The past 10 years have been a time of great change in the business travel industry, with mergers and acquisitions, technological breakthroughs and changing supplier strategies. And the role of the travel manager has evolved, as well. BTN recently spoke with several travel managers who during the past decade were honored as Travel Manager of the Year, Multinational Travel Manager of the Year or as a Business Travel Hall of Fame inductee about how their roles as travel managers changed during the 2010s.
Michelle De Costa, Takeda head of global travel, meetings and events, fleet, and aviation:
"My role as a travel manager has changed dramatically over the last decade. When I look back to 2010, I spent the year potentially working myself out a of job with what would a few years later be called an open-booking pilot. Our book-anywhere-you-want experiment was cleverly designed to prove the value of a managed travel program. Lucky for me, that experiment did prove our hypothesis to our executive team and allowed us to venture into our next challenge: How do we transform from a travel program they have to use into one they want to use?
"The 2010s quickly became the decade of traveler experience and innovative uses of technology to enhance every part of the journey. My role of managing the travel program expanded to becoming a miner of innovation and technology. I read every article, attended every trade show, and met with as many new tech entrants as possible in a quest for continuous improvement.
"Technology has influenced, enhanced, and in some cases disrupted every part of the managed travel process for both buyers and suppliers. As a travel manager, our role has changed from managing the day-to-day to becoming full-time solutionists for everything from experience to safety to cost savings. We are fortunate to work in an industry where innovation never sleeps and a tremendous amount of brain power, creativity, and effort are put forward by the world-class suppliers in the space. The role has taken on a fantastic transformation over the last decade and continues to change regularly with increasing responsibility."
RELATED: Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
Eric Bailey, Microsoft global director of travel, VenueSource and payment:
"Almost everything has changed. In 2010, we used Excel spreadsheets with every trip in its own cell. In 2020, all reporting and calculations can be brought up in an instant, and we count on much more real-time data. In 2010, compliance was about advanced purchase and reason codes; in 2020, it is all about company reputation, [General Data Protection Regulation] and privacy issues. In 2010, data privacy was something we discussed rarely; in 2020, it is a key topic every single day. In 2010, we were hoping to personalize offerings based on your history, calendar and preferences; in 2020, our hope is more advanced but our frustration for the same vision is growing. We still negotiate carrier discounts and yearly hotel RFPs. We still use agencies and GDSs and manage budgets, transaction fees and traveler issues, albeit in a slightly more sophisticated way. We still search for transparency, [and] expect the traveler experience to be seamless. Let's raise a toast to 2030."
RELATED: GDPR Blocking & Tracking
Karen Hutchings, EY global travel, meetings and events leader:
"For me, the role of the travel manager has gone from being a purely tactical service [provider in a] cost-containment role to a much more strategic role. Whilst the other items are still important, a travel program can now have a direct impact on employee engagement and retention. Having a sustainable program is now very much at the forefront, and consideration for employees' well-being on the road is high on the agenda. As always, travel is a high cost to most organizations, and so being seen as trusted business advisors and engaging with stakeholders is vital since how it is managed and the influence over behavior can have a direct impact to the company profitability."
RELATED: BTN's Stakeholders Issue
Steven Schoen, Siemens Corp. senior director of mobility services, Americas:
"The role of the travel manager has evolved considerably in the 2010s. The role now requires a higher level of business, finance and technology acumen, and results in greater accountability for access, savings, supplier relations and traveler satisfaction. New entrants and advancements in processing and information technologies are impacting every segment of the business travel marketplace from the products and services themselves to how we purchase, pay and account for them. Priorities have shifted due to economic growth in the 2010s, challenging travel managers to create a better balance between service, value and savings. At the start of the 2020s, travel managers have better tools to measure and optimize such a balance (as best fits their company's culture) through real opportunities to target, curate, integrate, streamline and simplify business travel and meetings offerings and processes. Finally, the latter part of the 2010s has provided travel managers with a seat at the table to create and participate in corporate social responsibility and sustainability programs, whether it pertains to the environment or human rights. How we travel, the amount we travel, what we observe when we travel—all are relevant topics as our companies strive to build and to sustain a healthier living and working environment for the 2020s and beyond."
Cathy Sharpe, ITW global travel and expense director:
"2010 began with financial uncertainty leftover from the turbulent late 2000s. Travel managers, who were often viewed as administrators that didn't serve a core corporate function, were on the chopping block. Our value under scrutiny, many veterans pondered the questions: 'Will my role exist? Could technology take my place?'
"Big Data, robotics, AI, and AR exploded onto the scene, catching some of us with our pants down. Travel managers scrambled to grab our belt loops, desperate to pull our trousers up and tighten our belts. It reminded me of trying to change my kids into their PJs when they were toddlers. 'No change!' they'd yell.
"But eventually, just like when my kids got their warm and comfy pajamas on, we came to realize that we were better off than before.
"Over the decade, our team evolved from administrators who might be able to confirm a status upgrade to a vital strategic partner aligned with our businesses. We've managed the ebb and flow of a main artery for our enterprise. We're now trusted advisors and collaborative teammates engaged with areas of our enterprise I never would have never imagined: expense, payments, tax, HR, audit, risk and our BFF: sourcing. We're committed to the achieving our company's goals: best-in-class operating margins, customer-focused innovation and operational excellence.
"And as Glinda sings in the musical 'Wicked': 'Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I have been changed—for good!' "
RELATED: BTN's Artificial Intelligence Issue
Mick Lee, BNY Mellon travel and global corporate experience division head:
"I am proud to be a part of the incredible group of women and men travel managers in our industry, and I continue to learn from them every day.
"The first part of the decade reflected mandated programs where travel manager commands were the definition of success. Over the years, the traveler has ceased following directives and instead demanded that managed programs mirror both the ease and the experience that we have all come to know in our personal journeys.
"This shift has elevated the role of travel managers, diversifying the portfolio of many and forcing some out of their comfort zone to both implement innovative solutions and evolve their programs to include services outside of the industry. This is all accomplished by ensuring data-based decisions, transparency in spend and the all-important 'so what?' to reporting.
"I believe that travel managers have the best job on the planet. We are consultants one hour, data scientists the next, innovators and risk-takers, readers of crystal balls, personalized experience cultivators and above all fiscally responsible security and duty-of-care trustees. And I for one hope to be fortunate enough to continue for the next decade."
Bernd Burkhardt, Daimler travel management head:
"The role has changed dramatically. The expectations within a corporate today for support processes like travel is to digitize services. That means new technology, software as a service solutions, quick implementation, standardization and next-level self-service: easy to use, user-friendly, admin-free. That all changes the profile, skills and tasks of a travel manager, compared to 2010."