Agoda appoints Joost Doevelaar as Chief Technology Officer

Agoda, an online travel company, has appointed Mr. Joost Doevelaar as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Agoda Company.

Prior to joining Agoda, Doevelaar served as CTO of MWeb (Thailand), where he was responsible for KSC, one of the largest ISPs in Asia, and Sanook.com, one of Thailand's largest internet portals.

Doevelaar connected with Agoda in 2005 shortly after leaving MWeb - a subsidiary of Naspers - to establish his own consulting practice. In 2006, Doevelaar became a key advisor to the Agoda management team, focusing on architecture and engineering practices. Doevelaar and Agoda worked together to develop real-time systems and infrastructure, necessary to help the company compete with larger players such as Expedia and Zuji.

Robert Rosenstein, Agoda's Chief Operating Officer said, "Our technical ambitions were a natural fit for Joost's aggressive and innovative style. It quickly became clear that there was a full-time role for him. We're delighted to have him spearheading our technology initiatives."

Twenty-five years ago, Doevelaar received his first certification in COBOL programming in the Netherlands and quickly climbed the technical ladder, thanks in part to his strong hands-on programming skills. For MIH-Asia, Doevelaar spent three years at the United Broadcasting Corporation, focusing on interactive and broadband applications before being promoted to CTO of MWeb (Thailand) and heading up KSC and Sanook.com.