GBTA President Appoints Industry Veterans Scott Solombrino and Dorothy Dowling as Allied Leadership Council Leaders

Alexandria, VA (December 4, 2015) — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, announced that GBTA President Christle Johnson has appointed Scott Solombrino, President & CEO of Dav El/Boston Coach Chauffeured Transportation Network, to serve as the Allied Leadership Council (ALC) President. Johnson also appointed Dorothy Dowling, Chief Marketing Officer for Best Western International, to serve as the Allied Leadership Council Vice President. Both Solombrino and Dowling will also sit on the GBTA Board of Directors joining the recently elected 2015 Board.

Solombrino brings a wealth of experience having served in this role under the previous six GBTA Presidents. Solombrino founded his first chauffeured transportation company in 1978 before acquiring Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network in 1984. In 2014, he was named chief executive of the combined operations of Dav El chauffeured car service with Boston Coach, with 1,800 owned vehicles, 3,100 employees and projected annual revenue of $250 million.

Solombrino is one of a select few to win GBTA’s Industry Icon Award and is a two-time GBTA Allied Member of the year winner. He is also a four-time President and founder of the National Limousine Association as well as founder and past President of the Massachusetts Limousine Owners Association. He has served and currently serves on numerous other Boards of Directors as well, both business- and philanthropy-oriented.

Dowling began her hospitality career in Canada after earning a joint Masters of Arts degree in sociology and leisure studies from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Since joining Best Western in 2004, she has reenergized the Best Western Rewards® loyalty program, grown the brand’s market share and undertaken several groundbreaking initiatives. She is now at the helm of a comprehensive global brand refresh for the iconic Best Western brand. Dowling was recently named the 18th most influential Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the world in the Forbes/ScribbleLive/LinkedIn’s 4th Annual CMO Influence Study. This marks her second-straight appearance on the list as she moved up from 27th last year to 18th this year and she is also the third highest ranked female CMO. In addition, she serves on the North American board for the U.S. Travel Association and currently serves on, and is the former chair of, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Americas Board and is past president of HSMAI Canada.

“I am pleased to welcome Scott and Dorothy to the GBTA Board of Directors,” said Christle Johnson, GBTA President. “Our industry is undergoing a period of rapid change and it is more important than ever to have veteran leaders with diverse experiences, across multiple industry verticals, helping lead the way as the voice of our Allied community. As the Allied side of the industry goes through this period of consolidation, the ALC has been tasked with developing and implementing innovative ideas in the upcoming year to help GBTA continue to evolve as an organization on the cutting edge.”

“The ALC represents GBTA’s Allied Members by acting as a voice for the Allied community within GBTA, and also works to assure a strong Allied and GBTA relationship to address common issues facing the travel industry. As a volunteer-led organization, it’s important for the ALC to drive ideas that enable GBTA to be responsive to our members’ changing needs. As industry leaders, I am confident in Scott’s and Dorothy’s abilities and expertise to meet this challenge.”

Solombrino’s and Dowling’s appointments are effective immediately and will run through GBTA Convention 2017.

CONTACT: Colleen Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org