Our Leadership

Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer

Zine Belhonchet

As Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer of Railbookers Group, Zine oversees the global finance functions as well as Human Resources, IT and Innovation for all Railbookers Group brands.

Zine has more than 20 years of experience in the travel industry, acquired in the United States and France. Before joining Railbookers Group, Zine held senior executive roles as CEO and President of Rail Europe North America, where he solidified Rail Europe’s leadership position in the distribution of European train travel. Prior to that, Zine played a key role in the merger of all the Rail Europe worldwide entities and became Global CFO of the Rail Europe Group, spearheading the company’s development and expansion efforts into high-growth markets such as China and Australia.

Zine is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris with a major in Finance and Economics. Zine lives in Connecticut with his wife and twin son and daughter.

Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Jim Marini

As Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Jim leads all trade efforts, oversees existing national and international partnerships and helps to grow new partnerships for Railbookers Group’s brands, Railbookers and Amtrak Vacations.

Jim has more than 25 years of experience in the travel industry.  Since joining Railbookers Group in 2013, he has held the roles of Director of Sales and Vice President. As Director of Sales, he oversaw the Inside & Outside Sales Teams, earning mentions in articles by Travel Weekly, Travel Age West, and Insider Travel Report. 

Prior to joining Railbookers Group, Jim served as the Key Account Manager for Celebrity Cruises (a division of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line International) from 2011-13, where he was nominated for Rookie of the Year and one of Celebrity’s Top 3 Sales People for the Eastern United States.

From 2003-11, Jim served as the Western US Regional Manager for Collette Vacations, a worldwide escorted tour operator. In this role, Jim oversaw the West Coast Sales Team, achieving the most growth for his team’s region as well as more than fifteen different sales achievement awards while serving as District Sales Manager.

Jim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing with a minor in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island.  He is both an avid sports fan and a drummer.  Jim lives in suburban Boston with his wife and three children.

Senior Vice President of Product

Andrew L. Channell

As Senior Vice President of Product and Operations, Andy leads product development and oversees teams that ensure exceptional customer experiences. With over 25 years of experience in leadership roles across the travel, retail, and finance sectors, Andrew is a proven problem-solver and team builder.

Throughout his career, Andrew has demonstrated success in identifying business opportunities, improving processes, and developing high-performing teams. His expertise includes recruitment, training, management, operational excellence, and product development. He has also contributed to numerous company boards, driving strategies for growth and innovation.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. He resides in Tennessee with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Madeline.

Vice President of Marketing

Kaitlyn Birkinshaw

As Vice President of Marketing, Kaitlyn oversees Railbookers Group’s global marketing team for the company’s brands: Amtrak Vacations and Railbookers.

Kaitlyn uses her data-driven, analytical and creative skills to ensure a great marketing mix for RBG brands including print, digital, partnership marketing, and more.

Kaitlyn has more than 10 years of experience with Railbookers Group where she has overseen partnership marketing, represented its brands at national and international events, and worked closely with partners around the globe.

Kaitlyn obtained degrees in Marketing with a minor in Public Relations from California State Fullerton, and in Visual Communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She resides in sunny Orange County with her husband, son and daughter.

Vice President of Operations

Andreas Paminger

As Vice President of Operations, Andreas is responsible for scaling systems, workflows, and digital solutions that will allow Railbookers Group to grow more effectively.

Andreas has over 20 years of experience managing projects and implementing operational efficiencies at international organizations in the academic publishing and travel sectors. He uses this experience to help Railbookers Group keep innovation at the forefront of its culture and processes.

Andreas obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from Skidmore College and his MBA from the Boston College Carroll School of Management. He currently resides in Andover, MA, with his wife and two kids.

Vice President of Global Sales

Cris David

As Vice President of Global Sales, Cris oversees trade sales and business development across Railbookers Group’s global source markets: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. 

