ATLAS TRAVEL AND TECHNOLOGY - Key Persons
An experienced corporate CFO and licensed CPA with more than thirty years of diverse industry exposure, John heads up our Finance department. Before joining our team, John was CFO of Garber Travel, subsequently acquired by FCm Travel Solutions, where as a member of the Executive Committee he utilized his skills to help shape strategy for this travel business. Previously, John was in charge of the U.S. corporate office for Kidde plc, a London-based international fire protection company. In this leadership role, John acquired extensive international experience in managing the group's treasury, tax, risk management and reporting functions as well as integrating many acquisitions and mergers. He was awarded Kidde plc's "Best Corporate Citizen" award in 2005. His eighteen years at Kidde, and before that as Assistant Controller of Fisons Corporation and auditor at one of the Big Four, gave him exposure to companies in the fire protection, paint, security, hardware, plastics and pharmaceutical industries.
John holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Boston College, is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and sits on the Board of Trustees of Harmon Apartments, an independent, accessible and mixed-income apartment community serving adults living with physical disabilities including those that are progressively degenerative. He also volunteers at the St. Vincent DePaul Society affiliated with his church.
Lea Cahill is Atlas Travel & Technology Group's President, responsible for leading the company's multi-national business operations, executing business strategy and ensuring operational excellence company-wide. In addition, She is a member of the executive team of Atlas Travel and Prime Numbers Technology.
Prior to joining Atlas Travel in April 2012, Lea directed corporate product definition & design for Amadeus North America, a position she held since 2009. In this role she was instrumental in North American product management & development, solution concept to execution, and the innovative application of technologies. Amadeus is a leading global distribution company utilizing innovative software to support a wide range of travel products for airline, hotel and travel agency customers.
From 1984 to 2009, Lea's career evolved within a multi-national travel management company where she experienced a 360 degree view of travel management, steadily increasing her responsibilities from intern to leading operations and ultimately travel technology in corporate, leisure and meetings management. As Vice President, Travel Technology & Operations she was responsible for branch administration & operations, online booking & e-commerce, hotel and meeting solutions, and training. Earlier in her career, she worked with a variety of customer verticals ranging from defense contractors, pharmaceutical, investment banking and law firms. As a certified travel consultant and meeting professional, Lea led special teams supporting initiatives including presidential campaign, professional athletics, trade show, and event travel.
A native of Massachusetts, Lea holds a degree in travel and tourism from Becker College and her meeting certification from Bentley University. She is a lifetime member, and past 2nd Vice President of the Lowell General Hospital Auxiliary board, as well as an active member of WINiT (Women in Travel). She is based out of the Atlas Travel headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
As part of Atlas Travel & Technology Group's executive team, Melissa Pride-Fahs is responsible for driving demand generation, product marketing, public relations and corporate communication strategies across all brands and divisions of the travel management company.
With more than two decades of marketing leadership experience, Melissa most recently served as President of Emerge Marketing, Inc., where she was charged with mapping architecture for clients to develop strategic campaigns and funnels that amplified customer engagement, acquisition and retention. Previous to that, Pride-Fahs led the marketing teams for the three international brands of Destination Weddings Travel Group, as well as serving as the Director of Marketing for the United States Tennis Association, New England.
Melissa holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of New Hampshire. In her volunteer and leadership endeavors, Melissa currently serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for social services non-profit Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, is an elected town meeting member and an Officer of the Hannah Kane Charitable Foundation. In 2015, she received the Worcester Business Journal's "40 Under Forty" Award and has held past positions as a Commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and Board Member for quasi-public workforce development agency, Commonwealth Corporation.