Award-winning Jerusalem-based startup Joyned has announced the appointment of Sergio Vargas Johansson as its Managing Director of Travel. Vargas Johansson will be responsible for the company’s commercial strategy, market expansion and business development within the travel sector. With a wealth of travel and technology experience, he has worked at Amadeus for over 20 years, most recently as VP of Online Travel Companies in EMEA.

Founded in 2017 by CEO Jonathan Abraham and CPO Michael Levinson, Joyned is a SaaS solution for travel websites that enables friends and family to book together, while increasing revenue for the site. Following a period of significant growth within the company, Vargas Johansson’s appointment signals an exciting new chapter in Joyned’s offering to the travel sector. His expertise will enable Joyned to reshape the travel tech sphere, driven by values that fuel collaboration, empowerment, and growth.

Commenting on Vargas Johansson’s appointment, Joyned CEO and co-founder Jonathan Abraham, said: “We’re delighted to have Sergio join us as our Managing Director of Travel. We’ve witnessed tremendous growth over the past year and we are also signing more agreements with international tourism brands than ever before. Sergio knows exactly what makes the travel tech market tick so his input will be invaluable in making Joyned the de facto social booking tool within the travel sector.”

Vargas Johansson said: “I’m very pleased to be joining one of the most innovative and best performing travel tech providers in the industry. Joyned’s social booking technology is so compelling and I’ve been monitoring their exemplary progress for some time now. It’s a real privilege to work alongside them to further expand their customer base which will reshape the travel sector.” Sergio Vargas Johansson brings a multicultural approach to Joyned having lived in countries across four continents.

“As Managing Director of Travel, I am committed to expanding Joyned’s key markets within and across much of the Americas, EMEA, Asia Pacific and beyond. We have big plans for Joyned and I’m ready to realize their vision of being the default social commerce solution for OTAs,” he adds.

The recent appointment comes at a time of buoyancy within the company which also recently appointed a new VP of Marketing, Michael Avni, in addition to six other team members joining in the past quarter alone.

With a growing team of 25, Joyned aims to implement its Joyned Booking solution across dozens more global tourism brands. Current partners which utilize the Joyned Booking travel add-on include travel technology giant Amadeus, leading destination management company NexusTours, hotel giant RIU Hotels and European vacation home rental company OYO Vacation Homes.