Phil Cappelli Steps Down as Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold USA President
by Jessica Montevago
Phil Cappelli served as president for the past five years.
Phil Cappelli is stepping down as president of Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold USA in order to spend more time with his family, and will be succeeded by Jon Grutzner, effective May 31, 2018.
Grutzner will work alongside Cappelli, who served as president for the past five years, until the end of May. Cappelli oversaw over 40 percent growth of the U.S. business during his tenure, and capped off 2017 with Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold’s best year ever in the states.
“Reaching this decision to leave has been very difficult for me and it was made with an abundance of consideration and diligence. The decision came from a personal desire to spend more time with my family and, ultimately, to reduce my travel schedule,” Cappelli said in a statement.
Effective Apr. 26, 2018, Grutzner will relocate to Rye, New York, and will report to Global CEO Ulla Hefel Böhler. He will work closely with Richard Launder, president of TTC USA, as a member of The Travel Corporation’s USA executive team.
For the past six years, Grutzner served as director of sales at Azamara Club Cruises. He has also held prior management roles with Collette Vacations, Reader’s Digest and Carlson Leisure Group.
Jon Grutzner will take over as president effective May 31.
“I am humbled to follow in Phil’s footsteps and to work with the outstanding team of sales professionals serving our travel agent partners for Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold,” Grutzner said, adding he will continue to work to be one of the finest trade partners and help travel advisors source more high-value guests.
Hefel Böhler, too, looks to build on Cappelli’s strong trade relationships. “Phil has built outstanding travel partner relationships and a remarkable team of talented and passionate individuals who are poised to take the brands into the future under Jon’s new leadership,” she said.
Looking back on his time at the helm of the two brands, Cappelli said: “We have grown the business in the crowded travel space and we are on track to have the company’s best passenger and revenue numbers ever in 2018. I’m most proud of the team that we assembled during my tenure. I leave Jon Grutzner with a talented, hard-working group of dedicated, talented professionals who are ready to grow the company to the next level.”
