Industry Veteran and Former Spotnana Executive Johnny Thorsen joins Serko as VP Strategic Business Development
Concur, American Express, and Spotnana alum brings decades of experience to drive growth and innovation
Today we announced the appointment of Johnny Thorsen as Vice President of Strategic Business Development. In his new role, Thorsen will help lead our strategic growth initiatives and enhance our positioning as a market leader in business travel. His responsibilities include developing Serko’s network of Travel Management Company (TMC) partners through the commercialization of Serko’s growing platform ecosystem. Additionally, Johnny will focus on enhancing Serko’s product offerings through innovation, building customer acquisition strategies and fostering partnerships to ensure long-term growth and leadership in the North American market.
Our CEO Darrin Grafton welcomed Johnny’s appointment, commenting “Having known Johnny for years, I’ve always admired his ability to anticipate trends in the travel industry. He’s not just an influential visionary; he’s someone who truly understands how to bring transformative ideas to life. His passion for innovation and building meaningful connections make him an ideal addition to Serko. I’m genuinely excited to see the impact he will have as we shape the future of corporate travel together.”
Johnny brings over 30 years of experience in corporate travel, including senior leadership roles at Concur, American Express, and most recently at Spotnana, where he served as VP of Business Development for Content Distribution. He has also served as a strategic advisor or board member for more than 10+ travel-sector companies, including Troop, Thrust Carbon, Tryp and Envest Global.
"I am proud to join Serko, a forward-thinking company driving innovation in corporate travel,” said Johnny. “With Serko’s ambitious growth plans and commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions, I see significant opportunities to strengthen the brand, forge impactful partnerships and solidify its leadership in North America and beyond." This announcement follows our recent acquisition of GetThere and our strategic partnership with travel industry leader, Sabre. Through this partnership, Serko and Sabre will accelerate innovation in managed travel with a co-development program and coordinated sales and marketing efforts. Serko also plans to invest US$100 million over the next three years to enhance our platform technology and deliver the next generation of business travel solutions.
