New Era for Ensemble Continues as David Harris Departs Amid Leadership Changes
by Daniel McCarthy /As Ensemble enters the next phase of its growth plans, the group announced some major personnel moves on Thursday, highlighted by the departure of executive chairman David Harris.
Harris, who led Ensemble through the pandemic, a period that included its acquisition by Navigatr Group, had been with Ensemble since 2019, serving as CEO until May 2022. He will now “transition out of his role” as other changes are made to the group’s executive team, including:
- The addition of Beth Butzlaff, who joins Ensemble as its new senior vice president of global partner relations. Most recently, Butzlaff served as Vice President of Global Partnership Engagement at Global Travel Collection. She also spent 14 years at Virtuoso, including time as Vice President of Global Partner Relations there.
- Jennifer Dzialo, who was serving as Senior Vice President of Partner Relations, is leaving Ensemble to move to its parent company, Navigatr Group, full-time.
- Shelly Ransom is joining Ensemble as the new Vice President of New Agency Business Development, a newly created role for the group. She was most recently at Hyatt, leading the hotel company’s distribution team. Ransom has almost 30 years of experience total in the travel industry, including a decade on the agency side.
- Ron Bentley, who most recently served as Vice President of Member Relations, is joining Ransom in the new area, focusing on agency acquisition.
- Mark Stubbert will now serve as Ensemble’s Vice President of Member Relations. Stubbert previously held similar positions at Travel Edge and Carlson Wagonlit.
In the announcement, Ensemble President Michael Johnson said that the moves are part of building the “new Ensemble,” something that the group has been focused on over the past year.
“This deliberate approach and strategy have already enabled us to deliver an improved and consistent experience to our members and partners alike and with these new team members we are primed to advance Ensemble’s growth and realize our vision of shaping the consortium of the future,” he said.