Virtuoso Makes New Executive Leadership Appointments

Last updated: 8:10 PM ET, Wed October 4, 2023

WHY IT RATES: Travel industry leaders join the team at Virtuoso to lead marketing, finance and global partner relations. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor


Virtuoso, the leading global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel, has welcomed three new seasoned executives into key positions. Sean Murphy assumed the role of vice president, product marketing and strategy; Michael Moten joined the team as vice president, finance and accounting; and Rakesh Dewan was named vice president, global partner relations.

Murphy comes to Virtuoso as an award-winning marketing executive with a deep background in luxury travel and lifestyle marketing. As vice president, product marketing and strategy, Murphy leads Virtuoso’s Product Marketing team in developing and executing effective marketing strategies that drive the success of the network’s products, capture market share and grow revenue in collaboration with the Sales and Product teams. Most recently, Murphy held the position of senior managing director with Pace Communications, a renowned integrated marketing agency, working with high-profile clients including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, PepsiCo, Verizon and more. He also previously served as the creative head of TripAdvisor’s luxury travel booking site, Jetsetter, where he helped shape the brand vision with his keen understanding of what motivates and engages luxury travelers, as well as held leadership roles with American Express Publishing and Hearst Magazines’ Integrated Media division and Custom Publishing.

Moten has served as an operational leader for financial teams across five industries, including a Fortune 10 company. At Virtuoso, he is responsible for orchestrating the company’s financial and accounting functions, including comprehensive financial forecasting, budgeting and reporting, as well as leading the Finance and Accounting teams. His most recent role was with Mattamy Corporation, the largest private homebuilder in North America, where he led a strategy that increased the company’s revenue in its Dallas, Texas, division by 393 percent in three years. Moten’s additional experience includes similar positions at PulteGroup, Americold Logistics, Carestream Health and General Motors.

Dewan brings a global mindset and vast experience in travel and tourism to his role within Virtuoso. Responsible for leading the Global Partner Relations team in managing partner relationships, further developing Virtuoso’s preferred partner portfolio and ensuring partner success by increasing engagement and satisfaction with the network’s products and services, he is instrumental in generating sales strategies for key partner accounts. Prior to joining Virtuoso, Dewan held executive positions at TripArc, CIE Tours International, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Tauck, where he successfully launched Tauck river cruising along with leading global product strategy as vice president, worldwide operations.

Murphy offices from Tarrytown, New York, and reports to Senior Vice President of Marketing Helen McCabe-Young. Moten reports from Virtuoso’s office in Fort Worth, Texas, to Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Intelligence Mike McCown. Dewan works from Naples, Florida, and reports to Senior Vice President of Sales & Partnerships Cory Hagopian.


SOURCE: Virtuoso press release. 


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