Travel Manager of the Year 1994 to 2003

Business Travel News entered its second decade of publication in 1994. The business travel environment is changing, with desktop computers and automation as the driving force behind travel management innovation and best practices, while a backdrop of massive airline industry and commission structure changes impacted agency commercial models. What will ultimately become best practice travel management models are in their infancy in 1994, but by 2003 the industry begins to resemble the one we know today. Here are the travel buyers who pushed the envelope (and probably their sanity, let’s be real) to make it happen: BTN’s second decade of Travel Manager of the Year Award winners!

[Editor's note:  BTN pulled images from the actual time period in our archive, or as near as possible, so enjoy these special poses and eat your heart out 1990s!]

1994: Joyce Flinn
Joyce Flinn redesigned the reservation process to take advantage of Digital Equipment Corp.’s in-house technology resources. She also rolled out new travel services and payment systems on a worldwide basis, a feat nearly unheard of at that time. The industry mourned Joyce’s death in 2009.

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1995: Fred Swaffer
Hewlett-Packard’s Fred Swaffer negotiated an airline contract that was net of overrides, commission and credit card fees. He also rolled out a decentralized meeting planning assistance program, part of an effort to save HP $100 million in airline spend. He also completed an agency consolidation in Europe and advanced the company’s efforts to consolidate worldwide data. Swaffer foresaw the move to fee-based agency services and internally controlling travel data before widespread airline commission capping forced the issue. The industry was saddened by Fred’s death in 2015. BTN Group honored his achievements by inducting him into the Business Travel Hall of Fame in 2018.

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1996: Colleen Guhin
Texas Instruments’ Colleen Guhin reengineered  the travel process at the technology and electronics company, developed an intranet-based travel web page, produced an award-winning video outlining travel procedures to employees, initiated a study of European travel management best practices with a network of companies and agencies and automated Texas Instruments' travel request for proposal process.

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1997: Koos Van Den Berg
World Bank’s Koos van den Berg focused on the company’s service-based contracts and rolled out the Internet Travel Network online booking systems to 11,000 travelers—a massive project at at ime when most companies were only attempting to beta test online booking technologies.

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1998: Bob Grant
After implementing a comprehensive end-to-end travel management system that added $1.9 million to Charles Schwab & Co.’s bottom line in 1997, Grant moved 25 percent of all transactions onto an automated booking system and reduced travel department staff by 40 percent, slashing travel management costs per mile traveled in half. Bob retired in 2000.

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1999: Andrew Menkes
“The Godfather of the CTD,” Andy Menkes as VP of global travel management for Republic National Bank, advanced the bank’s $6 million global travel program and became the chief proponent and industry ambassador for the Airlines Reporting Corp.’s Corporate Travel Department program. Andy today is the founder and president of Partnership Travel Consulting. Andy was inducted into the BTN Group’s Business Travel Hall of Fame in 2014.

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2000: Cindy Heston
Thomson Consumer Electronics worldwide travel manager and online booking pioneer Cindy Heston negotiated an industry-first airline alliance contract in 2000. The deal offered a single contract for Continental and Northwest airlines and leveraged the GTM global agency network for better international fares. Cindy has pushed the envelope of travel management innovation for 30 years. She now manages travel for Elevance. BTN inducted her into the Business Travel Hall of Fame in 2016.

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2001: Mick Lee
Director and global head of internal client services for Credit Suisse Mick Lee conducted a top-to-bottom travel program overhaul that integrated travel policies from a merger, negotiated new preferred supplier deals and took on additional departments: corporate events and conferences, global media services, graphic design and corporate housing. Mick later founded WinIt, now part of the Global Business Travel Association Foundation. She was inducted into BTN Group’s Business Travel Hall of Fame in 2018.

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2002: Kevin Iwamoto
Hewlett-Packard global air and car supplier manager Kevin Iwamoto developed a groundbreaking market share-based arrangement with United Airlines, refocusing global airline contracts on regional rather than country-specific goals and involved third parties in collaborative airline performance reviews. Kevin served as president of the National Business Travel Association through the 9/11 terrorism attacks. He established the GBTA political action committee. Kevin is semi-retired but still advises the industry.

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2003: Ellen Hanzl
Computer Associates divisional assistant VP of corporate travel Ellen Hanzl was the first high-volume corporate buyers to manage travel using an online agency. CA chose travel management services from Sabre’s GetThere, which outsourced fulfillment services to then-mega travel management company TQ3 Travel Solutions. In doing so, she reduced agent headcount and cut transaction fees in half. Ellen, after some time away from travel management, just took a new role at Ivanti as its corporate travel manager. Congrats, Ellen!