Emerging Travel Group, an international online travel group that operates in over 100 source markets with the brands RateHawk, ZenHotels, and Ostrovok, has appointed global technology entrepreneur and Board Member Lev Leviev Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, effective December 9, 2019.
Leviev will be responsible for the company’s strategy development and execution. Prior to his formal appointment, Leviev had been working closely with Emerging Travel Group’s CEO Felix Shpilman in an advisory capacity.
Emerging Travel Group’s CEO Felix Shpilman commented: “I am happy to welcome Lev to Emerging Travel Group as a full-time team member. His strong company-building experience and thoughtful approach to growth is invaluable and will help Emerging Travel Group continue its global expansion.”
Commenting on the appointment, Lev Leviev said: “Emerging Travel Group’s team has already achieved success in multiple markets; in my new role I plan to help the Group solidify its success in B2B and become one of the global leaders in the space.”
Leviev possesses extensive operational experience. He is a co-founder of the largest social network in Russia VK.com, where he held the position of Chief Operating Officer from 2006 to 2012. In 2007 he co-founded Selectel, a leading provider of IT infrastructure with a wide range of products and services in Russia, and served as its CEO from 2014 to 2017.
Lev currently serves as a chairman of the board at Selectel, and as a board member at Emerging Travel Group and Fnatic, a global eSports organization.
In 2019, Lev Leviev’s investment group, LVL1 Group, led a $19 million fundraising for Fnatic, as well as a $10 million financing round for Emerging Travel Group.
Emerging Travel
Emerging Travel Group employs more than 900 people across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, and South Africa in roles ranging from product and business development to specialized multilingual customer support for all our customers, whether they are trade partners or individuals simply booking their hotels online.
Emerging Travel Group was founded in 2010, and is backed by international venture investors and angels including LVL1, Vaizra Capital, Founders Fund, Data Collective, Yuri Milner, Esther Dyson, Fritz Demopoulos, and Igor and Dmitry Bukhman.
LVL1 Group
LVL1 Group is a multi-strategy investment group, founded by serial tech entrepreneur Lev Leviev. LVL1 invests across different asset classes and geographies. Investments include participation in venture funds like DST, Target Global and Iconiq. The direct investment portfolio consists of over 30 companies internationally, including Fnatic, Moovit, Uploadcare, Calm, Plarium, Think Research and Emerging Travel Group.
