JULIE ILIFFE, HEAD OF GROUP TRAVEL AND FLEET MANAGEMENT AT IMPERIAL TOBACCO, TALKS TO BOB PAPWORTH
Despite constant changes within the world of travel, it’s still a people industry at its heart
How many of your employees are frequent travellers, and what are your main city-pairs? We have in the region of 2,500 frequent travellers. As for main city-pairs, this is a moveable feast, but they are currently Bristol-Hamburg in terms of transactions and Heathrow-Miami in terms of spend.
Do you have a global one-size-fits-all policy, or are there regional variations? We have a global policy document outlining guidelines and standard practices for business travel. Based upon this document, each country must then establish national guidelines taking into consideration local laws, cultures and so on.
How does it feel to be 2015’s Travel Buyer of the Year? It is such a great feeling and has given me such a boost in confidence. To have my achievements and views verified by a group of travel industry experts has been humbling. The positive reaction to my award from within my own company was amazing – after making the front page of our intranet site, I received congratulations from all corners of the globe. Externally, too, the amount of good wishes from suppliers and travel industry peers has been overwhelming.
Would you recommend other travel buyers to enter the awards? Most certainly – the process alone serves as a boost. It’s not often people have the time to sit and really think about what they’ve achieved, but working my way through the application gave me just
that opportunity. It’s quite an
empowering experience and one that I would highly recommend.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
Do your travellers understand and appreciate the benefits your role brings? I think, with travel being such an emotive subject, if you asked a handful of travellers you’d get a handful of different views. What I would say, is that travellers do recognise the value my role can add to their travelling experience, particularly when a trip doesn’t go according to plan, and waiting in the wings is a toolbox of solutions.
Are your policies mandated, and do you have many ‘rogue’ travellers? We have a core set of mandated policies, that, in the main, are adhered to. That said, it wouldn’t be the same without the challenge of a few rogue travellers – and Imperial Tobacco has one or two of those...
Are your travel volumes increasing? Do you try to control/reduce the volume? Our travel volumes are increasing, which is reflective of our ever-increasing global reach. That said, we have a number of tools at our disposal to reduce the amount
of travel, including video- and telephone- conferences, and Lync.
How did you arrive at your current role? I have been working in travel for more than 20 years, starting in the airline industry in cabin crew recruitment. I was then offered the opportunity to gain experience in the commercial area with responsibility for marketing of routes. After a few years I ‘switched sides’ and joined a large corporate, taking responsibility for travel and fleet.
What advice would you give to someone entering the corporate travel procurement/management sector? Just to remember that despite constant changes within the world of travel, it’s still a people industry at its heart.
Finally, when the working week comes to an end, how do you relax? I am blessed with a wonderful family, a great network of friends and, with an 18-month-old grandson and six god- children ranging in age from four to 20, there’s not much time for relaxing – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Formed in 1901, Imperial Tobacco is one of the world’s ‘big
four’ tobacco companies, active in over 160 countries. It has 34,000 employees, 2,500 of whom are frequent travellers. In the 2013/14 financial year, Imperial’s net revenues from tobacco products amounted to £6.6 billion, a two per cent increase on the previous year. Headquartered in Bristol, the company has more than 50 factories worldwide producing some 320 billion cigarettes a year.
BBT MAY/JUNE 2015 35
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