Drivers of change THE ORGANISERS PAUL WAIT CHIEF EXECUTIVE, GTMC
PAUL WAIT’S ACCESSION this month to the post of chief executive of the GTMC makes his inclusion in BBT’s rankings a “no- brainer”, according to one of his nominators. Wait, who took the GTMC helm on
January 2, attracted more nominations than any of the other candidates for the list – not least because, since the Guild’s members handle more than 80 per cent of UK managed travel, his new role enables him to wield very considerable influence. Wait joins the GTMC from Virgin
Atlantic, where he spent what he describes as “13 action-packed years” as UK general manager for global and multinational sales. Prior to joining the airline, he spent 28 years at American Express.
GREELEY KOCH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACTE GREELEY KOCH, who has been actively involved with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) for more than a decade, is the organisation’s new executive director.
Being an industry veteran with more than 20 years’ experience gives Koch – according to Suzanne Neufang, current president of the ACTE board – “the ability to bring together all the necessary viewpoints”. She adds: “ACTE has never been in a better position to offer game-changing global education and networking opportunities, and I and the entire ACTE board will be excited to see the association move forward under Greeley’s leadership.”
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PAUL TILSTONE MANAGING DIRECTOR, GBTA EUROPE AFTER STARTING HIS TRAVEL career in the leisure industry with Thomson, Paul Tilstone switched to the corporate travel sector more than 15 years ago, and has since held a variety of roles at Statesman Travel, Portman Travel, Uniglobe and P&O Travel. He was appointed chief executive of the ITM in 2005 and managing director of the newly-formed European arm of the US-based GBTA in 2010. This month he celebrates his first year in the additional role of the GBTA’s chief global development officer, with a brief to take the association into new markets. Somewhat incongruously, he holds an honours degree in psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University.
SIMONE BUCKLEY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ITM LIKE PAUL WAIT, her counterpart at the GTMC, Simone Buckley’s inclusion in BBT’s list of opinion-formers is also something of a no-brainer. However, while Wait’s ‘management information’ has been gleaned primarily from just two companies – Amex and Virgin – Buckley has ranged far and wide in her quest for travel management experience. She held senior positions at Hogg
Robinson, Rosenbluth and Carlson Wagonlit Travel before being appointed managing director of Capita Business Travel (CBT) following outsourcing specialist Capita Group’s £10.25 million takeover of Derby- based Lonsdale Travel. Responsible for CBT’s strategy, sales, and overall management, targeting both public and private sector clients, Buckley was appointed to the executive board of the GTMC, where she chaired the surface transport working party. She then went on to co-found, with Clare Murphy, travel management consultancy Bouda, where she styled herself “director of travel programme optimisation” and worked with a string of blue-chip companies.
On her accession to the role of chief
executive of the ITM in January last year, she pledged: “The objective is to carry on involving ITM in the industry through the next generation. I have a real passion for buyers and suppliers working together to get the right solution.
“I want much more of a partnership between buyers and suppliers, with both sides being open and honest – and that’s what the ITM is about: bringing the two sides together.”