Exclusive: Online travel agent Via.com has appointed V Swaminathan as its new CEO starting January 2013, Swaminathan has confirmed to MediaNama. Prior to this appointment, Swaminathan was COO of Via.com. Prior to joining Via, he has also worked with Sabre Holdings and TT Services. Meanwhile, Via founder and erstwhile CEO Vinay Gupta has been promoted to the role of Chairman at Via. Gupta served as CEO at Via from 2005 to 2012. In January 2013, Via acquired online travel package booking site Travelmasti.com for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition brings travel packages to its offerings at Via.com (formerly flightraja.com). Previously, Via.com had added a rather odd startup to its portfolio by acquiring Lifemojo, a wellness products focused e-commerce startup. At that time we had noted that Lifemojo’s acquisition by Via looked rather odd, because there wasn't much of a fit between the two companies. Founded by Vinay Gupta and Amit Aggarwal in 2006, Via.com is a travel aggregator with more than 20,000 partners across 1,000 cities in India.
