# Catherine Heald

> Catherine Heald is the co-founder and CEO of Remote Lands, the New York and Bangkok based ultra-luxe tour operator that designs bespoke private journeys across Asia for celebrities, Fortune 500 chiefs and the ultra wealthy. Before luxury travel she was a software pioneer: a Barnard computer science graduate who wrote code on Wall Street, moved to Hong Kong, founded one of the world's first e-book publishers, licensed the Pink Panther to teach kids geography, and in 1996 became one of the youngest female CEOs of a publicly traded company when she took Wanderlust Interactive public in Silicon Alley's first IPO. Today she runs the exclusive operator of Aman Jet Expeditions and has been named a Conde Nast Top Travel Specialist for years running.

- **Role:** Chairman, Co-Founder & CEO at Remote Lands, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Remote Lands, Inc., Aman Jet Expeditions, Wanderlust Interactive, InterOptica Publishing Ltd., Take-Two Interactive
- **From:** Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Secondary education, Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh, BA, Computer Science, Columbia University, Barnard College, MBA studies (did not complete), NYU Stern School of Business (Graduate)
- **Known for:** Co-founded Remote Lands, an ultra-luxe Asia-focused private tour operator serving celebrities, Fortune 500 CEOs and UHNWIs, Exclusive operator of Aman Jet Expeditions - private Airbus journeys across multiple countries, Named Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for seven consecutive years

## Career timeline

- **1984** — Earned BA in Computer Science from Barnard College, Columbia University
- **1984-1987** — Wrote code for Wall Street firm LF Rothschild while studying for an MBA at NYU Stern
- **1987** — Moved to Hong Kong; her love affair with Asia began, staying seven years
- **1989** — Co-founded InterOptica Publishing Ltd. in Hong Kong, one of the world's first e-book / CD-ROM publishers
- **1993** — Apple agreed to distribute InterOptica's CD-ROM titles
- **1994** — InterOptica acquired by Take-Two; became president of Take-Two Interactive
- **1996** — Took Wanderlust Interactive public on NASDAQ (LUST), Silicon Alley's first IPO; among youngest female CEOs of a publicly traded company at 33
- **2006** — Co-founded Remote Lands with Jay Tindall - ultra-luxe Asia tour operator
- **2015-2021** — Named a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for seven consecutive years
- **2025-2027** — Continues as exclusive operator of Aman Jet Expeditions, launching multi-country private jet journeys

## Achievements

- Co-founded Remote Lands, an ultra-luxe Asia-focused private tour operator serving celebrities, Fortune 500 CEOs and UHNWIs
- Exclusive operator of Aman Jet Expeditions - private Airbus journeys across multiple countries
- Named Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for seven consecutive years
- Included on Travel + Leisure's A-List of top travel advisors
- One of the youngest female CEOs of a publicly traded company (1996, age 33, as Catherine Winchester)
- Took Wanderlust Interactive public in Silicon Alley's first IPO (NASDAQ: LUST)
- Co-founded InterOptica, one of the world's first e-book publishers, distributed by Apple
- Founder of three software companies since 1989 across Hong Kong, Guangzhou, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Remote Lands and Aman unveil 2025 private jet expeditions aboard the Airbus ACJ319, with itineraries up to three weeks across seven countries.
- **2026** — Remote Lands and Aman launch 2026 Private Jet Journeys, continuing the long-running partnership.
- **2027** — Remote Lands reveals 2027 Aman Jet Expeditions with new destinations and refreshed itineraries.

## Links

- Website: https://remotelands.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineevanswinchesterheald/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/RemoteLands
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherineheald13/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.heald/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/catherine-heald
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04