Amex Completes Rosenbluth Integration

American Express today announced at the National Business Travel Association convention in Orlando that as of 12:01 this morning it had flipped the switch on integrating its accounting systems with those of Rosenbluth International to officially complete the combination of the two mega agencies.

Pamela Arway, executive vice president and general manager of newly renamed American Express Business Travel, said the integration had provided Amex with the "opportunity to relaunch ourselves," and said the new name symbolizes the travel management company's ability to serve companies of all sizes.

Robert Hosking, a travel buyer for BMC Software and a former Rosenbluth client, said he had been skeptical about Amex's capabilities but he had become a believer. "I was concerned about last night's switchover, but my phone did not even ring," he said. "They have done a good job of joining the two companies, and my perception of Amex was much different than it is now."

Arway told BTN that the company had integrated organizational structures in May and switched over payroll in June. "The only piece that is not perfect is the MIS piece, which will flow out of the back-office integration," she said, noting that will be completed by year-end. She added that the integration had surpassed the company's financial objective, which was to be non-dilutive in the first year. "We will meet and hope to exceed that," she said.

Arway also said that a great deal of progress has been made with TravelBahn. The backbone is largely is completed, she said, and the focus now is on completely redoing the agent desktop by the end of the year. Currently, 120 counselors are testing the version of the TravelBahn Gateway desktop.

Meanwhile, Carlson Wagonlit Travel president of North America Robin Schleien said the integration with Maritz Corporate Travel is 80 percent done and would be complete by the end of next year. He said the company had decided to make no changes to client-facing operations and personnel, but that two weeks ago leaders of nine integration teams reported to CWT senior management to make recommendations on synergies and investments that management now is considering.