Festive Road has appointed former IKEA chief technology
officer Susan Standiford as a strategic advisor focused on artificial
intelligence strategy for corporate travel and expense programs.
Standiford previously held technology leadership roles at IKEA
and Disney Digital and worked on digital transformation initiatives at
Travelocity. In the new role, she will advise Festive Road and its clients on AI
strategy, including decisions about internally developed capabilities and
supplier-provided tools.
She also will co-lead Festive Road’s “AI Collab” series, a
peer forum for travel and expense leaders discussing AI implementation.
Festive Road CEO Caroline Strachan said in a statement that
travel and expense leaders are weighing whether to build internal AI capabilities,
follow supplier technology roadmaps or pursue a combination of both.
Standiford said companies adopting AI for travel and expense
management should seek to retain visibility, control and flexibility as the
technology develops.