Avia International Travel — Leadership

Antonella Ballatori brings almost 20 years corporate travel management experience. She began her career with a medium sized corporate travel management company in Houston as an international reservation agent and was quickly promoted to Operations Manager. Antonella founded Avia International Travel in 1997 with the vision of creating a professionally run travel management company specializing in the oil, gas, marine and offshore corporate travel industry. Antonella holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Houston.
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Vinny Khosla joined Avia International in 2001 after more than 20 years in various operational positions with the world’s largest travel management company. Vinny is an expert with international tariffs, multiple reservation systems, back office interfacing, operational systems and technology platforms. Vinny is responsible for vendor negotiations and oversees the International Rate Desk. Vinny holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston.
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Lia Castagna joined Avia International Travel in 2002 and brings with her a wealth of experience in the sales and marketing field. Lia is responsible for business development and works closely with our Operations Manager and Business Manager to ensure new accounts are seamlessly integrated. Lia also communicates with clients to ensure the highest level of satisfaction with our people, processes and prices. Her past experience includes marketing and human resources positions with major communications companies and in the health industry.
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Paola Garza joined Avia International in 2003 as Controller and is responsible for all accounting functions worldwide. Paola is a CPA and has almost 15 years experience in accounting and auditing. Paola holds an undergraduate degree in English and a masters degree in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
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Nick began his career in 1999 with Elite Datacom, a Nortel Networks premier partner. Nick’s background includes managing a variety of networks, datacenters and telephony systems with a specific emphasis on designing and supporting inter-networks using Microsoft, Nortel and Cisco products. During his career, he has accumulated certifications with Microsoft as a Certified System Engineer; with Nortel Networks as a Certified Account Expert, Certified Design Expert, and Certified Support Specialist; and with Cisco as a Certified Network Associate. He is an expert in network and telephony design and maintenance. Nick joined Avia in 2005 and actively manages Avia’s entire network including all datacenters and telephony systems. He is responsible for ensuring that we achieve the highest level of security for our customers and that all technology standards are met or exceeded.

Shirley joined Avia/HRG in 2010 and is the Account Manager for our top tiered accounts. She has over 20 years experience in corporate travel including reservations and management positions. She has focused on marine and offshore travel and has taught Travel and Tourism at Dundee College in Scotland. Shirley is a native of Scotland where she lived for many years and has traveled extensively. She has lived in various countries in West Africa and now resides in Texas. Shirley is essential in the ongoing relationship with our current clients and is available to assist them with new product training, benchmarking and configuration recommendations.
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