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Jerry Galant - Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Galant is a financial executive with over 30 years of travel industry experience, ranging from start-ups to large multi-national corporations. After graduating from Harvard with an MBA, he began his career in corporate finance at Goldman Sachs.
During his tenure with Sabre Group, he managed the financial planning and analysis for a $1.5 billion division of American Airlines and operated a variety of information services business on a worldwide basis. He established and directed a European finance organization responsible for planning, analysis, billing, collections, contracts and administration in 18 European countries. He managed the preparation of a five-year financial plan and business valuation model used in partnering discussions and to assess the fit of potential business alliances as well as leading a effort to develop a new strategic plan for the Sabre Group, resulting in a clear and focused direction for the company and improved financial performance. Mr. Galant instituted financial controls, profitability planning and cost reduction initiatives that turned around the European division from a $20 million annual loss to profitability in two years.
As the Chief Financial Officer of Pegasus Solutions, the leading provider of transaction services and e-commerce solutions to the hotel industry, Mr. Galant led the Company’s Initial Public Offering in 1997, raising $50 million, and follow-on offerings raising an additional $90 million plus secondary shares sold valued at $40 million. He served as the primary contact with Pegasus’ institutional investors, ran investor relations efforts including the Company’s annual report, quarterly earnings releases, conference calls, investor presentations and road shows. He managed all financial aspects of the Company’s growth from a $16 million (revenues) privately held company to a $200 million (revenues) public company. During that time, Pegasus grew from 80 employees in two offices to over 2,000 employees in 35 offices around the world. Mr. Galant was responsible for the supervision of a financial staff of 160 performing controllership, treasury, financial planning, tax and billing services around the world. He also negotiated various complementary acquisitions, the divestiture of a $12 million (revenues) non-core business and directed all financial elements of the Company’s $210 million cash and stock acquisition of RezSolutions, Inc. | 