David Soskin biography

Photograph © Sonal Patel

David Soskin
Non-Executive Director

David Soskin joined the Company as Chief Executive Officer upon the management buy-in with Hugo Burge in March 2000. He was previously at ABN AMRO Corporate Finance, where he was Head of Global Media. He served as Cheapflights’ CEO until 2008 when he became a Non-Executive Director. Under his leadership, Cheapflights grew from an attic-based operation into an award-winning international leader in online travel search; achieved 8.4 million users in January 2008; and was included in The Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track of the UK's 100 fastest-growing privately owned technology companies for five years in a row.

David graduated from the University of Oxford (First Class Honours in Modern History), where he was President of the Oxford Union, and from the Harvard Business School (MBA) where he was a Harkness Fellow. In 1995, David's entrepreneurial achievements were honoured by the European Foundation for Entrepreneurial Research when he was named as one of Europe's 500 most dynamic entrepreneurs. In 2007, David together with Hugo Burge launched HOWZAT Media, an internet investment fund. David is currently Executive Chairman of Swapitshop.com and Vice Chairman of mySupermarket.co.uk.

Hugo Burge biography

Photograph © Sonal Patel

Hugo Burge
Executive Chairman

Hugo Burge became Chairman of Cheapflights in 2009 and serves as an Executive Director. With David Soskin, Hugo co-led Cheapflights’ original management buy-in in March 2000 and has helped grow the company from a three-person attic operation in London into an international leader in travel search. Hugo has held a variety of roles including leading the 2003 launch of Cheapflights US which has become the company’s largest business. Prior to joining Cheapflights, Hugo was an entrepreneur with a background in property investment.

Hugo holds a Degree in Geography from Cambridge University, is a member of the Royal Geographical Society and has a passion for travel. In 2007, together with David Soskin, Hugo co-launched the internet investment fund HOWZAT Media. Investments include WAYN, trivago, TrustedPlaces, CheapToday and academia.edu.

In 2008, Hugo won Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Travel Industry Hall of Fame.

Chris Cuddy biography

Chris Cuddy
Chief Executive Officer

Chris Cuddy joined the Board in October 2005 as Group Managing Director and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in March 2008. He has 20 years of experience in leading technology-driven companies. Chris was previously CEO of the online advertising network, Engage, and his past experience includes roles at CMGI, Computer Sciences Corporation and Goldman Sachs. Chris has also actively been involved in launching high-growth companies and serves on the Screening Committee of Launchpad Venture Group. Chris received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and his BS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering from George Washington University. A long-time flight enthusiast, Chris has a student pilot's license.

Simon Bicket biography

Simon Bicket
Chief Finance Officer

Simon Bicket joined the Company in January 2001 as Director of Finance and Company Secretary and was appointed to the Board in 2005. Simon qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Binder Hamlyn in 1982. He is also a Sloan Fellow of the London Business School (1988). After leaving Binder Hamlyn in 1985, he has worked in finance and general management roles; initially for a diversified transport group in its aviation and road transport divisions and after 1993 for an engineering company, Rexson Systems, where he led the management buy-out in 1996. Simon has overseen the financial control of the company during its period of domestic and its continuing international expansion.

Liane Hornsey biography

Liane Hornsey
Consultant

Liane has been associated with Cheapflights since May 2008. Liane has 20 years’ working experience across Sales, Marketing and HR and is currently Google’s Director of People Operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Past experience includes Group HR Director for Lastminute.com and NTL (now Virgin Media) and she has worked in a variety of roles at Bertelsmann Music Group and British Telecom.

John Hatt biography

John Hatt
Founder

John Hatt founded Cheapflights Limited in 1996 after ten years as Travel Editor of Harper's & Queen. John was for a number of years a Consultant Editor of Condé Nast Traveller. John has previously worked for the publisher Constable and after travelling extensively in Africa, Asia and the United States he wrote the Tropical Traveller, which went into three editions. John also ran his own publishing company, Eland, specialising in travel literature. He was educated at Oxford University.

Rick Medlock biography

Rick Medlock
Non-Executive Director

Rick Medlock was appointed a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Cheapflights' Board of Directors in May 2008. Rick is currently Chief Financial Officer of Inmarsat Plc, the LSE-listed mobile satellite communications company. His previous roles include CFO of NDS, the leading pay-TV technology company, and CFO of Policy Management Systems, a leading insurance software provider. He also chairs the Audit Committee and is a Non-Executive Director of Thus plc, the alternative network telecom operator. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Rick qualified with Arthur Andersen in 1985. He graduated in 1982 from St John’s College, Cambridge, with a BA in Economics.

Mohini Bulbrook biography

Mohini Bulbrook
Director and Head of International Development

Mohini (Mo) Bulbrook joined the Company in 2001. She has almost 20 years' experience in distribution, marketing and sales in the travel industry and her previous roles included Product and Marketing Manager at Flight Centre UK and Product Manager with STA Travel Australia. In May 2003, she helped set up the Company's Boston office and launched the Company's US website. In April 2007, Mo launched the Company's Canadian website followed by Cheapflights’ German site in 2008 and the Australia and New Zealand site in 2009. Mo graduated from the University of Hertfordshire.