Serko Ltd.

Today we are excited to announce the appointment of industry veteran Johnny Thorsen as Vice President of Strategic Business Development. Johnny will help to lead our strategic growth initiatives, focussing on developing Serko’s network of Travel Management Company (TMC) partners through the commercialization of Serko’s growing platform ecosystem, and building customer acquisition strategies to ensure long-term growth and leadership in the North American market. Darrin Grafton welcomed Johnny’s appointment: “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 is just as enthusiastic: "I am proud to join Serko, a forward-thinking company driving innovation in corporate travel. 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." Welcome to the team Johnny - great to have you on board! Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gm6qgtNp #weareserko #lifeatserko #businesstravel

We're excited to announce the launch of our India Hub in Bengaluru, a key innovation centre driving Serko’s global expansion in the corporate travel industry. This hub will be the cornerstone of our future, fostering collaboration and innovation as a global centre of excellence. We are expanding our global footprint to support our global goals, attract top talent and enable us to scale as we head into 2025. Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey and expand on the amazing team we have in India with GetThere with Sanjeeb Patel, Tulika Nandy. You can  read about all the exciting opportunities at https://lnkd.in/gJEHSUTE #Serko #Innovation #GlobalExpansion #CorporateTravel #IndiaHub #Bengaluru #TechGrowth

Today is a significant milestone for Serko as we announce the successful completion of the GetThere acquisition and the commencement of the partnership with Sabre. Serko has now entered a long-term partnership with Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry. The partnership is designed to accelerate innovation in managed travel through a program of co-development and investment, as well as co-selling and marketing of Serko’s solutions by Sabre’s North American sales teams. At the same time, Serko has acquired the GetThere business travel management solution, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for both the GetThere team and customers. Brett Dowling, VP GetThere commented: “The GetThere team are thrilled to have joined forces with Serko, and our people are well on the way to a successful post-merger integration. GetThere has a very loyal customer base, and we can’t wait to bring them on the journey of innovation that lies ahead of us in 2025 and beyond.” Darrin Grafton, Serko’s CEO welcomed the closure of the deal, adding: “We see a significant opportunity for great technology to help companies optimize their travel programs, and deliver an exceptional user experience for their travel bookers and travelers. To achieve this, we are investing US$100 million over the next three years to advance our platform technology to build the travel platform of the future. In time, this platform will power all of Serko’s products, including GetThere, Zeno and Booking.com for Business with data and AI built in to help you take advantage of emerging technology capabilities.” Today is Day 1 of an exciting new chapter for Serko and GetThere... #weareserko

What do Taylor Swift, the US Fed Reserve Chair and Serko CEO Darrin Grafton have in common? They are all named in the BTN Group Most Influential People of 2024 list. 🎁 Published annually, the list recognises individuals who have had the greatest impact on the business travel industry. 🛫 BTN highlighted Darrin's influence as the leader of an ambitious and proven company set to take on the US market with our acquisition of GetThere, partnerships with Sabre and Booking.com, and investment in tech and product to build the travel platform of the future: "New Zealand-based booking and expense management provider Serko for several years has been expanding into North America, and soon it will leapfrog the competition to become the second-largest corporate online booking provider in North America with the acquisition of one of the pioneers in that space." Read the full profile here: https://lnkd.in/g37SRjPv

Join Serko's CEO Darrin Grafton in a live fireside chat with Ann Cederhall and Hélène Millet as they dive into the world of corporate travel tech and the latest developments. Live at 9am CET Thursday / 9am NZT Friday 13th (!) Join with the link below: https://lnkd.in/gSHFFA8X

