Selina Enhances Executive Team With Addition of Lena Katz as Chief Technology Officer
Selina, a fast-growing lifestyle and experiential hospitality brand targeting Millennial and Gen Z travelers, is pleased to announce that Lena Katz has joined its executive team as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Katz reports to Selina’s co-founder and CEO, Rafael Museri, and is responsible for overseeing Selina’s technology roadmap and innovation initiatives including product development.
Katz joins Selina with extensive technology experience as well as a proven track record in software engineering, infrastructure, development and security. During her 20-year career, Katz has established and led global research and development groups and created large-scale SaaS products for high-growth startups and established enterprises. Most recently, she worked at Israel-based ridesharing company Gett, where she served as Vice President, Research & Development at Gett Delivery. In this role, Katz provided solutions for B2B and B2C clients for last-mile deliveries based on algorithms and route optimization technologies.
“As a proven product and technology leader, and a traveler herself, Lena brings the requisite skills, knowledge and vision to this important role,” said Museri. “We continue to experience strong momentum across all elements of our business and adding a strong technology executive of Lena’s caliber will help ensure our technological capabilities are scaling in line with the rapid growth of our community and global hotel network. We are confident Lena’s insights and entrepreneurial mindset will enhance our product offering and drive strong business performance.”
Prior to her time at Gett, Katz worked at enterprises such as Hewlett Packard, Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) MBT Space Division and the Israeli Military Intelligence. Katz received her Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Holon Institute of Technology.
“I’m excited to join Selina at this critical stage in the company’s evolution,” said Katz. “The opportunity to build amazing products with great engineering as well as shape Selina’s tech culture and improve its competitive advantages with advanced technology is tremendous. I look forward to working with this talented team to further strengthen Selina’s unique value proposition and help people build lasting connections by delivering wonderful experiences.”
Katz is the latest highly experienced executive to join Selina’s leadership team as the company prepares to accelerate its multi-year growth plan, which includes expanding its global network of hotels as well as introducing new products and brand partnerships. In addition to promoting Steven Ohayon to Head of Strategy, the company recently announced the appointments of Sam Khazary as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Corporate Development and Eyal Amzallag as Chief Operations Officer.