Amex GBT boss Paul Abbott pulled not one
but two landscape-shifting moments this year, either of which alone would have earned
him a place on BTN’s 2025 Most Influential.
Having announced its intention to acquire
competitor CWT in March 2024—a deal that was initially expected to close by the
second half of the year—the companies became mired in protracted competition
investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority
opened its investigation in June 2024 and eventually waved the deal through in
March 2025. In the U.S., meanwhile, the Department of Justice escalated
matters, filing a civil antitrust lawsuit in January to block the acquisition.
A trial had been scheduled for September, only for the case to be abruptly
dropped in July. With those barriers removed, the two mega-TMCs finally sealed
the deal in September.
The drawn-out process took its toll on
CWT’s business and saw $30 million shaved off the purchase price. Quite how
much of the company’s touted $850 million in 2024 revenue, $14 billion in total
transaction value or its 4,000 customers ultimately made the transition remains
unclear. Integration work continues, however, as Amex GBT further stretches its
lead over its nearest competitors.
Barely a month after welcoming CWT into the
fold, Abbott unveiled what was regarded as one of the industry’s worst-kept
secrets: a “strategic alliance” with SAP Concur. The partnership includes the
launch of a new co-developed, “end-to-end” platform, Complete, alongside the
integration of Concur Expense with Amex GBT’s Egencia platform. The architects
of that partnership also are recognized on this year’s Most Influential list.
As if Abbott’s company had not already
provided a wealth of headlines in 2025, Bloomberg reported towards the end of
November that Amex GBT was exploring a sale “after a tough run on the stock
market.”
As Amex GBT continues to reshape the travel
management landscape, some competitors and corporates see growing threat, while
others see opportunity.
Abbott is no stranger to BTN’s Most
Influential—it’s his fourth appearance in the last five years.