New Year, New Experiences: Announcing Zeno’s Integration with Amadeus NDC-X At Serko, we believe that our value is not just in booking an itinerary, it’s about connecting companies and their travelers to an ecosystem of content and services that are the right fit for their unique needs. As an independent player, we are committed to giving buyers unfiltered access to the best and broadest range of supply possible. This is why we are so pleased to announce that Serko is set to break new ground in its multi-source retailing capabilities by integrating Amadeus NDC-X into Zeno Travel. Scheduled to go live in mid-2025, Serko’s corporate travel platform, Zeno, will feature NDC-enabled content through the Amadeus Global Distribution System. Through this integration, travelers will be able to shop and book NDC offers via Amadeus – including corporate-negotiated fares and personalized ancillary services – directly within Zeno’s connected trip experience. Amadeus’s largest TMC partner in New Zealand is Orbit World Travel (NZ). Niall White, Group Strategy and Corporate Director at Orbit welcomed the development, commenting “Orbit greatly values our strategic partnership with Serko. Our team is working closely with Amadeus and Serko, to ensure our customers can access all of the NDC-enabled content in the most user-friendly way, via the Zeno platform”. Bob Shaw, Serko’s Chief Strategy Officer had this to say "Serko is helping to shape the future of business travel, by partnering with the key players in the ecosystem. Partnering is core to who we are at Serko, and it is key to our vision of an open platform. Whether it is delivering competitive airline offers or other customized products, the addition of Amadeus NDC-X fits seamlessly with these goals, and we are excited to bring this to life in 2025.” The announcement comes hot on the heels of the Sabre NDC launch in Zeno earlier this year. This means that travelers will have access to one of the most comprehensive business travel experiences – allowing them to book and manage flights, accommodation, rental cars and access personalized retail experiences – right at their fingertips, directly through the Zeno platform.

The future of tech is bright at Serko🌟We're thrilled to welcome our eight FY25 interns as they dive headfirst into their 12-week journey with us. After completing onboarding and getting a taste of 'Life at Serko' they’ve wasted no time rolling up their sleeves and making an impact. Our engineering interns are already embedded in their teams, coding like pros, dreaming of iterations and retros (and maybe even coding in their sleep!). Meanwhile, our design interns are deep into ideation sessions, pushing the boundaries of creativity, and experimenting with bold new ideas. This incredible group is here to innovate, learn, and tackle real-world projects while contributing directly to our product development. It’s only week 2, and we’re already inspired by their energy and passion for technology. Here’s to shaping the future together! 🚀 Anna Shimizu, Ben Mitchell, Ajit Singh, Naren Rohan, Xin Yue, Mianmian Zheng, Subiksha Rajashekar, Livi Lee. #WeAreSerko #TechCareers #Internships #EarlyInCareers #InnovatorsInTheMaking #LifeAtSerko

In any organisation, if you look hard enough you will find unsung heroes. People or functions that fly under the radar but are critical to success. 🦸♀️ Serko has it's fair share of exceptional teams that don't often get the spotlight (Yes we mean you amazing finance, people and culture, talent sourcing teams and many more). 🔦 That's why it's so great to see Serko's legal team getting profiled this month by Juno Legal, highlighting what an innovative and forward-thinking bunch of people they are. 👩⚖️ Thank you legal team for being such awesome business partners, not just putting out fires, but instead teaching us about what is safe and what is flammable. 🧯 #weareserko https://lnkd.in/gDkcT7Am

We were truly honoured to host the incredible Ruby Tui at our latest Serko guiding principle launch of ‘Winning Together’. Her story and success serve as powerful reminders of what’s possible when we embrace authenticity, purpose, and the strength of collaboration. Ruby’s reflections, including “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” and “I’d rather lose together than win alone,” deeply resonate with Serko’s guiding principles. Her emphasis on the power of teamwork, community, and humility aligns perfectly with our commitment to 'Winning Together' and 'Being a Good Human' - two principles that anchor everything we do.   We left the event not just inspired, but energised, reflective, and empowered - ready to embrace new challenges, and to 'Boldly Go Beyond'. Ruby’s example reminds us that success isn’t just about what you achieve - it’s about who you achieve it with. #WinTogether #BeAGoodHuman #BoldyGoBeyond #DareToSimplify #Leadership #Collaboration #WeAreSerko

And the drumroll of good news keeps going for Serko! Last night we were honoured to be recognised as one of the top 10 New Zealand Technology companies to watch for 2024, as well as #1 for growth over the past 3 years, by Technology Investment Network (TIN). TIN has a simple mission: to help facilitate the growth of the technology sector in New Zealand. The TIN Team delivers on this objective through research and analysis, including the excellent TIN 100 Report. Special thanks to Isla Dentice-Wood and Angela Simpson who were exceptional Serko ambassadors for the awards 🙏 #WeAreSerko