The Business Travel Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Business Travel Podcast
We checked in with Pat McDonagh, CEO at Clarity Travel Management, and Donna Fitzgerald, Clarity's Chief Growth Officer, at the BTA Conference in Munich to get an update on the rollout of ClarityGO and MeetingsPro and other key tech developments.
We chat with Rachel Martin, Sales Manager at Virgin Atlantic Flightstore, about the launch of a consolidator for the corporate travel market
We chat with Amy Stirling, Virgin Atlantic Senior Manager, SME Sales and Business Development, about the airline's SME and new business team and how it's working with this market.
We chat with Daniel Barthuly, FREENOW Head of Business Travel, about the findings of a White Paper, in partnership with the GBTA, investigating the risks of missing that ‘last mile’
We chat with Arodi Dalpathadu, NETGEAR Senior Product Line Manager, Mobile Products, about the company's M6 and M6 Pro 5G Routers, portable powerhouse ensuring a secure Wi-Fi connection for travellers on the go
We checked in with Adam Kerr, founder and CEO of Tripism, a relative newcomer to the business travel industry, about the highs and lows of launching a start-up, what he likes (so far) about working in the sector, his biggest influences and more.
The Business Travel Magazine's Editor, Bev Fearis, chats with Yoge Bagga, Sales Manager, Virgin Atlantic, about Sky High Club, the airline's loyalty scheme just for travel agents.
We chat with Darren Williams, Head of Finance Operations, Management Information and Data at Clarity Travel, and his son Jake, who studied a Film Degree at University with a view to working on music documentaries but took a different career route due to Covid – and his persuasive Dad - and joined Clarity as a Billing Agent.
As part of our Business Travel Ambassadors campaign, we checked in with Agiito's newly-appointed CEO Donna Fitzgerald to find out how she made it to the top, why she loves working in business travel, and how the TMC is attracting and retaining talent in a competitive marketplace.
In our latest Kindred Spirits vodcast/podcast, we check in with Blue Cube Travel Operations Director Tracey Wilson, who has worked in travel for more than 30 years (19 of them with Blue Cube), and her daughter Libby, who joined the TMC in October 2021 as Finance Director. And there's even an appearance from the family dog, Frankie, another member of the Blue Cube team!
Carl Law, Agiito Chief Technology Officer, and Caroline Medcalf, Director of Venue Find and Events, chat to Editor Bev Fearis about the TMC's ground-breaking venue-finding tool, Meetingspro.
After his first year at the Advantage Travel Partnership as Global Business Travel Director, we checked in with Guy Snelgar at the group's 2023 conference at the Melia Villaitana in Benidorm. In a slightly different format (a bit like Mock the Week!) we put him on the spot on key industry issues.
Ever since his first overseas holiday in 1970, flying on a Dan-Air Comet to Palma, Clive Wratten knew he wanted to work in travel and has enjoyed a 44-year career in the industry, now as CEO of the Business Travel Association. After considering careers in other industries, such as media production and prosthetic makeup, his daughter Sammi finally followed in his footsteps after being inspired by a reality TV show and is now 16 years into her own travel career, currently Account Director at YES, Your Event Solutions. The pair spoke to Bev Fearis, Editor of The Business Travel Magazine, about their personal journeys, what they love about their jobs, how you can enjoy a career in travel without a college or university education, and how it's vital to persuade young people – and their parents – that business travel is a career worth pursuing.
Travel wasn’t the first career choice for Toria Houston, Senior Partner Hugger for Trees4Travel, despite the best efforts of her Mum, Pauline Houston, VP Business Development Silverdoor, who is devoted to the industry.
In the first of a series relating to our Business Travel Ambassadors campaign, Editor Bev Fearis chatted with mother and daughter to find out what changed.
As TripStax gears up for its one-year anniversary, CEO Jack Ramsay takes a break from running a fast-growing tech start-up (and major home renovations) to chat with our Editor, Bev Fearis, about the year's highlights, what's coming next and the challenges and opportunities facing the business travel space.
Josh Gunn, CTM Global Head of Product Marketing, outlines how the TMC's in-house online booking tool, Lightning, is meeting the needs of companies looking to cut the carbon footprint of their business travel, provide duty of care and other key features
David Flesher, Commercial Director for LNER, chats to Bev Fearis about the rail operator's latest product innovations for corporate travellers – on board its high-speed trains and also for a smoother end-to-end experience – and how the wider industry is pulling together to improve connectivity and convenience.
