About us
Management Team
Richard Kefs - Co-Founder, Executive President
In 1985, having graduated from Tufts University in Medford (Massachusetts) with a Masters in electrical and computer engineering, Richard Kefs became a research specialist at Boston’s prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he spent two years carrying out significant computer research on parallel operating systems. He moved on to become Head of Development for communication products in a subsidiary of Bell Atlantic.
He returned to France in 1989 and joined the management team at Apple Computer Europe. He then joined Aptimal Consulting, which advised major companies on how to use new technologies.
In 2000, Richard Kefs co-founded FastBooking.
Soraya Kefs - Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Her studies in electrical engineering took her to the United States, where she carried out significant research work in speech and image processing at Tufts University in Medford (Massachusetts). From 1982 to 1988 she explored the different techniques of image coding and speech synthesis and analysis through a number of projects subsidized by the American government. Throughout this period, she published several research-related works and took part in various technological conferences within the United States.
Following a Masters and a Doctorate in her chosen field and a period with the A.I. Dupont Institute as consultant on an important research program, Soraya Kefs returned to France and decided to form her own company. In 1989 she launched Aptimal Group (technology and consulting activities), specialized in tailor-made technology development for major companies.
In 2000, Soraya Kefs co-founded FastBooking.
Guillaume de Marcillac - Chief Operating Officer
Guillaume de Marcillac joined FastBooking in early 2008 as Chief Financial Officer and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer.
Guillaume de Marcillac combines strong entrepreneurial, consulting as well as large group skills with a strong focus on growth. He holds diplomas from both Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (top French business school) and the London School of Economics (MSc in Finance). He started his career with Bain & Co, a leading strategy consulting firm. During his seven year tenure with Bain, Guillaume de Marcillac worked in Paris, Geneva and San Francisco on various strategic projects including retail and travel related subjects. Guillaume de Marcillac then joined EuroDisney and became Director of Strategic Planning focusing on theme park and hotel related initiatives (strategic partnerships with hotel chains and independent hotels).
In 2000, Guillaume de Marcillac participated in the creation of Egencia, an
Internet-based corporate travel agency (acquired in 2004 by Expedia). Between 2004 and 2008, he held various positions within the Expedia organization, most recently serving as worldwide CFO for the Expedia corporate travel division.
François Maine - Chief Technology Officer
François Maine joined FastBooking in January 2010 as Chief Technology Officer. He brings more than 20 years experience in IT to the company.
François Maine graduated from l'École des Mines in Paris in 1989. He began his career at Cap Gemini, where over a period of 10 years he held positions of increasing responsibility for complex systems integration for key accounts.
François Maine next applied his skills to managing the technical teams of Internet start-ups including iPIN (California) where he was Vice President of Engineering, and Zebank (Paris, France) where he served as Chief Information Officer. He also served as Chief Technical Officer for the Groupe Casino. More recently, as Chief Technology Officer he took part in the creation of the online games subsidiary of Bouygues.
Jean-Louis Boss - Vice President, Marketing
Jean-Louis Boss has been Vice President, Marketing since the creation of FastBooking in May 2000. In this capacity, he manages the company’s marketing strategy as well as the design and implementation of the firm’s traffic generation programs.
A graduate of l’Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen in 1982, Jean-Louis Boss began his career in the Marketing Department of the Readers Digest. In late 1984, he took charge of Marketing Statistics at the Group Yves Rocher. He soon became Director of Mail Order Sales for Yves Rocher France and later Director of International Development for the Group. He remained over 15 years in the company, one of the key players in the mail order sector.
Jean-Louis Boss is an expert in direct marketing and mail order sales. His experience in brands with strong international reputations enables him to bring to Fastbooking a real expertise in terms of positioning and sales development.
Paul Ponçon - Vice President, Sales EMEA
Paul Ponçon brings 10 years experience in the world of e-business to FastBooking. He created eTravel France for Amadeus. Under his direction, eTravel France became the most important of Amadeus’ online activities in Europe.
