BTN's Silver Anniversary: Travel Managers of the Year, 1984-2009
Every year, Business Travel News names the corporate travel buyer who in the previous year did the most to elevate the profession, either by raising the bar in at least one industry practice or exerting influence throughout the industry. Read about the accomplishments of all 24 Travel Managers of the Year here.
1985: John Bacon
John Bacon, president of the National Passenger Traffic Association and responsible for about 8,000 travelers at Tenneco Business Services, took leadership in dealing with the overwhelming issue of the time: deregulation of the airline industry and adjustment to the variety of fare structures that have developed from it.
1986: Loretta Martin
Loretta Martin's dynamic efforts contributed to the formation of the Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association and her success in managing travel for Gates Rubber Co.
1987: Kathleen Franger
In 1987, Kathleen Franger built a local National Passenger Traffic Association chapter and created a corporate travel department at Applied Materials Inc.
1988: Carol Duerr
Working at United Banks of Colorado in 1988, Carol Duerr was one of the driving forces in developing the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association.
1989: Eileen Wingate
Eileen Wingate upgraded Harvard University's travel management program by inaugurating discount airfares on several carriers, a milestone for college/university travel managers, instituted automation and corporate card programs and negotiated several hotel deals.
1990: Carol Ann Salcito
Carol Ann Salcito—now president of travel management consulting firm Management Alternatives—in 1990 consolidated $160 million in worldwide travel expenses for United Technologies Corp., convinced management to spend $40,000 on developing a video to educate travelers, created an international hotel program, implemented a quality control system and revamped UTC's 28-member travel council.
1991: Peter Buchheit
Peter Buchheit of Black & Decker implemented a travel policy and corporate card program, developed a travel council, consolidated travel agency and car rental vendors and saved $1 million. He later helped found what eventually became the Business Travel Coalition.
1992: Denise Ryan
In 1992, Denise Ryan, vice president of corporate support services for worldwide travel, implemented the first Citibank N.A. travel policy, a preferred vendor program and conducted a massive travel agency consolidation by reducing from 600 to four agencies, and as a result yielded a first-year savings of $13 million.
1993: Joe Monaghan
While working for Dr Pepper/Seven Up Cos., Joe Monaghan negotiated airline and preferred hotel deals and a frequent flyer reimbursement program—and added $1 million in sales by making preferred airlines carry company products. He achieved the lowest average ticket price of any in-plant operation in the country.
1994: Joyce Flinn
Joyce Flinn redesigned the reservation process to take advantage of Digital Equipment Corp.'s in-house technology resources, and rolled out new travel services and payment systems on a worldwide basis. Business Travel News mourns Flinn's April 2009 passing.
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 designed to save HP $100 million in air, completed an agency consolidation in Europe and advanced the company's efforts to consolidate worldwide travel data. Swaffer foresaw the move to fees and controlling internal data long before commission capping.
1996: Colleen Guhin
Texas Instruments' Colleen Guhin reengineered the travel process at her company, developed an intranet travel Web page, produced an award-winning video outlining travel procedures, initiated a study of European best practices with other companies and agencies and issued an automated request for proposals.
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 system to 11,000 travelers—a massive project at a time when most companies only were attempting to beta test the technology.
1998: Bob Grant
After implementing a true end-to-end 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 staff by 40 percent, slashing costs per mile in half.
1999: Andrew Menkes
"The godfather of the CTD," Andrew Menkes, vice president of global travel management at Republic National Bank, advanced Republic's $6 million global travel program and became the chief proponent and ambassador for the Airlines Reporting Corp.'s Corporate Travel Department program. "Andy gave us the confidence to move forward," said ARC director of agency accreditation services Barry Lemley.
2000: Cindy Heston
Cindy Heston, manager of corporate travel worldwide for Thomson Consumer Electronics in Indianapolis and an online booking pioneer, negotiated the first joint corporate contract with Continental and Northwest and leveraged the GTM global agency network for better international fares.
2001: Mick Lee
Mick Lee, director and global head of the internal client services group at Credit Suisse, conducted a top-to-bottom travel program overhaul in one year, integrated travel policies due to a merger, negotiated new preferred supplier deals and took on several departments: corporate events and conferences, global media services, graphic design and corporate housing.
2002: Kevin Iwamoto
As Hewlett-Packard global air and car supplier manager, he developed a groundbreaking marketshare-based arrangement with United Airlines, refocused global airline contracts on regional rather than country-specific goals and involved third parties in collaborative airline performance reviews, and as president of the National Business Travel Association, Kevin Iwamoto demonstrated industry leadership prior to and after 9/11, including establishing a political action committee.
2003: Ellen Hanzl
Ellen Hanzl, divisional assistant vice president of corporate travel with Computer Associates, was the first high-volume corporate buyer to manage travel using an online agency. CA chose travel management services from Sabre's GetThere, which outsourced fulfillment to then-mega travel management company TQ3 Travel Solutions, reduced agent headcount and cut transaction fees in half.
2004: Susan Finkbeiner
Susan Finkbeiner, vice president and manager of travel services for Goldman Sachs, overhauled nearly every aspect of a travel program, implemented mandates in a culture that previously had none and blazed trails in the bulk purchasing of airline tickets, allocating hotel rooms and tracking travelers. In switching agencies from WorldTravel BTI to American Express, Finkbeiner enabled other buyers to access the advanced tools she helped develop.
2005: Richard Wooten
Richard Wooten, director of corporate travel for Lockheed Martin, got travel management services partners TQ3 Navigant and GetThere to develop real-time pre-trip approvals and unused ticket exchange technology, persuaded two low-cost carriers to change their corporate discounting and global distribution systems approach and mandated a global travel policy.
2006: Duane Futch
Wal-Mart director of global travel services Duane Futch was instrumental in stopping tickets issued within 225 miles of the U.S. and Canadian border from being taxed by both countries. He also piloted a global strategy to create a unique U.S. point-of-sale structure that pushed the envelope for ARC Corporate Travel Department operations and eliminated barriers to the international financial settlement of ticketing.
2007: Donna Kelliher
Dominion director of travel services Donna Kelliher optimized advanced ticket purchasing and demonstrated leadership skills at the Richmond airport, where she organized travel buyers and local business leaders to recognize the importance of having a diverse air program and working together to win the entrance and retain the presence of a low-cost carrier.
2008: Janice Chang
Janice Chang, Northrop Grumman corporate director of travel, meetings & special events planning, improved the internal hotel RFP process and developed an automated tool that streamlined hotel negotiations, improved negotiated rate accuracy, expedited auditing, helped consolidate suppliers and supplier data and reshaped the industry's standard hotel RFP template.