Senior Global Travel Manager, London Stock Exchange Travel Team, winners of Programme Achievement Team Award

Congratulations on your award! Can you tell us what this recognition means to you and your team?

This award/acknowledgment signifies that the team is recognised and valued for their continuous hard work, ensuring our travellers receive top-notch support around the clock while on business trips.

What inspired you to pursue excellence in your specific field within the business travel industry?

Personally, for me business travel is a very complex and emotional subject, touching travellers’ lives and I love the challenge and pressure. The fact that I lead a very big complex travel programme giving the best UI and support is a great source of pride for me.

Your comprehensive programme transformations are impressive. What were the key factors in successfully implementing these changes? 

There were several key factors. It was important to obtain buy-in and approval from senior management; manage stakeholders; hold internal voice of customer forums through travel councils; and ensure clear and timely communication. We also established an honest KPI matrix; ensured continuous engagement with Executive Assistants and Personal Assistants globally and created Global Travel MI Power BI dashboards.

How do you ensure continuous improvement and innovation within your team? 

• Establish, set and communicate KPIs with ambitious goals to the travel team.
• Engage with Executive Assistants and Personal Assistants worldwide to hear feedback.
• Implement innovative user experience solutions and develop technology internally. 
• Provide training, knowledge, skills, and autonomy for my team to contribute effectively.
• Embrace diversity and inclusion initiatives.  
• Encourage continuous improvement ideas through an internal global travel team forum. 
• Regular catch ups and 1.2.1 with Group travel team. 
• Ensure CSAT is sent & collected for every travel request we handle. 
• Award & recognition programme. 

What advice would you give to others in the business travel industry looking to make a significant impact?

Identify and benchmark your travel programme with clear matrix and targets/benchmarks; ensure you have a diverse team; challenge the status quo; look at technology and embrace the changes; make your travel programme green by giving sustainability a key focus. Digital first should be the way forward. Focus on what your internal customers want, hear them patiently and work towards making the travel programme sustainable and travel easy to book.