BIO for AMEX

BIO for AMEX

April 2003

Sean J. Z. Saba was born the youngest of five children in Manila, a little bit over a month after "Man first landed on the the moon" in the Chinese calendar "Year of the Cock". He was his parents’ unexpected bundle of joy, since his older siblings were already old enough to be his parents.

One could say that Sean was trained early in life to prepare him to work for American Express and cater to the high-end travel needs of the affluent.

His father, Purito S. Saba, was the quintessential airline man. He started with Philippine Airlines, Asia’s first airline, from its very inception. He went up the corporate ladder from being the first Airport Manager, to the man who introduced computerized reservations as Director of Systemwide Reservations & Space Control, and finally retiring after 43 years of devoted service as Director of Marketing Services & Trade Relations and as a Consultant. He was also for many years the Chairman of the Board of Airline Representatives, President of SKAL Club Philippines, and the President of the Tourism Council of the Philippines.

His mother, Nora Z. Saba, on the other hand, was a full-time career woman who spent her early years as a journalist for the Manila Chronicle, then later as a hotelier. She was instrumental in the setup of Hotel Nikko Manila Garden’s place in the Philippines, when Sean was only seven years old. After 20 years of dedicated service to the hotel, she retired as Director of Public Relations & Advertising and as a Consultant.

As a result, Sean, during his development years, enjoyed the fringe benefits of flying First Class for free on any major airline to any key destination; and indulged in the amenities offered by a luxury hotel, which practically served as his second home. Thus, he grew up thinking that he was a rich kid. It was only in high school, when he began noticing that his allowance was not as big as those of his classmates, that he realized that his parents were apparently not in the same financial class as today's American Express Platinum & Centurion cardholders...LOL.

As a child, it was Sean’s ambition and his family’s dream for him to become a doctor. That direction was only derailed in high school, when he left home to go to a seminary to study how to become a Roman Catholic priest. But alas, after two years, the Pope decided that his good looks would just go to waste if he continued...LOL. So it was back to the outside world, to get back on track in the pursuit of his childhood goal. By the time he finished his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of the Philippines, however, that burning flame to become a doctor was snuffed out.

Around that same time, both of Sean’s parents were close to retirement. The Saba Family considered that it would be a great idea, with their name and all their collective contacts, connections, and experiences, to get into the hospitality industry, by opening up their very own travel agency. They were going to name it, “Saba Tours”. But unfortunately with that name, no one would ever want to book with them, since it sounded too close to the word, "saboteurs"...LOL.

Sean, not knowing what to do after college, and having that love for travel, still decided to give working in the travel industry a try. And so he did...

After reaching the ripe old age of a “quarter of a century”, Sean made a life changing decision to move to the U.S.A.. He has now been happily living here in Playa del Rey / Los Angeles, with his life partner and two Labrador dogs, for the past eight years.

It has been over a year now since he joined American Express, with 12 years of experience, encompassing diverse positions in variegated aspects of the travel industry, and has been servicing the travel needs of their cardholders, as a Lead Travel Counselor and Trainer of their New Hires. He continues to look forward to professional growth in the organization … unless Hollywood comes calling...LOL.