Key leadership changes at Khiri as Niemeijer focuses on Yaana Ventures; Hoven to become CEO

From left: Niemeijer, Hoven and Willemsen

Khiri Travel has announced several senior executive changes, with CEO Willem Niemeijer moving into the non-operational responsibility of chairman to focus full time on his current role as CEO of Yaana Ventures, Khiri’s parent company.

Effective July 1, Herman Hoven will become the new CEO of Khiri Travel. Hoven, who has been with Khiri for five years, is currently general manager of Khiri Travel Indonesia.

With Niemeijer (far left) devoting full time focus to being CEO of Yaana, new CEO Hoven (middle) will work closely with Willemsen to lead Khiri

Prior to his current role in Khiri, Hoven served as branch manager for Khiri Travel Indonesia 2014-15 in Yogyakarta, then as general manager from 2015 in Lombok, then Bali. Over his 18 years in the travel industry, Hoven has also served as a resident manager at a resort in Phuket, in the cruise services and hotel sector in The Netherlands and as a winter sports guide in Austria.

“Herman (Hoven) will bring new energy and a full-time focus to leading Khiri Travel,” Niemeijer said. “He has a proven track record in creating great travel experiences, is service-minded and a caring leader with strong cross-cultural skills.”

“Khiri management and staff will be empowered to take their passion for discovery to new heights, which will be evident in continuous innovation of product, service delivery and sustainability.”

Expressing excitement to lead Khiri teams around Asia, Hoven said: “The aim is to grow our reputation for innovation and authenticity in responsible tourism.”

Hoven will work closely with Keagan Willemsen, who will become CFO on July 1. Willemsen has been Khiri Travel’s international efficiency head for over a year. His experience include serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in eastern Ukraine, studying consumption and development patterns in emerging economies, and working for international development companies.

Richard Brouwer will continue as chief commercial officer of Khiri Travel, which was founded by Niemeijer in 1993 and now has over 200 staff in 17 offices in seven countries in Asia.

Meanwhile, founder Niemeijer will devote his energies full time to Yaana Ventures, where he and CFO Mark Remijan are developing new projects in the responsible tourism and hospitality sphere.

Apart from Khiri Travel, Yaana Ventures includes Cardamom Tented Camp in Cambodia; Anurak Lodge in southern Thailand; Ground Asia, which creates education travel programs for students; and Visama Lodges, a turn-key solution for luxury eco-lodges in remote parts of Asia.

“I’m very proud of what the team at Khiri Travel has achieved in the past 26 years, and confident that Herman, Richard and Keagan will continue to add many more years of growth and success to Khiri Travel’s triple-bottom line,” said Niemeijer. “These are exciting times for all of us.”

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