Navan Appoints Michael Riegel CEO of Navan, EMEA
Riegel’s leadership continues to be instrumental in growing Navan’s global customer base
LONDON, 18 October, 2023 — Navan, the all-in-one solution that makes travel and expense easy, today announced that Michael Riegel, formerly General Manager of Navan in EMEA, has been named CEO of Navan, EMEA. In this new role, Riegel will steer the full business motion, including assuming responsibility of P&L, and continue to increase market share as Navan grows its brand presence across the region.
“Michael has become an integral part of the Navan team, helping us develop and expand a formidable go-to-market function and product in Europe,” says Navan co-founder and CEO Ariel Cohen, to whom Riegel will continue to report. “Appointing Michael as CEO of Navan, EMEA, was an obvious choice. His expertise in scaling businesses has proved instrumental as Navan becomes the leader in travel, payments, and expense in Europe and sets the standard for travel and expense management globally."
An experienced entrepreneur and builder of companies, Riegel began his career in the early internet era, where he learned to create success out of growing organizations. Prior to Navan, Riegel was the CEO and co-founder of Comtravo, a tech-forward travel management company based in Berlin. (Acquired by the Navan Group in 2022).
As the General Manager of EMEA, Riegel skillfully combined growth with technology to lead the go-to-market effort for the entire EMEA segment. Under his management, Navan’s EMEA booking volume and spend volume have more than doubled year-over-year. Navan’s European customers have also doubled since March 2022, with the region now supporting leading companies such as Unilever, Heineken, Stripe, Primark, and more.
Riegel oversaw the successful launch of Navan Expense in Europe and has proved vital toward driving the adoption of NDC. The Navan Group was named BTN Europe’s 2023 Leading TMC and the top spot in a slew of categories from G2, including from the most recent report:
No. 1 in Expense Management Software (EMEA)
No. 1 in Travel Management Software (Europe)
No. 1 in Spend Management Software (Europe)
“Europe makes up roughly half of the Navan Group’s customer base, making it vital for Navan to have a deep knowledge of local requirements and obstacles across the region,” says Riegel. “As a result of the Navan Group’s dedicated approach to European expansion in the last few years — including four acquisitions across Europe — I am confident that Navan is the best-positioned T&E platform to take the European market, and I am honored to lead this charge.”
About Navan
Navan is the all-in-one solution that makes travel and expense easy so you can focus on being there, not getting there. Say goodbye to spending hours on the phone trying to change your flight or saving stacks of receipts to manually input expenses. From EAs and finance teams to travel managers and employees, Navan empowers people to focus on the things that matter most to them — all while providing companies with real-time visibility, savings, and control. Learn more at navan.com.
