ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
Wings Celebrates 25 Years of Travel Risk Management
N 1992, WINGS’ FOUNDER AND CEO, TONY SOFIANOS, SET UP A TRAVEL AGENCY in South Africa with one office and handful of staff. Today that company is Wings Travel
Management with a global turnover of £250 million, 400 staff worldwide and 14 wholly owned and managed operations in North America, South America, UK/ Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Over the past 25 years, Wings has carved out a niche as a global TMC pro- viding high-touch complex travel and support services to clients in the energy, marine, security, specialist finance and engineering industries, where travel is a critical part of their business model – particularly to developing markets and high-risk destinations.
International expansion began in 2002 when Wings established a London operation. Next came Houston, Texas, in 2006. Aberdeen followed in 2008, Dubai and Angola in 2010, and Brazil in 2013. In 2016 Wings made an acquisition in Norway and also began operations in Saudi Arabia. Last year, Wings acquired Grosvenor Travel Management, signifi- cantly strengthening its UK presence, ready for the transition of the TMC’s global headquarters to London. And in 2017, Wings will officially commence op- erations in Singapore and Mozambique.
Wings CEO Tony Sofianos (left) celebrates the TMC’s 25th anniversary with Paul East, COO UK/Europe & USA (centre), and Frank Palapies, COO Africa, Middle East & Brazil
From the outset, Wings’ commitment
to travel risk management and traveller safety support has been at the core of the TMC’s operations due to the nature of its clients’ complex and often hazardous travel needs. Tony Sofianos explains: “My vision was to adopt a business model where we own and control all of our operations around the globe. Most other multinational TMCs use partner networks, particularly in markets like Angola, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Because we own and manage all our offices, our technology operates on a single global platform. This is critical in times of emergency as Wings’ staff can access travel reservations on demand to provide assistance immediately 24/7, regardless of where or when the reserva- tion was made.” Wings has now added another layer of safety support with the launch of goSecure™, a sophisticated risk manage-
ment and alert portal, enabling Wings’ consultants to locate and communicate with travellers and bookers accurately and rapidly during a crisis. Alternatively, for those clients who already have an established risk management strategy, Wings offers the option of goSecure+™, whereby the TMC will implement a customised portal for use in-house by travel managers. A unique aspect of goSecure is that clients can opt to link the tool to Wings’ new intuitive mobile app VIMA™ (Virtual Itinerary Management Application). “As terrorist attacks become more indiscriminate, traveller safety and risk management have moved to the top of every corporate’s agenda. Our 25 years’ expertise in this area and proprietary infrastructure is hugely beneficial to any company,” concludes Tony Sofianos.
www.wings.travel info.uk@
wings.travel
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