Last Wednesday, April 4, marks the last day for Jens Uwe Parkitny at Expedia, the organization that changed travel all those years ago.

Parkitny (right), managing director of Expedia Affiliate Network, Asia Pacific, for the last 3.5 years speaks to WIT about his journey with the global brand which brought him to Hong Kong from Germany.

Q: 15 years with Expedia and moving on – how does it feel to leave a company that changed travel?

I recall my first day at Microsoft Expedia on February 1 in 1997. I thought, 'wow, what a window of opportunity'.

Eventually Expedia transformed an entire industry and empowered consumers to compare information and prices online so they can make smarter choices when booking hotels, flights and destination services.

Being able to influence this transformation process for so long with the company which became the category leader was a once in a life time opportunity and I am very grateful for it.

Based on the feedback I received from colleagues and industry partners when informing them about my decision, I seem to leave a solid legacy behind and that makes me feel very good and a bit proud, too.

Q: You were VP & MD for Germany and then moved to Hong Kong to run Expedia Affiliate Network – what were the key learning points you made with the move to Asia?

No matter whether you build a B2C or a B2B in the region, it is so much harder to scale than compared to a single market.

It requires investments into local teams, payment options, customization and translations into local Asian languages. The more complex the technology and the product or service you offer, the harder it is to reach scale in a non-homogeneous market environment. It also requires laser-focus and execution discipline.

That might sound very general but from what I have seen in the markets, that's the simple truth many smaller and larger companies struggle with.

Full story:

www.webintravel.com//news/focus-execution-people--ingredients-for-success-says-parkitny_3109