UNIGLOBE Travel was founded in 1979 by U. Gary Charlwood, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
As co-founder of the very successful CENTURY 21 Canada master franchise five years earlier, Charlwood recognized that a co-operative consumer marketing effort similar to the franchise system developed by CENTURY 21 Canada could be very effective in the retail travel industry as well.
Using a similar master franchising template, UNIGLOBE was launched from its world headquarters in Vancouver, expanded across Canada and America in the 1980's, Europe in the 1990's, and Asia, Africa, Africa, The Middle East and Australasia in the new millennium. Today UNIGLOBE has over 750 travel agencies doing business in 50 countries worldwide, and does nearly $4+ billion in annual system-wide sales as a result of focusing on its target market of mid-sized corporate travel accounts and the leisure travel generated therein.
Over the last 25 years, UNIGLOBE has been built into an internationally recognized industry and consumer brand that offers value-added products and services to its traveling customers, its franchisees, and provides a very effective and cost-efficient distribution system for its airline,hotel, car, cruise, tour, and insurance suppliers.
UNIGLOBE continues to look for strategic expansion opportunities world wide in its ongoing quest to be the brand of choice for the traveling customer in its target market - the mid-sized corporate travel account.
In addition to his role at UNIGLOBE, Charlwood, through his family holding company, continues to own and operate CENTURY 21 Canada, and serves as its Chairman and CEO. Today, this real estate franchise network has 400+ franchises and 7,000 salespeople across Canada, recently sold its 1 millionth house, and is recognized as the most well known real estate franchise in the world.
For his efforts in both the travel and the franchising industries, Charlwood has been recognized by various prominent associations over the years, including being named Entrepreneur of the Year by the International Franchise Association. He is a past-Chairman of the IFA , the first non-American executive to ever hold that office. Currently, he sits on the American Society of Travel Agents Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, plus he serves as Chairman of the Corporate Advisory Council, a body of the most influential travel agency companies in the world including American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, Expedia, Travelocity who provide policy input to ASTA, the world's largest travel agency association.
