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Rail Europe announces leadership transition as it joins Omio Group
Rail Europe announces leadership transition as it joins Omio Group
Björn Bender to step down after four years leading the company; Jean-Francois Bessiron appointed President of Rail Europe and Dau-Khoi Nguyen returns as Chief Operating Officer
PARIS, 18 September 2026.Rail Europe has announced leadership changes following the company’s acquisition by Omio Group, the global leader in multimodal travel.
Björn Bender will step down as CEO and Executive Chairman of Rail Europe, effective today, and move on from the company after four years.
Bender led Rail Europe through a significant transformation after its acquisition by Hivest Capital and Bpifrance in 2022. During his tenure, Rail Europe completed its transformation into a fully independent business, strengthened its technology platform and product offering, expanded its global reach and reinforced its position as a leading global distributor of European rail. Today, Rail Europe’s platform serves four million travellers annually, works with over 250 rail operators and is supported by 25,000 travel sellers and partners worldwide.
Following Björn’s departure, Jean-Francois Bessiron will lead Rail Europe as President, alongside his role as Chief B2B Officer of Omio Group. He will oversee Rail Europe as it begins integrating into the Group, drawing on Omio’s technology, platform capabilities, and multimodal inventory.
Jean-Francois will be supported by Dau-Khoi Nguyen, who has returned to Rail Europe as Chief Operating Officer. Dau-Khoi brings deep knowledge of Rail Europe’s business, partners and operating model, having previously served as the company’s CEO from 2018 to 2022. Reporting to Jean-Francois, he will lead day-to-day operations during the integration phase and maintain continuity for Rail Europe’s teams, customers and partners.
Omio Group acquired Rail Europe in late July 2026, following the completion of a CSE consultation process in France. Rail Europe will continue operating under its established brand, serving both B2B partners and travellers.
Jean-Francois Bessiron, President of Rail Europe and Chief B2B Officer of Omio Group, said:
“Björn has made a lasting contribution to Rail Europe. Under his leadership, the company strengthened its independence, platform, and international positioning, creating solid foundations for its next phase of growth. We sincerely thank him for his commitment to the business, our people, and our partners, and wish him every success for the future.
“Dau-Khoi’s return as Chief Operating Officer brings valuable consistency, and his experience will be a tremendous asset whilst Rail Europe is integrated into Omio Group. Together with the wider leadership team, we will build on the strong foundations Björn has helped put in place and continue delivering for travellers and partners.”
Björn Bender said:
“It has been a real privilege to lead Rail Europe over the past four years. Together with an incredible team, we transformed Rail Europe into an independent business and built a unique position in the global rail industry. I am proud of what we have achieved together and deeply grateful to our teams, customers and partners who made this journey possible. I wish Jean-François, Khoi and the entire team every success for the next chapter.”
ENDS
Media contacts
Omio Group: Laura Salvage | laura.salvage@omio.com | +44 7908 672237
Rail Europe: Raquel Garcia Perez | rperez@raileurope.com | +34 638 882 323
About Rail Europe
For 90 years, Rail Europe has helped make European rail travel accessible to travellers and travel businesses worldwide. Today, it combines deep rail expertise and technology with connections to around 250 rail providers, including SNCF, Eurostar, Trenitalia, DB, Renfe, SBB and ÖBB, as well as leading rail passes such as Eurail and the Swiss Travel Pass. Its global network of more than 25,000 travel partners brings that rail content to customers worldwide, while travellers can also search and book journeys directly through Rail Europe’s website and app. Rail Europe is part of Omio Group, a global portfolio of travel brands that also includes Omio and Rome2Rio. Headquartered in Paris, with teams around the world, Rail Europe continues to make rail travel simpler and more accessible.
About Omio Group
Omio Group is the world’s largest multimodal travel ecosystem and a global travel technology business. Its portfolio of established brands includes Omio, Rome2Rio, Rail Europe, Omio Business and Omio B2B. The Group offers worldwide journey-planning coverage and bookable travel across 50 markets, supported by an extensive international network of transport providers, travel sellers and partners. Omio Group serves travellers through its own brands, while leading global companies including Uber, TUI and Google rely on its technology and transport inventory to power multimodal travel for their own customers. Omio Group is building the intelligence that will underpin the next generation of global multimodal transportation. The Group moves 50 million passengers each year and employs more than 500 people worldwide.