Last updated: 9:00 PM ET, Fri June 27, 2025
WHY IT RATES: Emerging Travel Group appointed Astrid Kastberg as Managing Director of RateHawk, focusing on expanding the B2B division globally, while leveraging her experience in travel tech for sustainable growth. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor
Emerging Travel Group, a global travel tech company operating the brands RateHawk, ZenHotels, and Roundtrip, has announced a strategic senior-level appointment to its B2B team.
Astrid Kastberg joins the company as the Managing Director of RateHawk, a B2B booking system for travel professionals in over 120 countries. In her new role, Astrid will lead and expand the B2B division, which currently empowers the global network of over 110,000 retail partners and more than 1,100 API partners. Based in Dubai, she will oversee the full development of business strategy — including commercial, product, marketing, and support functions, while managing a multifunctional global team.
Astrid joins Emerging Travel Group with decades of experience in travel management and technology across the EMEA Region. Most recently, Astrid held the role of General Manager at Yalago, a global leisure wholesaler, where she oversaw the company’s international expansion and business growth strategy. Over the last 10 years, she has held several other roles related to travel management and technology at Juniper and Hotelbeds.
Ilya Kravtsov, Chief Commercial Officer of Emerging Travel Group, comments: “This newly introduced senior role marks a significant step in RateHawk’s continued global expansion and organizational development. Over the past few years, our business has scaled up rapidly, achieving strong market penetration across regions from Asia to North America. This role is focused on maintaining that growth pace and consolidating the efforts of 500 commercial specialists within the B2B business unit. Astrid is uniquely equipped to build on the momentum the team has already created and take it to the next level. She’s a leader who balances visionary thinking with hands-on execution, and I have every confidence she’ll unlock the full potential of RateHawk.”
Commenting on her new role, Astrid Kastberg says: “I’m thrilled to join the ambitious team at Emerging Travel Group at such a pivotal moment. Together with the talented RateHawk team, we share a strong commitment to innovation and customer value, all to create an empowering environment for travel professionals to thrive. I look forward to leveraging my global experience to drive sustainable growth for the company and, together with the team, we will lead the future of the industry.”
In 2024, Emerging Travel Group hit a new milestone of $3.7 billion gross transaction value, with RateHawk as a major growth driver. RateHawk’s net booking value increased by 1,8 times compared to 2023, while the number of bookings saw a 67% growth on a global scale.
Emerging Travel Group employs more than 3,600 people across 80 countries with offices in Dubai, Wilmington, Singapore, London, Berlin, Lisbon, Warsaw, and Limassol.
SOURCE: RateHawk press release
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