ITA Group Holdings CEO Tom Mahoney to Retire, Remain on Board

ITA Group Holdings, Inc. has announced that Tom Mahoney will retire as Chief Executive Officer effective August 31, 2019. President, Brent Vander Waal has been named CEO.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, May 1, 2019 — ITA Group Holdings, Inc. has announced that Tom Mahoney will retire as Chief Executive Officer effective August 31, 2019. He will remain the Board of Directors Chairman and work with the boards of ITA Group Holdings, Inc. subsidiaries Chadwick Martin Bailey and Hartmann Studios to ensure a successful transition of leadership. Mahoney has been with the organization since 1987 and has served as CEO since 2009.

“I look back on my 32 years with ITA Group and I'm filled with emotion and pride,” said Mahoney. “The enterprise has a team of passionate employee-owners working together to stay ahead of a rapidly changing marketplace and deliver remarkable customer experiences with measurable results. We've become an industry leader known for smart and compassionate individuals who are inspired by the challenges that come with change, always believing tomorrow will be better than today.”

Current ITA Group President and Chief Operating Officer Brent Vander Waal will become President and CEO of ITA Group Holdings, Inc., effective September 1, 2019. With more than 20 years of company tenure, his outstanding leadership skills, strong business acumen and passion for the team uniquely qualify Vander Waal to take on the responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer.

“I’d like to acknowledge Tom for all of his contributions in positioning ITA Group for the future,” said Vander Waal. “Through his vision and leadership, we have expanded our capabilities to better serve our clients. In addition, his ability to develop our team members has created more depth and expertise across the organization. Our continued focus will be to intimately understand our clients’ needs and support their initiatives with expertise and value-driven strategies. I look forward to building upon the ITA Group legacy of serving our clients and helping them achieve their business objectives.”

In addition, the collective leadership team composed of Rob Danna (Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing), Jason Katcher (Vice President and Chief Information Officer), CJ Jacobson (Vice President, People and Culture), Carrie Valster (Vice President, Client Services), Sarah Haines (Vice President, Event Management), Tim Heaston (Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) and Maura McCarthy (Vice President, Communication Solutions) are highly capable, and will leverage their talents and strong senses of responsibility to ensure the long-term financial security of all employee-owners.

Mahoney concluded, “I'm grateful to the individuals who came before us—it's on their shoulders that we built the organization we’ve become. Now it's time for the next generation of leaders to move the enterprise forward and continue the tradition of sustainable, profitable growth for our employee-owners. Please join me in congratulating Brent Vander Waal as he prepares to take on the responsibilities of President and CEO of this great enterprise. The future is bright!”