Paul Metselaar

Paul Metselaar founded the company in 1984 when his father needed assistance with the small corporate travel agency he had recently purchased. The senior Metselaar turned to his son, asking him to assume leadership of the company. Paul resigned from his law practice, assessed the market opportunities for his fledgling company and created the brand “Lawyers Travel,” becoming the first travel management company to specialize in managing travel for lawyers.

Paul ultimately built the company into one of the largest independently-owned travel companies in the United States, receiving accolades from more than 700 of the world's leading companies. In 2015 he was a finalist for New York’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, after having been nominated by Ernst and Young. Originally known as The World Travel Specialists Group, Paul renamed the company Ovation Travel Group in 2004, in order to add a second brand serving “high touch” corporate clients alongside the fast-growing Lawyers Travel. In 2021, Ovation Travel Group was acquired by American Express Global Business Travel, with Paul and the Ovation leadership team continuing to run the business.

Paul is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University, where he serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board. He is actively involved in several charitable organizations, including the Mount Sinai Department of Surgery, and serves on the board of The Children’s Health Fund. Paul previously served as Chairman of the Metro New York Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and is an active member of the Big Apple Chapter of the World Presidents’ Organization (WPO).