Corporate travel managers keep moving, as BCD Travel’s Miriam Moscovici explains in a recent Business Travel News story. She traces the history of where travel managers have clocked in: first the CEO’s office, then human resources, operations, procurement and, increasingly, security and information technology.
All those past and present hosts are now stakeholders, and travel managers can add value by supporting their goals, said Moscovici, senior director of Research & Corporate Innovation for BCD. For example, travel managers are uniquely positioned to:
- Liaise between human resources and suppliers to advance HR priorities—i.e., by offering preferred hotels that focus on wellness
- Communicate with IT about reducing trip hassles for road warriors—i.e., by giving them longer-lasting laptop batteries
- Keep security departments informed about where travelers (and their computers) are going, especially when trips include high-risk destinations
As BTN reported, Moscovici “envisions travel managers elevated to the level of strategic partner for the C-suite and for business unit managers.” BCD Travel has begun a series of reports to help travel managers form stronger co-beneficial bonds with their in-house stakeholders. Check out the first in the series, A Blueprint for Travel Managers: Partnering with HR.
