NEEDHAM, Mass. and PARIS, Feb. 23,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tripadvisor®, the world's
largest travel guidance platform, and TheFork, a leading global
platform for booking restaurants, today announced a key management
transition at La Fourchette SaS (known commercially as
TheFork.com).
The Fork's co-founder and CEO, Bertrand
Jelensperger, has announced his intention to transition into
an advisory board role, starting April 1,
2021. In this newly created leadership role, Bertrand will
join Tripadvisor CEO and co-founder, Stephen Kaufer, and support oversight of
TheFork's strategy and business.
With this leadership change, Almir
Ambeskovic has been appointed to the role of CEO of TheFork.
In this role, Almir will be responsible for setting TheFork's
business strategy and leading global operations of the brand,
inclusive of TheFork's operations in twenty-two countries around
the world.
"Bertrand has built TheFork into a truly special business,
one that connects diners and travelers with culinary experiences
that can be life changing engagements with different cultures from
around the world. I cannot thank Bertrand enough for his
partnership over these last several years, and look forward to
working with both him and Almir as we chart a course forward for
the continued expansion of TheFork," said Stephen Kaufer, CEO and co-founder of
Tripadvisor, Inc. "I know Almir will continue to innovate and
expand services like TheFork Pay and gift cards, making it easier
for diners to support their favorite restaurants."
"I look forward to taking on this new challenge and for the
continued opportunity to grow TheFork alongside Bertrand and Steve.
We have a global leadership position and TheFork is a beloved brand
primed for growth as market conditions improve," said
Almir Ambeskovic, newly appointed
CEO of TheFork. "I'm honored by the trust and faith Bertrand and
Steve have placed in me, and I look forward to this new challenge
and for the continued opportunity to grow TheFork alongside
them."
"Our opportunities coming out of this pandemic are endless as
we help the hospitality industry across the globe fill more of
their restaurants with a global community of diners looking to once
again dine out. We will be alongside restaurateurs to support them
as they reopen and navigate this post-pandemic era," added
Ambeskovic.
Prior to being appointed as CEO, Almir was Vice President Sales
and Marketing for TheFork, a role in which he was responsible for
the growth of the business in all the countries within twenty-two
markets where TheFork operates. Almir has directly led several
countries as general manager at TheFork since 2015. He began his
career with TheFork in 2014 as Italy Country Manager following the
acquisition by Tripadvisor of RestOpolis, an online restaurants
reservation startup he founded and led since 2011.
Born in Sarajevo in 1977, Almir
began his career as a consultant and entrepreneur in the IT sector.
First as start-up entrepreneur founding three companies, then as
top manager of a digital scale-up as TheFork, Almir has always been
active as a mentor for innovation in Italy. In 2012, Almir created and hosted the
first Italian television program on start-ups and innovation. He
was also vice president of the group of young entrepreneurs
of Assolombarda, with responsibilities in marketing and startups,
for six years until 2016.
History of TheFork
Bertrand Jelensperger co-founded
TheFork in 2007. First operating out of France, Spain
and Switzerland, the company was
acquired in 2014 as the marque Internet restaurant reservations
brand within the Tripadvisor Media Group. Through M&A and
organic growth, TheFork has become the preferred restaurant
discovery and booking platform in Europe, Latin
America and Australia.
Before the pandemic more than five million diners were using the
platform every month to dine out. In 2016, Bertrand also created
and led Tripadvisor Restaurants Solutions, a business that created
marketing and reputation management solutions for the more than
four million restaurants listed on the Tripadvisor platform.
"The 15 first years of TheFork have been an exceptional
journey, for this business and for me personally. I would like to
thank all the restaurants and diners who continue to trust us
year-after-year, but just as important, I must thank my current and
past colleagues for the culture of care they have been building and
performance they've delivered to make TheFork a true Internet
success story," said Bertrand
Jelensperger, outgoing CEO and cofounder of TheFork.
"After 6 years of strong collaboration with Almir, I am super
thrilled to have him and the current team continue the mission to
simplify and democratize 'dining-out.' I know we can count on Almir
and his team to go the extra mile every day in order to allow more
people to enjoy these priceless experiences with the people they
love at restaurants as we help millions of restaurateurs build
their businesses."
About TheFork
TheFork, a Tripadvisor company, is the leading online restaurant
reservation platform. TheFork's mission is to connect diners with a
network of nearly 80,000 partner restaurants worldwide. With 22
million reviews and 28 million downloads of its app, TheFork has
become the smart move to make to get a table. Through TheFork
(website and app), as well as through Tripadvisor, users can easily
select a restaurant according to their preferences, consult
user reviews, check real-time availability and instantly book
online 24/7. From the restaurant side, TheFork provides them with a
software solution, TheFork Manager, to optimise reservation
management, streamline operations and ultimately improve service
and revenue. The platform operates in 22 countries as "TheFork" in
France, Italy, The
Netherlands, Belgium,
Switzerland, Portugal, UK, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru
and Uruguay, and as "ElTenedor" in
Spain.
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*,
helps hundreds of millions of people each month** become better
travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers
across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where
to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those
who have been there before. With more than 884 million reviews and
opinions of 7.9 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor
to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables
at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby. As a
travel guidance company available in 49 markets and 28 languages,
Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter the trip type.
The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), own and
operate a portfolio of online travel brands and businesses,
operating under various websites and apps, including the following
websites: www.bokun.io, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com,
www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com,
www.eltenedor.com, www.bookatable.co.uk, and www.delinski.com),
www.helloreco.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.housetrip.com,
www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.seatguru.com,
www.singleplatform.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, and
www.viator.com.
* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly,
December 2020
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files
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SOURCE Tripadvisor