We check in with J Laurence Sarno to chat about the launch of Mia Bazo, a new travel risk management platform for SMEs and individual travellers.
We check in with Katie Skitterall, Group Operations Director at ATPI, to chat about the business travel recovery, managing supply and demand, supply chain challenges, maintaining service levels, retaining talent and lots more.
As he starts his new role as Global Business Travel Director at Advantage Travel Partnership, we check in with Guy Sneglar to chat about what’s top of his ‘to do’ list, the challenges and opportunities ahead for Advantage TMCs and the wider business travel industry, and his rock music career.
Carol Fergus at Fidelity International talks about a subject close to her heart – diversity, equity and inclusion – and sets the industry a challenge.
The 2022 Business Travel People Awards will have new categories, new judges and a new venue for the presentation ceremony. In this podcast, Bev Fearis, editor of The Business Travel Magazine, chats with Leigh Cowlishaw, chair of the judging panel, about all these exciting developments and more.
To mark the launch of the 2022 Serviced Apartment Guide, we speak to ASAP CEO James Foice about the importance of accreditation, why and how to incorporate serviced apartments into your accommodation programme, and the key trends in this dynamic and fast-growing sector.
Garden offices, career paths, zoom interviews, dry January, running injuries, husband's injuries, cruises and a love of sunbathing with a good book and a cocktail (who doesn't?). We talked about all this and more when we checked in with...Lynne Griffiths, Founder and CEO of Sirius Talent Solutions in our latest podcast.
Running, hugging, more running, having a sweet tooth, never being wrong, a bit more running, best ever boss, Rob Beckett, mental health, and launching a new health and fitness video (our idea, not his). We talked about all this, and lots more, when we checked in with Matt Holman, Founder of Simpila Mental Health.
Kylie, Leonardo, snoring, not being a very good bouncer, taking a tumble at the tennis, a love of Camembert (with Ritz crackers), the price of a full English and the best Waitrose pie. We covered all the important issues of the day in our latest podcast when we checked in with Ian Patterson, Founder and CEO of Equinox Travel and Equinox Charter.
Lockdown veggies, missing Concorde, being a good sleeper, a people person and an Irish gal now proudly residing in Croydon (despite an embarrassing collision at East Croydon Station). We talked about all this and more when we checked in with Paul Cullen, Associate Growth and Sustainability for Black Box Partnerships.
The highs and lows of having an identical twin, life at boarding school, following in your father's footsteps, being the newbie, and beards. We talked about all this and more when we checked in with Tom Maynard, Virgin Atlantic's new Head of UK and Europe Sales in our latest podcast.
The trials and tribulations of being a goalkeeper, FA Cup stardom, backpacking, how to make the best Yorkshire puddings, in-flight espresso martinis, whistling, tapping and audio books. We talked about all this and more when we checked in with Chris Lewis, Founder and CEO of Travelogix
Being a football Dad, the trials of multiple lockdowns, naming your daughter after a premiership team, starting a business from an aunt's kitchen table, owning nightclubs, and cousin rivalry. We talked about all this and more when we checked in with David Fastuca, Co-Founder & CMO of Locomote, all the way from sunny Melbourne.
The joy of having a lockdown baby, emotional family reunions, best bosses, being a nerd, loving Obama, basketball and life in Rome. We chatted about all this - and more - when we checked in with Jason Oshiokpekhai, Managing Director, Global Travel Collection UK, in our latest podcast.
Swimming with sharks, taking a bath on a football pitch, a precious pearl from Tahiti, intellectual impotence, stand-up comedy, neuroscience at Harvard and office pranks. We covered this and lots more when we checked in with Carolyn Pearson, Founder and CEO of Maiden Voyage, in our latest podcast.
Moving house, virtual spa days, singing in the car, juggling work and family, career mantras and the joys of disco bingo. We talked about all this and more when we checked in with Sarah Wilson, CEO of Ace Travel Management, AGT UK, in our latest podcast.
Nagging, dancing in hotpants, failing driving tests, going viral, LBGT+ issues, best bosses, missing buses, pizzas, salads, Weetabix and crème brûlées. We talk about this and lots, lots more when we check in with TapTrip CEO Thomas Young and COO Neil Ruth.
