Tourism and blockchain expert Anke Hsu joins the Chain4Travel team
The technology start-up, Chain4Travel, welcomes Anke Hsu as its new Head of Business Development. A travel expert with a strong technological background, Anke is currently working on her doctorate in blockchain and will play a key role in shaping and building the expansion of the new blockchain-based ecosystem for the international travel industry from 1 June 2022.
Anke brings outstanding expertise to support the ambitious objective of the recently founded Chain4Travel AG: The company is pursuing an innovative concept for the use of blockchain technology in the international travel industry. The goal is to build a blockchain-based ecosystem, providing a stable and secure platform for B2B and B2C leisure travel products. Tourism partners will be able to efficiently trade and purchase a variety of services on the platform.
Ralf Usbeck, CEO of Chain4Travel, said: "We are extremely delighted that we were able to win Anke Hsu for Chain4Travel and convince her of our strategy. Anke has in-depth experience and a first-class understanding for our new approach. Combined with her passion for blockchain, she really knows international tourism and its technical specifics like no other."
Anke Hsu, Head of Business Development at Chain4Travel, added: "Blockchain is a highly exciting topic that will change the travel industry internationally. It offers enormous potential to build a decentralized shared infrastructure and make collaboration in our industry more efficient, easier and ultimately more cost-effective. I am very excited to be actively shaping this transformation at Chain4Travel, leading the way alongside a highly motivated team."
In addition to her work at Chain4Travel, Anke will continue her doctoral studies as an external blockchain researcher at the University of Zurich, which is considered to be one of the best blockchain universities worldwide. Here, she has already been dedicating herself to the potential of blockchain for the travel industry as well as new blockchain-based ecosystems for tourism since September 2021. Anke has also been teaching tourism management and travel technology at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) since 2018.
With more than 25 years experience in the travel industry and an in-depth knowledge of technical processes, Anke is very well respected internationally across the industry. Since 2015 to date, Anke has been pushing the digital transformation of flight distribution at IT specialist and TUI subsidiary, InteRES. Prior to this role, she worked at FTI France, where she took over the managing director position within a few weeks. From 2005-2013, Anke held various leading positions at Sabre, most recently as Director EMEA Online Sales & Key Account Manager. She started her career in 1996 as Manager Alliances at the Lufthansa Group, followed by leading positions at flights.com and the establishment of her own marketing consultancy vaya/marketing.
Anke Hsu studied International Business in Dresden and the UK and completed an MBA in Nebraska in 2005-2006 on a Fulbright scholarship. In 2020, she completed the study programme in Digital Transformation at the renowned Berkeley Haas School of Business, California. Anke Hsu currently lives in Village-Neuf near Basel. In her free time, she enjoys meeting friends and doing sports. She of course, loves to travel.
