Collinson Group Appoints Lars Holmquist as SVP Group Business Development for the Americas

BOSTON, April 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Collinson Group, a world leader in influencing customer behaviour, has appointed Lars Holmquist as SVP, Group Business Development. In this role, Lars will accelerate the further expansion of Collinson Group across the Americas through new business acquisition, taking innovative loyalty and benefits solutions to new clients looking to better acquire, engage and reward their customers.

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Lars has over 25 years of experience working in the travel, loyalty and payments industries holding senior executive positions at TSYS Loyalty, MasterCard, American Express, Brierley & Partners, Loylogic and Cartera Commerce. Lars is a seasoned global citizen, building his career in the U.S., Sweden and Switzerland.

A leader in EMEA and Asia Pacific, this year Collinson Group is increasing investment in both North and South America to capitalise on a number of significant opportunities and existing growth of over 20%. Lars will head up a regional development team to upscale capabilities and bring local market expertise to the benefit of Collinson Group's international client base.

Mark Roper, Global Commercial Director, Collinson Group, said: "Lars has an exceptional track record across the specialist sectors we represent, making him ideally suited to drive our ambitions in the Americas. The U.S. is a thriving market that offers a wealth of opportunities for us to provide products and services to support the needs of our international clients. The growing demand for our products and services, driven by the needs of frequent travellers and high net worth customers, presents clear opportunity for even stronger growth and we look forward to Lars leading our strategic approach across the financial services and travel industries."

Lars said, "The Collinson Group is a world leader in influencing customer behaviour, with a fantastic portfolio of benefits and loyalty solutions. While already well-established in the region, supporting some of the worlds' largest brands from four local offices, there remains huge additional potential. The Group's strategic partnership with Points and recent acquisition of idAlerts, further demonstrates the company's commitment to its clients in the region. I look forward to being a part of Collinson Group's continued success and true global capability."

About Collinson Group 

Collinson Group (http://www.collinsongroup.com) is a global leader in influencing customer behaviour to drive revenue and value for its clients. It offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists across four core capabilities: Loyalty, Lifestyle Benefits, Insurance and Assistance. The group has over 25 years' experience, employing 2,000 staff, servicing over 800 clients from 26 global locations, and managing over 20 million end customers.

The group provides unrivalled insight and expertise around affluent consumers and frequent travellers, creating and delivering products and services that increase engagement, loyalty and value for customers.

Our clients are market leaders from across the globe including: 500 banks internationally, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Barclays, Credit Mutuel, Air France KLM, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels, and Vodafone.

We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception - launching the first independent global VIP lounge access programme, Priority Pass, being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and we created the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.