Leadership Change Propels Left’s Purposeful Journey

February 27, 2020
|In Company News, LDR - Biz
|By John Lyotier

Since our establishment in 2010, Left has been known by its slogan ‘We’re Left; we do things right’. Over the years, we’ve  grown, morphed, and pivoted, but we have always remained true to our commitment to use business and technology as a force for good in the world.

This year, as we approach our 10th anniversary, we are consolidating our mission to focus on travel as that force for good. Our Co-Founder and former CMO, John Lyotier, has stepped up to the role of Chief Executive Office to chart our course.

Driven by a firm belief that travel opens minds, breaks down barriers, encourages  peace, and drives economies, John will lead our mission to inspire ‘travel with purpose’.

“Purpose is about determination and intent,” says John, “It’s about understanding that actions have reactions and ensuring you are always doing things for the right reasons.”

John goes on to explain why our renewed focus is on travel: “Travel has always been in Left’s DNA – from the domain names and brands we built out early in our establishment, to the proprietary cloud-based ‘decision engine’ we developed to match travellers with their perfect destinations, to the global travel our team does every year between our offices in Canada and Bangladesh.”

“We know, first-hand, the benefits of travel, and we want to make it easier for all of us to experience them.  But, as a B Corp committed to our motto of ‘doing things right’, we can’t ignore the downsides. Now is the right time for us to focus our attention on using technology in travel as a force for good and to inspire ‘travel with purpose’.”

John’s mission as Left’s CEO is to lead Left through the lens of ‘Sustainable Commerce’ which, explained by John, means “balancing profit and growth with positive social and environmental impact. It means giving back when we gain, so we can all continue to grow.”

Chris Jensen, fellow Left Co-Founder and exiting CEO who has transitioned to Chief Operating Officer, supports John in his new role as CEO.  “John’s track record of growing profitable businesses, along with his unwavering commitment to create meaningful global impact with technology, makes him the right leader for this stage of Left’s evolution”, he states.

Left is the Canadian travel tech company that makes the world a better place by leveraging technology and empowering people to ‘travel with purpose’. Our mission is to increase the benefits and decrease the downsides of travel for people, business, and the planet. Partnering with the world’s largest travel retailers, our flagship brand, Left Travel, matches 5+ million travelers with their dream destinations each year, and our proprietary big data marketing engine, TravelMindTM fuels over $450 million in annual gross travel bookings. One Degree, our newest brand, encourages, recognizes, and rewards eco-friendly accommodations. Established in 2010, Left is a certified B Corporation and was recognized by B Lab as a “Best for the World” in 2019. Left is one of ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ and is repeatedly honoured with awards that recognize us as one of the happiest, most meaningful, and fastest growing travel tech companies in Canada and North America.

John Lyotier
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