Mariano Dima has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Civitatis, the leading online platform for guided tours and activities for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking users. This appointment reinforces the strategy in Latin America, a key market for Civitatis in the coming years.
Mariano Dima brings more than two decades of executive and management experience at some of the world’s most iconic companies, including Visa and Vrbo/Expedia, and serving as an advisor, chairman and board member to several high-growth marketplaces and financial services companies.
This news comes after the investment fund recently announced an additional investment of USD 50 million in Civitatis, as a result of the sale of secondary shares, having originally invested in 2022, to consolidate its position as the leading travel and activities brand for customers throughout Spain and Latin America, with a special focus on Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, where it has been the sales leader for years.
Alberto Gutierrez, the company's founder and CEO, will continue to lead the company. Under Gutierrez's leadership, Civitatis has grown at an exceptional rate, up 50% each year, while maintaining continued strong profitability.
Commenting on the appointment, Gutiérrez said: "We welcome Mariano as the new President of Civitatis. I am delighted and fully convinced that he is the ideal person to take Civitatis to the next level, allowing us to exploit the enormous potential of the Spanish and Portuguese speaking regions, and of the tours and activities category. Much of the market is still offline, but we are changing this rapidly thanks to our technological platform that is committed to quality and constant innovation."
Dima replaces Sophie Bower-Straziota, a partner at Vitruvian for more than ten years and President of Civitatis since June 2022, when the Vitruvian Partners fund joined the company, who will remain on the board of directors.
The Madrid-based company offers more than 90,000 activities in 160 countries, with more than 10 million customers by 2023. Vitruvian Partners is aware that Civitatis’ target market is broad and growing, with some 750 million Spanish and Portuguese speakers worldwide. About Civitatis Civitatis is the leading travel and activities platform in Spanish and Portuguese, with more than 90,000 activities in 4,000 destinations in 160 countries.