Civitatis, the leading curated online marketplace for guided tours and activities for Spanish and Portuguese speaking consumers, today announces a planned leadership transition. Founder and CEO Alberto Gutiérrez will step down from his executive role and name Andrés Spitzer, currently Chief Product and Technology Officer, as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1st.
Alberto will remain on the Board of Directors, lending his extensive technology experience, industry knowledge, and credentials to continue supporting the company’s growth strategy and vision. This transition marks a natural evolution for the company. After nearly two decades of success and rapid growth, Alberto Gutiérrez leaves a legacy that has transformed a personal project into a global category leader where 1.2 million travelers book activities monthly.
Andres Spitzer brings a distinguished technology, marketplace and travel track record both driving innovation and scaling organizations, including experience at Amazon, Europcar, and Ubeeqo, followed by a successful tenure leading Civitatis’ product and technology strategy. Andrés Spitzer is exceptionally well-suited to lead the company into its next phase of growth at scale.
Unlike many high-growth travel tech companies, Civitatis has been consistently cashflow positive since its inception in 2008, built by its founder without any external capital until Vitruvian Partners invested in April 2022. This combination of growth and profitability is unique in the industry and underscores the solid foundation built over the last 18 years.
Civitatis’ unique platform is underpinned by highly effective go-to-market channels (both B2C and B2B), a well-invested technology platform, and a customer-centric model that offers expertly curated activities and guided tours in its customers’ preferred language. The easy booking and outstanding experiences result in highly satisfied customers coming back to Civitatis repeatedly for their next adventure. Civitatis is also leveraging AI as a strategic accelerator across user experience, supply and operational workflows, helping scale its curated marketplace while preserving the trust-driven, human-led experiences. In recent years, backed by majority shareholder Vitruvian Partners, Civitatis has continued to focus on high quality product selection and strengthen its Latin America leadership, where the company is growing over 40%, demonstrating its deep market fit and operational excellence in the region.
Enrique Espinel, Chief Operating Officer since the early years of the company, will continue in his role. Enrique will place even greater emphasis on international expansion, particularly in Latin America, to further accelerate the company’s global footprint.
Executive Quotes
Alberto Gutiérrez, Founder: “Starting Civitatis 18 years ago was a dream; seeing it become the global leader it is today has been the privilege of a lifetime. This is a personal decision taken at a time when the company is stronger than ever. I am handing over the reins with absolute confidence. Andrés has the vision, the technological expertise, and the drive to take Civitatis to heights we haven’t even imagined yet.”
Andrés Spitzer, Incoming CEO: “I am honoured to step into this role and build upon the incredible foundation Alberto has laid. Civitatis is a rare gem in the tech world—profitable, growing, and beloved by customers and partners alike. My focus will be to leverage our technology and product capabilities to accelerate our ecosystem, delivering even more value to our travellers, travel agencies, and suppliers.”
Sophie Bower-Straziota, Vitruvian Partners: “Alberto is a powerful example of our mission to support the most ambitious and talented entrepreneurs in achieving their vision. From our first investment in 2022 through our follow-on to acquire a majority stake, we’ve been frontline witnesses of Alberto’s exceptional vision, leadership, and management. The company’s ability to balance high growth with real profitability is exceptional underpinned by a rapid digitalization tailwind. We are fully committed to this next phase and confident that the leadership team, under Andrés, will continue to deliver outstanding results.”
Mariano Dima, Chairman of Civitatis: “Alberto is a true visionary who has built a category-defining company from the ground up. His legacy is a business model that is the envy of the industry. As we move forward, Andrés represents the ideal leader to drive our next phase of innovation at scale. With Enrique continuing to drive operations and expansion, the executive team is perfectly aligned to capture the massive opportunity ahead with c.750m Spanish and Portuguese speakers worldwide.”
Source: Organisations & Operators - breakingtravelnews
