Holibob, the innovative provider of tours & experiences technology that makes it easy for travel brands and tourism boards to drive in-destination revenue from things-to-do, has announced the arrival of Derek Lakin in the newly created role of Vice President (VP) of Product & Engineering.

Based in the London offices of Holibob and reporting directly to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Graeme Bryce, Derek will steer and implement the company’s product suite and deliver customer support services to both partners and consumers.

With over a decade of experience leading Engineering teams and a total of 25 years in the tech industry, Derek joins from fintech company Tarabut and has previously held senior roles at Skype, Meta, Culture Trip and Skyscanner.  

Craig Everett, CEO of Holibob comments: “On behalf of the whole team I’d like to give a big warm welcome to Derek. He joins at an incredibly exciting moment for our growth and his outstanding experience will prove invaluable as we innovate how tours & activities are curated and sold around the world.  

We’re excited about what’s on the horizon and look forward to share more exciting news in the near future.”

This news follows the August announcement of Alex Saint – founder & CEO of Secret Escapes – joining Holibob as Chairman of the Board.  

Whilst in June Holibob also confirmed the addition of funding to its previously announced Series A raise. Led by Guinness Ventures, the funding marked the first institutional capital raised by Holibob.  

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