Frank DeMarinis, CEO for Red Label Vacations, has been appointed interim CEO for H.I.S – Merit Travel Inc and Merit Group Inc. following the abrupt departure of Phil Sproul who has held the CEO position since July 2018, following the departure of founders Michael Merrithew and Louise de Grandpre.

The company said in a statement yesterday that Sproul was, “no longer with our company. We are grateful for Phil’s contributions over the past years and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”

A sentiment similar to Sproul’s own comments at the departure of president Jason Merrithew in November 2018.

“We want to thank Jason for his leadership and achievements in growing Merit Travel to the industry leading company it is today. We wish him well as he pursues new opportunities,”

All of Sproul’s direct reports will now report to DeMarinis.

Dirk Baerts, COO and Emily Miedema, CFO, will continue to lead the day-to-day functions of the organization together with DeMarinis while reporting directly to the board.

H.I.S. Co. acquired Merit Travel Group in late 2016 and Red Label Vacations in January 2019.