Orlando, Florida — We’re pleased to announce today that Nitin Manchanda, formerly Global Head of SEO at Omio and Trivago, will take on the role of Chief Growth Officer, effective immediately. Based in Berlin, Manchanda is popularly known as an “influential guru” in the SEO community and frequently hosts webinars for Semrush, including the monthly SEO Bytes with Nitin.

The news comes after we had announced our funding raise of $US6 million in October 2020, at a time when the rest of the travel industry suffered extensive furloughs and layoffs, and COVID-19 uncertainty was at its highest.

“I’m looking forward to building CuddlyNest with Nitin as our new CGO. What really brings us together is our mutual passion for serving, supporting, and truly connecting with travelers,” commented CuddlyNest Co-Founder and COO Ritesh Raj. “Nitin’s impressive experience in scaling startups and his genuine commitment towards consumers will undoubtedly drive us forward in our next phase of growth.”

Manchanda’s career in the travel industry stretches back to his time at Trivago, quickly advancing to become Global Head of SEO. Prior to that, he worked in ecommerce, helping Indian retail giant and regional Amazon competitor Flipkart grow their SEO traffic by a record of 350%.

His primary focus at CuddlyNest will be to drive a growth strategy rooted in scalability, automation, and strategic partnerships. He will be responsible for implementing marketing operations and drive awareness for the brand’s unique value in a saturated travel market.

“I’m thrilled to join in redefining the way people look and plan their travel. This opportunity is at the perfect intersection of my passion for travel, startups, and growth,” said Manchanda.