Welcome Pickups is happy to announce their team expansion with the addition of their Operations Director, Thomas Kountouris. 

Thomas brings with him more than 18 years of business and operations experience in the technology industry. With an academic background that includes a MSc in Money Finance and Investment from Brunel University in UK and an undergraduate degree in Economics for Business from the University of Westminster in UK, Thomas went on to work for companies such as Accenture, Velti PLC, Deloitte and two promising greek startups, Forky and Beat (acquired by Daimler).

Thomas headed up the Operations & Logistics for Beat, where he successfully launched Beat’s Hospitality Business Model and within a year helped make it one of the most successful hospitality mobility businesses, before joining Welcome as Operations Director, based in Athens, Greece.

With strong leadership skills and huge excitement to meet Welcome’s goals, Thomas will play a key role in meeting the company’s growth targets as well as building on the company’s stellar reputation for delivering outstanding services to travelers.

Alex Trimis, Co-Founder, and CEO at Welcome said: 

“We are thrilled to have Thomas on board. With a goal to launch in more than 100 destinations in 2020, triple the number of travelers served, and kickstart global travel partnerships, we need strong and capable people to join the integral department of Operations. We believe that with Thomas’ leadership we can expect a great 2020 with hundreds of thousands of travelers experiencing the exceptional service of Welcome.”

Thomas Kountouris added: 

“Mobility services and transportation industry, in general, will change the way we move in the upcoming years. It is for sure one of the most interesting fields with a lot of room for technological excellence on services provided. “Welcome” is a Greek startup with an international presence that goes beyond simple transfer, offering an end-to-end welcoming experience. “Welcome” expands quickly on Global level and I would like to contribute with my experience and be a part of this creative professional journey.”

More information about Welcome

Founded in 2015 in Athens, Greece, Welcome Pickups goes above and beyond the commoditized transfer service. It was the first company to deliver a complete, in-destination travel experience. From the moment a traveler arrives at a new destination, until their return journey home, Welcome Pickups accommodates all their travel needs (transfers, travel products, activities, information) in the easiest, friendliest and most personalized way possible. As a highly customer-rated travel brand, Welcome Pickups has become the new standard for in-destination travel services.

Savvas Georgiou, Co-Founder, and CPO said: 

“We have a winning combination of excellent staff and adequate funding to scale our product through partnerships with hotels, bnb hosts, property tech companies. We believe that every traveler deserves the warmest Welcome Pickups experience. We are dedicated to making our services as accessible and integrated as it gets in the travel tech industry.”

Until now the company has serviced over 1 million travelers in 43 destinations. Welcome Pickups has grown strongly and now employs a team of 75 people, mainly in Athens and Barcelona. Consistent with its mission to redefine the in-destination travel experience, Welcome is set to operate in 60 destinations by the end of 2019.