Philip Åkesson Email & Phone Number

Lagos, Nigeria

The TravelLab Group (TLG) is an Africa focused travel group. The group’s portfolio includes market leaders in both the Flight and Accommodation segments, including Travelstart, SafariNow, ClubTravel and NightsBridge. The group is backed by Amadeus Capital and HarbourVest.The role is focused on buy side and sell side M&A.

Lagos & Cape Town

Founded in Sweden in 1999 as one of Scandinavia's first online travel agencies, Travelstart today is the market leader in Africa and the mother brand within the TLG Group.As the CEO of the Travelstart brand, I was responsible for the strategic direction and the P&Ls of our markets in Africa and the Middle East. My primary focus was on the transformation of our business, adapting it to the new world of Covid. The transformation was largely based on identifying synergies between our group's entities to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Lagos, Nigeria

Shortly after joining as the Country Manager in Nigeria, the country endured its worst recessions in 25 years seeing the currency depreciate by ~30%. Mandated to lead a business turnaround in these circumstances, a new go-to-market strategy was crafted based on proprietary market research and tailored to suit the local market. Despite the challenging macro environment, the new team managed to grow the business by 5x, turn it EBITDA positive and establish Travelstart as a leading travel brand in Nigeria winning multiple local awards as the ‘Best Agency’ and ‘Travel Agency Of The Year’ within the first three years.The scope of the turnaround and growth initiatives included:• Design and execute a new go-to-market strategy anchored in market research and competitive intelligence; tailored to suit the unique dynamics of the local market.• Recruit and train a new team (from 20 to 56 staff), streamline operations and build a strong, progressive, data driven and customer centric culture.• Establish relationships with airlines, industry stakeholders and regulators to secure necessary licensing and regulatory compliance.• Deploy a nationwide localized online/offline marketing campaign amplified by strategic partnerships with airlines and partners such as Uber, Visa and Mastercard.• Source and evaluate local M&A opportunities.

Lagos, Nigeria

As the Honorary Consul, I support the Swedish Embassy in their mission to promote trade and cultural exchange between Sweden and Nigeria, and assist Swedish citizens on the ground in Lagos with consular matters.

Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria

On the founding team of what rapidly grew to become one of Africa’s largest online marketplaces, with 1,000+ staff and $10m monthly turnover.• Member of the executive management team.• Had a central role in fundraising and investor communication & reporting. Raised $80m in series A-C from Kinnevik and MIH/Naspers.• Built and lead the company's Business Intelligence unit.• Negotiated and signed strategic partnership agreements with multinational media companies, financial institutions and telcos.

Lagos, Nigeria

Took on a wide range of roles associated with launching a start-up, but was primarily responsible for building Konga’s logistics platform, order fulfillment and inventory management.

Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq

Produced a comprehensive report focusing on Iraq's oil and gas sector for Business Sweden (then: the "Swedish Trade Council") and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aiming to identify lucrative business opportunities for Swedish companies. Conducted in-depth market analysis, organized seminars, and provided guidance to Swedish companies interested in exploring business prospects in Iraq.

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden

Interned at MyCityDeal, a Rocket Internet GmbH venture later acquired by Groupon, as one of the pioneering team members in the Nordic head office. Led the design, implementation, and oversight of key operational processes during Groupon's successful market entry in the Nordics (Den/Fin/Nor/Swe). Contributed to a Europe-wide rollout, spanning 80 cities in 16 countries. Collaborated closely with local teams on-site to drive the seamless launch of each market.