Board of Directors

Marieke Bax – Chair and Non-Executive Director

Marieke Bax was appointed to the Board on 30 January 2026 and appointed as Board Chair on 31 March 2026.

Marieke brings extensive international experience in corporate development, finance and governance. She led European corporate development and emerging market expansion initiatives at Sara Lee Corporation and previously served as Chief Financial Officer of e-commerce start-up Hot-Orange. She also held senior advisory roles with Deloitte and KPMG. Marieke has significant board and committee experience, having previously served as a board member and committee chair for Xior Student Housing, Vion Food Group, Euroclear/EESA and Climate Transition Capital.

Marieke currently holds a number of external appointments, including Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee at Superbet, Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Mediq, and Non-Executive Director, member of the ESG Committee and Chair of the Audit Committee of InPost S.A.

Gary Morrison – Chief Executive Officer

Gary was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Hostelworld Group plc in June 2018.

Gary was the former Senior Vice President and Head of Retail for Expedia. He was also the former Director of Despegar (NYSE DESP), AirAsiaExpedia and Voyages SNCF.

Gary has also held positions of Head of Global Sales Operations for Google’s Online Sales Channel and VP and Head of Product Management for Motorola’s Smartphone division. He has also held consulting and engineering roles at General Electric, Booz Allen and Hamilton and Schlumberger France.

Caroline Sherry – Chief Financial Officer

Caroline was appointed Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Hostelworld Group plc in December 2020. She also serves as Chair of the Group’s ESG Steering Committee.

Caroline joined Hostelworld as Group Financial Controller in November 2019. Prior to this, she served as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for the Performance Nutrition division of Glanbia and previously held a number of strategic and commercial finance roles at Ulster Bank Group DAC, a subsidiary of NatWest Group. Caroline is also a Non-Executive Director of Neurodiversity Sandymount CLG.

Caroline brings extensive experience in finance, strategy and corporate development, together with a strong focus on investor relations and sustainability.

Evan Cohen – Non-Executive Director

Evan was appointed as Non-Executive director of Hostelworld Group plc in August 2019. Evan is the designated Workforce Engagement Director with effect from December 2023.

Evan was the former Regional Director for Lyft’s US East Coast business, Chief Operating Officer at Foursquare, and held senior strategic consulting and operational roles at Bebo, Jupiter and MTM.

The following key external appointments are currently held by Evan: Owner of EVCO Advisory Services.

Paul Duffy – Non-Executive Director

Paul was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee in May 2024. Paul is an experienced Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with extensive knowledge of the consumer and leisure industry and brings significant strategic and brand experience, having served previously as Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America. Paul also served as director of Corby Spirit and Wine Limited, a leading Canadian marketer and distributor of spirits and wines listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Paul is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The following key external appointments are currently held by Paul: Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of Glanbia plc, Non-Executive Director of W.A. Baxter & Sons, a UK food processing group and Chairman of Irish Children’s Museum CLG.

Karen Myers – Non Executive Director

Karen was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair in July 2026.

Karen is an experienced HR leader with a career spanning almost three decades across listed companies, bringing extensive expertise in remuneration, corporate governance, investor relations and organisational transformation. Karen was most recently Group Human Resources and Corporate Communications Director at Mobico Group plc, having previously been Chief HR Officer at William Hill plc. Earlier in her career, she held senior HR roles at Marks & Spencer, RSA Insurance, Tesco, BT Group and Barclays. Karen was previously Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Pod Point Group Holdings plc from its IPO in 2021 until its acquisition in 2025. Karen holds a Master of Arts (Hons) in Modern History from the University of Dundee and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

The following key external appointment is currently held by Karen: Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of KellyDeli Co Limited.

Wais Shaifta – Non Executive Director

Wais was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in July 2026.

Wais until recently served as Chief Growth Officer at the Co-operative Group, leading the Group's Strategy, Data & Insights and Corporate Development functions. Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer of Push Doctor Limited and has held senior leadership roles at Just Eat, Treatwell, PrivateDoc, Pacaso and Voi Technology. Wais brings extensive board experience, having served as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration and Sustainability Committees at The Gym Group plc, as a Non-Executive Director of Reach plc, and as a Non-Executive Director of Snappy Shopper. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Planity during his tenure as an Operating Partner at Revaia Capital. He brings deep expertise in digital transformation, corporate strategy, consumer marketplaces, data-driven growth and scaling technology-enabled businesses.

The following key external appointment is currently held by Wais: Senior Independent Trustee of the Football Foundation.