Ovation Network has announced that travel industry veteran Gina Gabbard has returned to the organization as VP of business development. In her role, Gabbard will once again oversee OvationNetwork’s East Coast leisure and luxury independent advisors (IAs) and affiliates, along with its Virtuoso relationship. She will report directly to Sunil Mahtani, executive vice president.
“As we prepare to take OvationNetwork to the next level, we must have the best strategic leadership available,” Mahtani wrote in a message to OvationNetwork IAs and affiliates. “I am delighted to welcome back one of your biggest champions: Gina Gabbard. Through Gina’s leadership, I am confident that we will be positioned together extraordinarily well. Her foremost objective is to work closely with you in providing you the support you deserve.”
“Having been so immensely proud of what we accomplished during my first stint with OvationNetwork and its stellar Independent Advisors and affiliates, I truly feel like I am coming home,” said Gabbard. “I am committed to reinforcing both the strong infrastructure already in place, as well as working with OvationNetwork’s first-class team to serve the needs of our advisors so we can all grow together.”
Gabbard first joined the travel industry 20 years ago, and her rich background is nearly evenly split between supplier and agency sides such as Marriott, MLT Vacations and Tzell. In 2020, after two years with Ovation, she assumed the role of chief sales officer for Lindblad Expeditions, which enjoyed a post-pandemic resurgence through strategic sales growth.
“Gina’s additional experience on the supplier side gives her an even deeper appreciation for issues that are crucial to our supplier partners,” added Mahtani. “In turn, her exceptional acumen will further enhance our advisors’ collective ability to grow strategically as demand continues to increase.”
For more details, visit www.theovationnetwork.com.
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