Dealing with shyness, being a young, single Mum, using cheesy clichés, escaping to the beach chalet with a book and a G&T, but being terrified of the sea. Abby Penston, CEO of Focus Travel Partnership, talks about this and lots more when we check in with her for our latest podcast.
Country living, being a self-confessed Zwift addict, home cinemas, accidentally falling into travel, and meeting his doppelgänger at Buckingham Palace. We talked about this and lots more when we checked in with James Parkhouse, CEO at Capita Travel & Events.
As the BTA takes its industry lobbying to the next level, Bev Fearis speaks to its CEO Clive Wratten about the new initiative, the importance of the U.S. being on the green list, the complexities of the traffic light system, the ongoing fight to get the industry's voice heard, and how corporate buyers can play their part.
Embarrassing swimming lessons, being a book worm and having the greatest respect for his three favourite travel bosses - all is revealed in our latest podcast as we check in with Kieran Hartwell, Managing Director Corporate for Travel Counsellors.
King of the road or king of the barbecue? You decide. In our latest podcast, we check in with Scott Pawley, Managing Director of Global Travel Management, and talk cycling, pricey joints of meat, turning 50, working with the wife, and a bit of an embarrassing blunder with a flight booking. (Disclaimer: despite what you might think, this podcast has not been sponsored by Peloton or Webber.)
Move over Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe, there's a new kid in town. In our latest podcast, we cross over the Channel to Normandy (virtually, of course) to check in with Pascal Jungfer, CEO and Founding Partner of Areka Consulting, who reveals a hobby with a twist, a devotion to his city-dwelling cat, a connection to Russian royalty, and a yearning for adventures in destinations some of us wouldn't dare venture to.
Dancing to Luther Vandross, marrying her 'toy boy' on a Caribbean island, being part of the travel family, and a daughter set for Netflix stardom. Carol Fergus, Director for Global Travel at Fidelity International, shares this and lots more when we check in with her for our latest podcast.
Being the newbie at TripActions, poor time keeping, surviving on five hours of sleep a night, and a passion for modern jive. We get up close and personal with Simone Buckley when we check in with her for our fun, informal podcast.
Being an ambivert, an embarrassing moment as a Thomson rep, and daily work-outs with Joe Wicks (but definitely not in lycra), Festive Road’s Paul Tilstone reveals all when we check in with him for our latest podcast.
In-flight chats with Arsène Wenger and Keanu Reeves, meeting Ginger Spice, and a former life as a lawyer. Chris Crowley at Nina & Pinta talks about this, and lots more, when we check in with him for our new Podcast series. Using a random set of prying questions as a starting point - what's your most annoying habit, what keeps you awake at night, what's the view like from your home office - we get to know the man behind the LinkedIn profile. Beware, you might be next...
Leigh Cowlishaw, Managing Partner of Black Box Partnerships and Global Supplier Partnership Director, Advantage Travel Partnership, explains why she's confident in the future of business travel provided there's a new focus on how to 'Build Back Balanced', giving travellers more control over their business trips, providing them with a more comfortable experience, prioritising sustainability, wellbeing and diversity and, thereby, ensuring we all come out of the pandemic with a better work/life balance.
Bex Deadman, Managing Director of Blue Cube Travel, tells Bev Fearis, Editor of the Business Travel Magazine, why she believes the pandemic will bring long-term positives to the industry, elevating the status of travel management, bringing greater transparency, bringing the focus back to the people - not transactions - and giving the UK the chance to lead the way in establishing new standards relating to risk management and duty of care. She believes that the world has ultimately changed and the travel industry needs to accept that things will never be the same, but by switching the focus from cutting costs to asking why people need to travel on business, there is an opportunity for TMCs to help corporate clients take a different approach that will be better for everyone's work life balance, and for the planet.
Bev Fearis, Editor of The Business Travel Magazine, chats with Niklas Andréen, President Traveller Experience and Customer at CWT, about why he’s feeling positive about the future of business travel. He believes that despite new technologies such as Zoom and Webex meetings and video conferencing, nothing replaces human interactions in terms of generating new sales, difficult discussions and negotiations and creating innovative environments. He dismisses predictions by Bill Gates of a dramatic drop in business travel and feels that while it might take somewhere between three to five years to get back to the same level as 2019, people meeting people in a global economy is essential so business travel will recover. Andréen also believes travel managers will now play a bigger role than just managing suppliers and will take a more integral role as employee wellbeing and duty of care is higher up on company agendas.