A Global Business Travel
Association member is proposing that GBTA fill all four seats reserved for
Allied members on its board of directors through elections, instead of
automatically seating the president and vice president of GBTA's Allied
Leadership Council.
NetApp travel manager
Mark Ziegler, a 13-year GBTA member and former board member, as part of the
proposal he submitted late last month with 22 GBTA member signatories also
called for the elimination of the Allied Leadership Council. GBTA has not indicated
whether the proposal would be on the ballot during this summer's association
elections.
GBTA's 13-member board
currently dedicates four seats to Allied members. Two are elected by Allied
members to the board, while the president and vice president of the Allied
Leadership Council fill the other two. Allied members represent industry
suppliers, while buyer members like Ziegler are referred to as Direct members.
"We do not believe
that the board should have any unelected members," according to the
proposal, written by Ziegler. "The board would have more inclusive
representation if there were four elected members giving a more varied
composition and experience."
In a Monday interview,
Ziegler said, "The Allied Leadership Council has been around since before
the Allied members had a chance to even vote, so really the Allied Leadership
Council is obsolete. It was created so the Allieds could have some sort of
influence in the organization." When GBTA changed its bylaws in 2006 to dedicate two more board seats to Allied members, the Allied Leadership Council
should have been disbanded, Ziegler argued.
"It's something
that's been festering for a while, I guess," Ziegler said. "You can
have a committee or a task force for any Allied issues. You don't need an
assigned or appointed board member for that."
Ziegler
also expressed concerns about board term limits. Elected members may not serve
for more than two consecutive terms while appointed board members have no such
restrictions.
Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network president and CEO Scott Solombrino currently is
serving a fourth consecutive two-year term as head of the Allied Leadership
Council, and consequently as a member of the GBTA board.
Ziegler's proposal
garnered support from some Direct and Allied members, including former board
members. Though the bylaws do not require multiple signatures for requests to
make changes, Ziegler felt the support of fellow members strengthened the
proposal.
Boeing Co. managing
director of airline marketing services Jeff Cacy said he signed the document
because he believes members should have a greater say in the decision-making
process. "The idea that the rank-and-file has a say and can step forward
and assume responsibility is good," he said during a phone interview.
"Fresh ideas and fresh approaches reinvigorate any organization."
Several other
signatories who did not want to be identified said they believed all members of
the board should be elected, with no appointees.
"The Allied members
are really paying the bills," Ziegler said. "They support the
organization financially. I really think in order for the board to be stronger
and to have a better global view of the travel industry, there should be an
opportunity for more people to be on that board."
According to GBTA tax
filings, the organization has grown steadily since revenue last dipped in
revenue in 2009. GBTA in 2011 reported $14.4 million in revenue, double the
amount of 2005.
Still, Ziegler said,
financial success shouldn't preempt necessary changes.
"I think the real
growth has been because of [executive director] Michael McCormick more than
anyone else, because Mike is a real leader," Ziegler said, "but the
board itself really should not have unelected members." The proposed change,
he said, will provide the opportunity for greater diversity and help GBTA
become "a stronger organization."
— With reporting by
Jay Campbell