Paul Ponçon is the co-founder of Hubwoo.com, a world leader in cloud procurement, certified “Powered by SAP®”, where he successively occupied the functions of Operations Director and Sales Director. He was a consultant in e-payment and e-procurement for the CEGOs Group. As Business Development Manager at American Express he was responsible for the launch of the corporate card and the purchasing card in France. His career began as an account manager for Syseca in charge of sales of information systems for accountancy, finance, sales and distribution. Before joining FastBooking in 2010, he was Sales Director for a division of Automatic Identification and Mobility at IER, a subsidiary of Bolloré Group.
Paul Ponçon holds a masters degree in Management from Paris Dauphine University (MGE).
Pierre-Charles Grob - Vice President, Revenue Optimization Services
Pierre-Charles Grob manages the company’s Revenue Optimization Services teams which are responsible for daily strategic consulting, training and assistance to FastBooking clients. An expert in hotel marketing and online distribution, Pierre-Charles Grob coordinates ongoing initiatives to improve FastBooking clients’ performance on electronic channels.
He began his career with Accor in New York in 2001 where he was instrumental in the creation of the North American Marketing department for the Sofitel and Novotel brands. Already involved in the still burgeoning Internet, he was responsible for online distribution for these two brands in North America. In 2003, he joined the New York-based Monaco Government Tourist Office to promote the destination and its luxury hotels to VIP clients and travel agents. An experience that later lead him to join the prestigious Monte-Carlo SBM group where he successively held responsibilities as Sales Promotion Manager, and Marketing and E-Distribution Manager for the group’s hotels, spa and restaurants. He contributed significantly to the SBM’s commercial development, particularly via electronic platforms (Internet and GDS).
Pierre-Charles Grob has a degree in marketing and management from ESSCA (l’Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d'Angers).
Damien Balbo - Products Director
Damien Balbo is an expert in the Internet and new technologies. His tenure at FastBooking began in 2007 as Product Manager responsible for the launch of the Hotel Traffic Builder program. Two years later as Senior Product Manager he took the reins of seven product lines. Today he directs the development of the company’s entire portfolio of industry-leading online hotel solutions.
In his previous position at Dyson, Damien Balbo was already responsible for the development and implementation of e-commerce and online strategy, principally for the firm’s European markets.
Damien Balbo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Groupe ESSEC and a Bachelor of International Business & Finance from Sheffield Hallam University.
Francis-Louis Passerini - General Manager Italy
After holding the positions of Marketing Manager at the Hotel Plaza and Sales and Marketing Director at the Laguna Palace Hotel, both synonymous with the best in Venetian hotels, Francis Louis Passerini created his Internet service company in 2004. In this role he met and consulted to key players in the Italian tourist industry. It was as a consultant that he became interested in FastBooking solutions and began recommending FastBooking to his client hotels. He extended his commitment to FastBooking by becoming the company’s sales representative in Italy prior to becoming Managing Director of Fastbooking Italian subsidiary.
Henry Teng - General Manager Asia
Henry Teng has more than 20 years of experience in the tourism industry ranging from travel and hotel to Internet businesses. He started his career in 1984 in Travel 2819 Pte Ltd. In 1986, he joined Sime Travel (S) Pte Ltd as Marketing Manager and rose through the ranks of this company.
Henry Teng joined SRS-WORLDHOTELS in 1996 to expand their regional presence. Later, as an Internet Consultant with a specialized international consultancy company, Henry worked with most of the major international hotel brands helping them develop their online business and drive online performance.
In late 2001, Henry Teng launched Fastbooking in the Asia Pacific and in the process enlisted numerous hotels. In September 2003, FastBooking Asia Pte Ltd was established in Singapore to spear-head the regional growth.
Henry Teng has a MBA with Distinction in Strategic Marketing from the University of Hull, United Kingdom.
Ajay Wahi - General Manager India
Ajay Wahi is the General Manager of the FastBooking India, a wholly-owned subsidiary and the company’s development arm. He has been involved with the software industry for over 20 years and has set up development centers for numerous multinational companies.
Ajay Wahi worked with companies such as NIIT (India's leading IT consulting organization) and Mantas (a world leader in anti-money laundering software solutions, now part of the Oracle Group).
Ajay Wahi has a rich, diversified experience running organizations and the implementation of long-term strategies. He has also occupied positions as Sales Director and Technical Director, and has managed teams in finance and human resources.