A travel industry veteran with over 26 years of experience, Cris believes strongly in the power of travel to change the world and feels privileged to have spent his career in an industry dedicated to that goal.

Cris obtained his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and his MBA from the University of Cape Town. He lives in Toronto with his wife and three children.

Vice President of Contact Center

Monica Hunter

As our Vice President of Contact Center, Monica Hunter brings nearly three decades of dedicated experience in the contact center industry. A true architect of exceptional customer experiences, Monica has cultivated expertise across a wide spectrum of functions. She’s adept at leading global, multi-site, and multi-channel teams, ensuring seamless operations whether they’re focused on sales, service, or complex support.

Her comprehensive background spans sales-focused strategies, delivering exceptional customer service, optimizing efficient operations, developing robust learning and development programs, implementing stringent quality control measures, and building high-performing teams through effective recruitment. At the core of Monica’s leadership philosophy is a deep commitment to people. She is a people leader first and foremost, passionate about mentoring both existing and emerging leaders. Monica thrives on fostering environments where individuals can grow, develop, and reach their full potential, believing that strong teams are the foundation of outstanding results.

Outside of work, she enjoys the tranquility of the outdoors and traveling, cherishing time spent with her husband, children, and animals in sunny Southern California. You might find her hiking a local trail, planning a family adventure, or simply enjoying the beautiful California weather with her loved ones.

General Manager – UK & Europe

Sam Bridge

As General Manager for the UK & Europe, Sam will lead our regional operations and drive cross-functional collaboration across the UK and Europe at a global level. Sam is a seasoned sales leader with a track record of building successful sales teams and cultivating a culture of excellence. He uses a passion for sales strategy coupled with an analytical mindset to drive improvements in productivity and maximise revenue potential.

Sam has more than 10 years of experience with Railbookers Group and has covered a wide range of roles, including Inside Sales Manager, Product Manager, and General Manager of the UK. As a proven leader and team builder, Sam also works closely with our recruitment team and performance development department to help unearth new talent, develop staff and mentor future leaders.

Sam obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Communication from the University of Loughborough and resides in Exeter with his wife and two children.

General Manager – Australia, New Zealand & Asia

Andrew Crawford

As General Manager for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia at Railbookers Group, Andrew leads strategy and regional operations across APAC, delivering exceptional rail travel experiences through Railbookers and Amtrak Vacations. With over 30 years of leadership experience in the travel and the financial services sectors, Andrew is a proven team builder and transformation leader.

Throughout his career, Andrew has driven success by identifying growth opportunities, leading large-scale operational change, and building high-performing, customer-centric teams. His expertise spans contact centre leadership, workforce planning, strategy, and customer experience transformation. He has held senior roles at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Commonwealth Bank, The Travel Corporation, and Carnival Australia, consistently delivering results through innovation and strategic execution.

Andrew resides in Sydney with his partner and three children.

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF RAIL AND TRANSPORTATION

Matt Foy

As Senior Director of Rail and Transportation, Matt is responsible with rail and transportation partners around the globe to enhance, update and improve Railbookers Group itineraries, as well as coordinating the confirmation of all transportation elements for future bookings.

Matt has nearly 20 years’ experience working with Railbookers Group. His experience includes working with a variety of departments, beginning in the sales team before moving into Sales Management, Operations and Product roles.

Matt obtained his bachelor’s degree in French and German from Aston University and currently resides in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Senior Director of Special Projects

Colleen McCarthy

As Senior Director of Special Projects, Colleen serves as a key liaison across multiple departments within the company to ideate, plan and execute a variety of strategic business initiatives.

Colleen has been with Railbookers Group for over 12 years and has worked across the company in Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Project Management and more! Most recently, she has played a key role in the successful development, implementation, and rollout of a new software system – a major project that has streamlined operations and enhanced overall efficiency.

Colleen lives north of Boston, MA and enjoys traveling & discovering new places, trying new recipes in the kitchen and spending as much time at the beach as possible.