BTN Europe In Conversation With...

In conversation with... Fred Stratford

Fred Stratford, CEO of travel management company Reed & Mackay, tells BTN Europe's editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins about the TMC's acquisition by TripActions, what's new in the first four months under its ownership, and the need to provide clients with both top tech and strong service in the current environment. Stratford also discusses the wider TMC landscape, potential industry consolidation and his hopes for the business for the business over the remainder of the year and into 2022.

In conversation with... Karelle Lamouche, Accor

The Accor hotels group's chief commercial officer for Northern Europe, Karelle Lamouche, tells BTN Europe's Andy Hoskins about the group's early observations on business travel recovery, the resilience of the SME sector, the return of small meetings, and how staff shortages are affecting the hospitality sector in the UK. Lamouche also talks about the group's approach to negotiating new deals with corporates, having previously rolled rates over from 2020. "In 2021 we will be most probably go...

In conversation with... Corneel Koster, Virgin Atlantic

Corneel Koster, chief customer and operating officer at Virgin Atlantic, discusses how the airline's return 'home' to Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3 marks an upturn for international travel some 450 days after its closure. The carrier – which operated 11 passenger flights and eight cargo flights on its first day back at T3 – is tripling its schedule to the Caribbean this summer but desperately awaits the lifting of travel restrictions to the United States, says Koster, who also talks about n...

David McNeill, Enterprise Holdings

David McNeill, AVP global corporate sales EMEA and Asia-Pacific at Enterprise Holdings, discusses car rental's role in post-pandemic business travel and corporates' keener interest in ground transport as employees get back out on the road. He talks about behavioural change among users – including longer rental periods and how SMEs are proving more agile in their return to travel – and how the company is combatting vehicle shortages and prioritising corporates customers if necessary. Centra...

In conversation with... Glenn Hogben, ACA

Glenn Hogben, chief executive of the Air Charter Association (ACA) tells BTN Europe editor Andy Hoskins how the sector is faring, how business jet usage is only 6% down on pre-pandemic levels, and the trends we can expect to see as we emerge from the crisis.

In conversation with... Simone Buckley, TripActions

In conversation with... Julia Lo Bue-Said, Advantage

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, the UK's largest consortium of independent business and leisure travel agencies. Lo Bue-Said, who was recognised for her industry advocacy by being named on BTN Europe's 2021 Hotlist, talks about balancing the needs of Advantage's business and leisure agencies, her communication with local MP and transp...

In conversation with... Scott Davies, ITM

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Scott Davies, chief executive of the UK's Institute of Travel Management (ITM). Davies, who has previously worked for British Airways, Amadeus, Virgin Atlantic and HRG, discusses the new complexities of travel, current buyer sentiment and corporates' sharpened focus on sustainability. He also talks about the return of travel booking to an online environment as we emerge fr...

In Conversation with... James Parkhouse, Capita Travel and Events

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to James Parkhouse, CEO of Capita Travel and Events. Parkhouse discusses how the TMC is navigating through the pandemic, how the nature of its clientbase has worked to its advantage, and the future of TMCs and business travel volumes. He also talks about the 'remarkable resilience' of the corporate travel industry, consolidation among TMCs, and addresses the possibility of n...

In conversation with... Derek Sharp, RoomIt

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Derek Sharp, chief operating officer for RoomIt, the hotel division of travel management company CWT. Sharp discusses business travel's tentative recovery, rate movement, trip value, the future of RFPs, booking tool content and best practice for corporate accommodation programmes.  He talks about an "epidemic of oversourcing in the past," advising buyers to reduce the numb...

In conversation with... Alison Rogan, Barclays & ITM

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Alison Rogan, global head of travel and expense at Barclays, and chair of the Institute of Travel Management. Rogan discusses the trends to expect as corporates return to business travel, new levels of complexity, the evolving role of the travel manager, and the importance of transferable skills.  The ITM chair also talks about the rising cost of business travel, increased...

In conversation with... Richard Adler, Millennium Hotels

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Richard Adler, vice president sales UK & EU and strategic accounts, Millennium Hotels and Resorts. With more than 120 hotels across the world, Adler discusses the group's hopes for Q2, some tentative signs of recovery, hotel quarantine programmes, how new hygiene protocols could be here to stay, and why he believes the traditional RFP process is alive and kicking.

In conversation with... Karin Sheppard, IHG

Karin Sheppard, SVP & manging director of Europe for IHG Hotels & Resorts, speaks to BTN Europe editor-in-chief about the hotel group's experience of the pandemic, hotel quarantine programmes, industry consolidation, why corporate deals are now about so much more than rates, and how investor interest in new openings points to a positive future.

In conversation with... Pat McDonagh, Clarity Travel

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Pat McDonagh, chief executive of travel management company Clarity. McDonagh discusses Clarity's adjustment to the Covid-19 pandemic, TMC remuneration models, the fallout from Brexit and his hopes for business travel's recovery for 2021 - in spite of what he says will begin with an 'abysmal' first quarter.

In conversation with... Clive Wratten, BTA

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association (BTA). After a series of senior roles across the industry, most recently as CEO of TMC Amber Road and UK country manager for Etihad Airways, Clive took the helm at the BTA in September and was subsequently pitched into a year unlike any other. Clive discusses the current condition of the TMC market, the meas...

Abby Penston, chief executive, Focus Travel Partnership

In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' series of podcasts, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Abby Penston, chief executive of the Focus Travel Partnership, a consortium of 60 independent, UK-based travel management companies with a combined £1 billion annual turnover - in normal circumstances. Penston talks about the challenging environment for TMCs, the evolution of service models and the desperate need for a Covid testing regime to help stimulate international...

Chris Galanty, corporate CEO, Flight Centre Travel Group

In the first of a series of conversations with business travel industry leaders, Andy Hoskins, editor-in-chief of BTN Europe, speaks to Chris Galanty, CEO of corporate travel for the Flight Centre Travel Group, incorporating FCM Travel Solutions and Corporate Traveller. As the travel industry takes steps towards recovery, Galanty talks about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Flight Centre’s corporate divisions, the action it’s taken to navigate through new pressures, and the changin...