Laurens Van Den Oever

VP Sales I Boost visitor growth I Travel & Tourism I CURA Nature Lodging

Paterna, Valencian Community, Spain

About

Travel is transformation. I'm intrigued by the power and potential of data analytics transforming the travel ecosystem. My professional background is building B2B intelligence solutions and currency models across industries including retail, technology, media & entertainment, fashion and Travel & Hospitality. I lead my teams to decipher, develop and deliver meaningful insights in a mix of industry expertise, localised knowledge and data-driven decision tools. What drives me is entrepreneurship, curiosity and an obsession to deliver new perspectives and strategies for the companies that I engage with. I'm inspired by new promises technology brings, using my skills as an insighteer and trusted advisor. Key personal ingredients: optimism, enthusiasm and energy. My specialist area is "predictive traveller intelligence" - using the integration of data sources to better understand and anticipate future travel demand. My strengths lie in strategic business development, service marketing and to coach & empower cross-cultural teams to move mountains and making a difference. I'm a frequent speaker at industry events to deliver global perspectives on the dynamics of travelers, supported by bigdata travel analytics.

Experience

  • VP Sales, Destinations & More at Amadeus
    Mar 2025 - Present · 1 yr 5 mos

  • Co-Founder at ´Cura´ - nature retreat & lodging at Self-employed
    Feb 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

  • ForwardKeys (Valencia, Spain)
    • Chief Commercial Officer
      Feb 2020 - Nov 2025 · 5 yrs 10 mos

    • Chief Marketing Officer
      Aug 2016 - Feb 2020 · 3 yrs 7 mos

      ForwardKeys helps to understand who will be traveling tomorrow. Our services are used by companies operating in the travel ecosystem to better anticipate future demand and to respond to market volatility. We monitor realtime sources of traveller-related data including global flight booking transactions and use advanced machine learning algorithms to obtain models that explain and predict traveller trends. I'm responsible for all global functions including marketing strategy, product development and marketing communications.

  • GfK (12 yrs 6 mos)
    • Global Industry Head, Travel & Hospitality
      Jan 2014 - Jun 2016 · 2 yrs 6 mos

      Responsible for the development of a new industry vertical for GfK to serve the research needs for Travel & Hospitality markets globally. Leading and building cross-cultural teams, connecting businesses and people. Shaping opportunities whilst adapting the GfK portfolio to serve industry specific segments, such as Travel Retail, Destinations, Hotels, Airlines, Airports and Touroperators. Position GfK as the prefered industry currency.

    • Global Director
      Jan 2011 - Dec 2013 · 3 yrs

      Responsible for setting up GfK's POS tracking services for Travel & Fashion markets. Working in direct partnership with retailers & manufacturers to provide market intelligence based on purchase transactions. Managing a global team of data scientist turning Bigdata into Smart insights.

    • Commercial Director
      Jan 2007 - Dec 2010 · 4 yrs

      Commercial P&L responsibility for fifteen industry verticals and their key client groups in retail and manufacturing - increased sales by >20% and launched new (digital) markets to extend services in developing GfK industries. Strenghtened visibility and c-suite awareness of GfK by thought leadership and marketing positioning.

  • Account Executive at Business News Americas
    Jul 2002 - Dec 2003 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Lead generation and key account servicing for the Santiago de Chile based online news agency, covering latin america's business news on telecoms and technology markets