lastminute.com Plc (UK) - Appointment of former Walt Disney Head o ...

Published: 15:07 06.02.2003 GMT /HUGIN /Source: lastminute.com Plc 

/LSE: LMC /ISIN: GB0001583078


Appointment of former Walt Disney Head of Technology as

lastminute.com CTO

lastminute.com, the online provider of travel and leisure solutions,

today announces the appointment of Chip Steinmetz as chief technology

officer.


Chip has over 20 years experience in IT, most recently at Walt Disney

Internet Group (WDIG) where he was executive vice president and head

of technology. Here he led the merger of Disney Online, Starwave and

Infoseek with ESPN.com, ABC.com, ABCnews.com, Mr.Showbiz, Go.com,

Ecommerce and Travel - one of the biggest aggregations of internet

sites in the world. Within this newly created matrix organisation

Chip implemented 80-85% of the same internet infrastructure, helping

WDIG to sustain some of the largest single internet purchases in

history.


Prior to WDIG, Chip was managing director for Bridge Information

Systems, leading the company's sales management in the UK. He also

spent time as managing director of global technology at Barclays

Capital and has held a number of roles developing analytic and real

time trading systems for large investment banks in the UK, including

Union Bank of Switzerland and Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.


Chip's experience in the travel industry comes from his nine years at

American Airlines, where he was formerly vice president of computer

science for AA Decision Technologies. Here he was a driving force

behind the creation of the "Quick Access Product" reservation system,

which he and his team subsequently sold externally to other airlines,

car rental firms and hotel chains.


At lastminute.com Chip will be responsible for the strategic

technical decisions which will help drive the company to the next

level of its business model and support the scale of the business.


Commenting on his appointment, Chip said, "I want to build on the

success that lastminute.com has already achieved by keeping its

technology evolving. The company has made huge steps over the last

year and this is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that it continues

to keep ahead of the competition.


"lastminute.com has a really interesting and unique business model

and, what I find most appealing, a vision that I believe is going to

work. The team I am now working with at lastminute.com are hugely

talented and dedicated and I am thoroughly looking forward to this

new challenge."


Brent Hoberman, CEO of lastminute.com said, "As customer and

subscriber numbers increase so too does the need to maintain

technological leadership. I am confident that Chip is the person to

help us move the company to the next level to ensure the experience

our customers have remains fast, efficient and reliable."


Heidrick and Struggles, the global executive search agency, were

responsible for this appointment.


For further information, please contact:

Rebecca Woodward Tel: 020 7539 2626

Biss Lancaster Euro RSCG, on behalf of lastminute.com

email: rebecca.woodward@bisslancaster.com

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