Board of Directors

Marieke Bax – Non-Executive Director, Chair Designate

Marieke Bax was appointed to the Board on 30 January 2026 and will assume the role of 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.

Éimear Moloney – Non-Executive Director

Éimear was appointed as Non-Executive director of Hostelworld Group plc in November 2017. Éimear was appointed as Interim Senior Independent Director on 15 September 2025. Éimear is Chair of the Audit Committee and was the designated Workforce Engagement Director until December 2023.

Éimear has extensive financial services experience through senior investment manager roles in Zurich Life Assurance (Ireland) plc, senior positions with Bankers Trust Funds Management Ltd in Australia and with Crow Horwath Chartered Accountants.

The following key external appointments are currently held by Éimear: Non-Executive Director of Kingspan Group plc, Irish Continental Group plc and directorships with Chanelle Pharmaceutical Group.

Carl G. Shepherd – Interim Chair

Carl assumed the role of Interim Chair on 15 September 2025, while the Board continues with the process of recruiting a permanent Chair. Carl was appointed as Non-Executive director of Hostelworld Group plc in October 2017

Carl was previously the co-founder, founding Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategic and Development Officer of HomeAway Inc. He was also a Board member of Turnkey Vacation Rentals, Inc. and previous Chief Operating Officer and Chief Development Officer of Hoover’s Online.

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.