Advisory Board
KDS’s Advisory Board consists of an elite group of industry consultants and senior travel services executives. The Board assists the KDS management team in developing its strategy to better meet the needs of customers and generate increasing value through constant innovation.
Members of the KDS Advisory Board
Patrick Albert
ILOG's co-founder and ex-chief technology officer and executive vice president of core research and development. ILOG is the world's leading supplier of software components. Founded in 1987, ILOG offers embeddable optimization, visualization and business rule components that dramatically shorten the development time of enterprise applications in the supply chain, telecommunications, transportation and financial services industries.
François Gautier
Currently Vice-President, Interactive Travel EMEA at American Express, François is responsible for the development of the Interactive Travel business across 19 countries and sits on the American Express Corporate Travel Europe Executive Board. François contributes great expertise in online travel systems. American Express is today Europe’s leading on-line corporate travel business and François’s experience includes launching the Interactive Travel group in 2002 and overseeing the creation of two dedicated e-fulfillment centers. François graduated in business administration from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jean-Claude Guez
Jean-Claude a senior management adviser to Accenture, specialising in travel, transportation and the strategic uses of information technology. He joined Andersen Consulting in 1966 and was a partner from 1979 until 1999. Jean-Claude is a non-executive director of Invensys plc and a non-executive director of Eurostar Group Ltd, which he advises on new travel distribution technologies. He was formerly a non-executive director of Exel plc, the global logistics operator. He also participates in technology-focused VC funds as an advisory board member for Amarante Ventures and a special limited partner of Rocket Ventures. Jean-Claude, a reserve lieutenant in French Air Force, graduated in engineering from the Ecole polytechnique.
Ken Swanton
Ken runs a strategic consultancy in the online travel industry and advises companies including Mark Travel Corp, the largest US travel wholesaler. He is also an advisory board member of Agentware.Net, a Travel Technology company. He has previously served as CEO of Lowestfare.com, CEO of Internet Travel Network, and held executive positions at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics & Physics and he graduated in Operational Research.
Gordon Wilson
Gordon is CEO and president of Galileo. He is responsible for Galileo's global activities, which are focused on delivering content, reservations technology and services to travel agents, travel suppliers, tour operators, travel management companies and corporations. Prior to his current role, Gordon was president and CEO of the Travelport Business Group, responsible for all of its B2B business across EMEA, Asia and Pacific, including companies such as GTA and TRUST.WizCom. Gordon holds a master's degree in Law from the University of Cambridge and a postgraduate diploma in Air and Space Law from University College, London.