Emerging Travel Group appoint new lead for RateHawk

Astrid Kastberg joins the company as Managing Director

Emerging Travel Group, which operates RateHawk, ZenHotels and Roundtrip, has boosted its ranks by appointing Astrid Kastberg as Managing Director of RateHawk.

In her new role, Kastberg will lead and expand the B2B division, which currently empowers the global network of over 110,000 retail partners and more than 1,100 API partners. 

Based in Dubai, she will oversee the full development of business strategy, including commercial, product, marketing, and support functions, while managing a multifunctional global team.

She joins Emerging Travel Group with decades of experience in travel management and technology across the EMEA Region. 

Most recently, Kastberg held the role of General Manager at Yalago, a global leisure wholesaler, where she oversaw the company’s international expansion and business growth strategy. 

Over the last 10 years, she has held several other roles related to travel management and technology at Juniper and Hotelbeds.

Ilya Kravtsov, Chief Commercial Officer of Emerging Travel Group, said of the appointment: “This newly introduced senior role marks a significant step in RateHawk’s continued global expansion and organisational development. 

“Over the past few years, our business has scaled up rapidly, achieving strong market penetration across regions from Asia to North America. This role is focused on maintaining that growth pace and consolidating the efforts of 500 commercial specialists within the B2B business unit. 

“Astrid is uniquely equipped to build on the momentum the team has already created and take it to the next level. She’s a leader who balances visionary thinking with hands-on execution, and I have every confidence she’ll unlock the full potential of RateHawk.”

Commenting on her new role, Kastberg added: “I’m thrilled to join the ambitious team at Emerging Travel Group at such a pivotal moment. 

“I look forward to leveraging my global experience to drive sustainable growth for the company and, together with the team, we will lead the future of the industry.”

In 2024, Emerging Travel Group hit a new milestone of $3.7 billion gross transaction value, with RateHawk as a major growth driver. RateHawk’s net booking value increased by 1.8 times compared to 2023, while the number of bookings saw a 67% growth on a global scale. 

Emerging Travel Group employs more than 3,600 people across 80 countries with offices in Dubai, Wilmington, Singapore, London, Berlin, Lisbon, Warsaw and Limassol.