Flight Centre has created two dedicated executive roles to accelerate artificial intelligence and digital commerce across its global leisure business.
Christopher Steiner and Rob New come onboard to power the next phase of leisure growth as online bookings approach half of total transactions for its flagship brand.
James Kavanagh, FCTG Global Leisure CEO, said customer expectations were being reshaped in real time by AI.
“To invest and grow at the speed this deserves, you need people who wake up thinking about nothing else. Chris and Rob are exactly who you want leading a transformation like this,” Mr Kavanagh said.
Christopher Steiner, who previously led the Global Leisure Product Management and Engineering division as Chief Experience Officer, has been appointed Chief AI Officer.
Mr Steiner will lead the agentic accelerator program, focused on transforming the global leisure operating model into an AI-powered productivity engine.
“The deployment of AI agents will make our people sharper, faster and better informed and that is what the agentic model is designed to do across every one of our leisure brands and functions,” Mr Steiner said.
Christopher Steiner
Rob New
Rob New, formerly General Manager at Jetmax, has been appointed Head of Digital Commerce, bringing together the ecommerce platforms across FCTG’s digital portfolio.
“We have an extensive collection of brands and a significant digital footprint. This role is about unlocking what that portfolio can do when it operates as one connected commercial engine,” Mr New said.
