News

Zartico Founder Darren Dunn To Focus on New Initiatives, Step Back From President Role

Written by Zartico | Feb 13, 2024 6:21:26 PM

Zartico, the leader in destination data intelligence solutions, is pleased to announce that Co-founder Darren Dunn will be stepping into a new role, moving away from his daily responsibilities as President to focus his time and energy on new strategic partnerships and verticals.

In the five years since Darren co-founded Zartico with Jay Kinghorn, it has become one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the destination space. Darren has played a pivotal role in campaigning for positive change in the tourism industry, providing places with the clearest view of the visitor economy and tools to shape the future. Under his leadership, Zartico has reached many remarkable milestones, including acquiring four of the largest commercially available destination data sets and growing to serve nearly 300 destinations and airports across North America.


Darren’s entrepreneurial vision and unwavering commitment to excellence have been instrumental in driving Zartico’s success. His dedication to fostering partnerships with industry stakeholders, government agencies, and data providers has strengthened the organization's position as a destination necessity for place-based strategic planning. 

“To say it’s been a lifelong dream and incredible privilege to serve as the founder and president of Zartico would be an immense understatement,” Darren said. “I’m beyond proud of what this team has accomplished together. I am confident the organization will continue to thrive, and I look forward to being a part of that from the vantage point of founder and board member. By stepping away from the day-to-day duties, I can go back to what I love — finding and creating the next big idea in the destination industry.” 

The entire Zartico team, board of directors, and network of clients expressed their gratitude for his exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the organization. 

“Darren Dunn has led our team with passion, grit, and a sense of wonder for what we can achieve as a company to make lives better in all communities,” said Sarah Lehman, CEO of Zartico. “Darren’s integrity, charisma, and belief in the power of tourism to bring prosperity to everyone is infectious. He’s inspired an entire industry to get behind him. We are all eager to see what he comes up with next.”

“I’ve known Darren for 24 years as an industry leader, coworker, and friend,” said Ted Sullivan, CMO at Zartico. “He has always motivated me to go with him to create new and better paths in our space. Once he’s been down that road, he’s always looking to pave a new one and people will always follow. This will be exciting to watch.”