospitality management company, where she oversaw development and execution of growth strategies for the firm in the U.S. and Canada. Jane previously held various roles in asset management, valuation and feasibility at Proper Hospitality, Cushman & Wakefield and Hilton Hotels.

Jane received her Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia Business School and her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Hannah Kopec is a Senior Associate of Capital Formation at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she worked at PwC as a manager in the M&A deals group.

Hannah received her Bachelor of Business Administration, as well as her Masters in Accountancy, from the University of Georgia. She is a licensed CPA in the state of New York.

Mike Kusy is a Director at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked as a vice president at Square Mile Capital, a real estate private equity fund, where he focused on the firm’s investment activity in the hospitality sector. Mike previously worked at Miller Buckfire, where he was an investment banking analyst focusing on restructuring and M&A transactions.

Mike received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and Real Estate from Villanova University.

Tom LaMacchia is a Managing Director and General Counsel of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was the Senior Legal Counsel with the Qatar Investment Authority (“QIA”), where he advised QIA on its major international corporate and real estate investments, including its investments into American Express Global Business Travel and Travel Leaders Group. He previously was a partner at White & Case LLP in Tokyo, where he specialized in M&A transactions and investment fund formation. He began his legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York. Tom is a member of the Investment Committee of Certares Management LLC.

Tom received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law School, where he graduated summa cum laude, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering at Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.

David Lande is a Managing Director of Certares. Since joining Certares in 2013, he has focused his efforts on opportunities that leverage Certares’ travel distribution assets and expertise, including tour and packaged travel opportunities, hotel management companies and experiential travel businesses. He has a passion for experiential travel and an energetic focus on the growing trend in which consumers are choosing authentic experiences that are meaningful over passive vacations. David serves on the Boards of Directors of G Adventures and Gohagan & Company.

David received his Juris Doctor degree and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Zachary Lazar is a Managing Director at Certares.  Zachary previously worked at Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst, where he focused on M&A and debt and equity financings in the technology, media, entertainment and telecommunications sectors. Zach serves on the Board of Directors of Mystic Invest, Guardian Alarm, Million Air Holdings, and Wheels Up.

Zachary received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Victor Li is a Senior Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked as an Associate in hotel asset management for Starwood Capital Group. Victor previously worked as a Financial Analyst at Wells Fargo Hospitality Finance Group.

Victor received his Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Colleen Mallick is Legal Counsel of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she began her legal career at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia, where she specialized in M&A and other corporate transactions and corporate governance matters.

Colleen received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she graduated cum laude, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the State University of New York College at Geneseo.

Ryan Mazzie is a Senior Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked at Goldman Sachs in the Financial Sponsors group.

Ryan received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Villanova University.

Jim McGee is a Managing Director at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a Senior Managing Director at Cerberus Capital Management. Jim has more than 20 years experience raising private capital as a partner at The Carlyle Group, Advent International, BearTooth Advisors, Houlihan Lokey, and Cerberus Capital Management.

Jim received his Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Southern Methodist University.

Alexander Meyer is a Vice President at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked at Deutsche Bank as an investment banking analyst, where he focused on M&A transactions in the chemicals, industrials, technology, media, entertainment and telecommunications sectors.

Alex received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich is a Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a Partner at Verus Investment Partners (“Verus”), a middle market private equity firm. Prior to joining Verus, he served as President of CRN Wireless (“CRN”), a national provider of monitoring and alarm communications services. Prior to joining CRN, he worked for ten years at Harvest Partners, focusing on investments in the consumer, business services and manufacturing sectors. Rich serves on the Board of Directors of G Adventures, Getaway, Gohagan & Company, and Guardian Alarm.

Rich received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University, where he double majored in Economics and Russia and East European Studies.

Michael Sale is a Managing Director at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked at Macquarie Capital as an investment banking analyst, where he focused on M&A, principal investments and debt and equity financings in the technology, media, entertainment and telecommunications sectors. Michael serves on the Boards of Directors of Gohagan & Company and Certares’ hotel management platform. He previously served on the Board of Directors of AmaWaterways.

Michael received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania

Stefano is a Managing Director of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, Stefano was an investment professional at EMIP, a Milan-based consultant and advisor providing services to Elliott Management, focusing on European special situations. Prior to that, Stefano was an investment analyst at investment fund DWC LLP in London where he focused on long-short strategies on listed telecom and media stocks. Stefano started his career at Goldman Sachs in London where he was an Associate in the investment banking division.

Stefano received his double MSc in International Management from Fudan University in Shanghai and Bocconi University in Milan, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Amy Stuart is a Managing Director and Head of Capital Formation of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she was a Director at KKR in New York, where she worked on the Client & Partner Group as a product specialist focused on Americas and Asia private equity.  She began her career at Lehman Brothers in New York in its Global Natural Resources group, where she was involved in a number of merger, acquisition, and other corporate advisory transactions. Amy is a member of the Investment Committee of Certares Management LLC.

Amy received her Master of Public Accounting degree from the McCombs School of Business of The University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in the Honors Plan, with high honors, from The University of Texas at Austin.

Tom Walker is a Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Grain Management. Tom has more than 20 years of industry experience including similar roles as a partner at Riverstone Holdings and as principal at the Carlyle Group. He began his career at Arthur Anderson and was previously a Certified Public Accountant. Tom is a member of the Investment Committee of Certares Management LLC.

Tom holds a degree in accounting from Binghamton University.

Justin Winkler is a Senior Associate at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he worked at Citi as an investment banking analyst in the M&A group.

Justin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Kezia Wiranegara is a Tax Manager at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she was a Tax Manager at Ernst & Young U.S. LLP in the Asset Wealth Management group.

Kezia received her Master in Taxation and Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy from the Zicklin School of Business at Bernard M. Baruch College. She is a Certified Public Accountant of New York State and a member of the American Institution of Certified Public Accountants.

Horace Yu is a Tax Director at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, he was a Tax Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Asset Wealth Management group from February 2016 to February 2020. He previously was a Tax Analyst at Sculptor Management (formerly known as “Och-Ziff Capital Management Group”), managing tax related matters from July 2011 to February 2016. Horace began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in January 2007.

Horace received his Masters in Taxation and Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy from the Zicklin School of Business at Bernard M. Baruch College. He is a Certified Public Accountant of New York State and a member of the American Institution of Certified Public Accountants.

Jennifer Zhao is a Director of Capital Formation at Certares. Prior to joining Certares, she was Vice President of Investor Relations at Genstar Capital, after having spent several years in the Funding Group at TPG. Prior to TPG, she worked as an investment banking analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Sponsors group.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Psychology from Dartmouth College.