New managing director named at Evolvi Rail Systems

Darren Williams has been named the new managing director of rail booking platform Evolvi. He will join the company in August and take over from Andrew Cantrell who will retire after 17 years with the company following a transition period.

Williams joins Evolvi from ground transport consolidator Omio, where he served as commercial director based in Berlin, and has previously headed up UK and international sales at Eurostar.

The b2b booking tool for UK rail is used by many travel management companies and was part of the deal that saw Portman Travel Group-owned Clarity Business Travel acquire Agiito from Capita last year.

“Evolvi is an exciting part of our acquisition strategy and one in which we will continue to invest and support. Darren brings a wealth of experience, from both domestic and international rail and we are pleased to be welcoming Darren to Evolvi and the wider PTG family,” said Redmond Walsh, group CEO of Portman Travel Group.

Walsh added: “I would like to thank Andrew for his many years of contribution to the business and the wider rail industry. Andrew has steered the business flawlessly through significant industry change and the recent acquisition. Andrew is leaving the business in very capable hands with Darren, and on behalf of the business, I wish Andrew the very best.”

Evolvi is operated independently of Clarity whose CEO, Pat McDonagh, recently told BTN Europe it is looking at adding international rail content to the booking platform. “I
think everybody recognises that is a product gap but it’s one we intend
to close. We also intend to do it in a fashion in which it makes it easy
for our TMC partners to consume it,” said McDonagh.