ARLINGTON, Virginia—Knowland, AI-powered meetings and events data provider for the hospitality industry, has appointed Jeff Bzdawka, former senior vice president of global hotel technology for Hyatt Hotels, as its chief executive officer.
Lance Fenton, partner at Serent Capital, said, “Jeff is an exceptional technology leader and we’re excited to bring his knowledge and leadership to Knowland. His track record of building customer-focused solutions, scaling teams, and driving growth will be essential as Knowland continues to grow and advance.”
Meeting volume is growing as hotels, conference centers, and other event venues are emerging from the pandemic. Knowland will help the industry rebuild group business and regain profitability, and it will also leverage Bzdawka’s hotel perspective to lead the company through its next phase of growth. In this position, Bzdawka will be:
- Advancing group business data—As meetings and events regain footing, hoteliers require insight to identify the right business fit for their property and smaller sales teams. Coming from a global hotel brand, Bzdawka understands the resource limitations at the property level and the demands for productivity and performance improvement.
- Leveraging global hotel technology—Bzdawka brings a wealth of hospitality experience to the Knowland team. His career at Hyatt has spanned over 20 years in technology and operations roles. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of global hotel technology, and he was responsible for establishing and executing the portfolio roadmap of technology deployed at Hyatt’s hotels. Prior to his last Hyatt role, he was chief operating officer at TravelClick, leading a team serving 30,000 customers across 140 countries. He also held executive roles with Pegasus Solutions, managing diverse organizations including Financial Services and Global Service Delivery.
- Growing and developing employees—His leadership background and business philosophy will guide the establishment of solid relationships between customer and colleague care, as well as accelerated delivery against a strong product roadmap. Bzdawka is committed to tapping into the resilience and enthusiasm of his team as they work to take Knowland into its next stage of growth and technological advancement.
Jeff Bzdawka, CEO, Knowland, said, “I am thrilled to join the Knowland team as its CEO. Knowland has a solid foundation on which to grow, and our value proposition is even stronger today as we exit the pandemic. Full recovery for the industry will not occur until hotels can realize the profitability impact from the return of meetings and events at a substantial level. Knowland is positioned to enable that recovery and I am excited to take the company forward into a new era.”
