Nol Universe Co said on the 12th that it has hired Group Head Oliver Libutzki as head of global business to strengthen its global business competitiveness.
Group Head Libutzki will oversee Nol Universe Co's core travel institutional sectors, including overseas accommodation, package tours, T&A (Tour & Activity), and air. He will work to boost synergy among businesses, strengthen product competitiveness, enhance operational efficiency, and establish and execute mid- to long-term global strategies.
He is also set to lead the inbound business, which has shown marked growth recently. With demand from foreign travelers visiting Korea rising amid the spread of K-content, he will draw global travelers to the country and craft business strategies to provide a differentiated Korea travel experience. The company also plans to speed up the expansion of its overseas business network.
Libutzki joined Agoda in its early startup days and handled business development in key regions such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and India. He served as AVP (Associate Vice President), overseeing product procurement and supply and market expansion, and during his time at Agoda, he built a direct contracting framework that secured more than 150,000 direct-contract inventories in the Asia-Pacific region within seven years.
He later took on global expansion roles at Tourlane and Hopper, travel-tech corporations based in Europe and Canada. At Tourlane, he led the digitization and AI transition of end-to-end product supply and booking processes, helping the company establish itself as a leading regional travel-tech company. At Hopper, he served as VP (Vice President) overseeing product supply in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, according to Nol Universe Co, through its inbound-only tourism platform "Nol World" over the past five years, 1.66 million foreigners consumed K-content. Nol World's transaction amount recorded an average annual growth rate of 133%. Customer loyalty also increased, with the number of repeat purchases of two or more rising about eightfold from 2021, and loyal customers who purchased five or more increasing 27-fold.
Oliver Libutzki, group head at Nol Universe Co, said, "I am delighted to join Nol Universe Co, which is rapidly expanding its influence in the global market beyond Korea," adding, "I will be part of the process of innovating Nol Universe Co's global business to deliver differentiated travel experiences to customers around the world."