Welcome to the annual Buying Business Travel Hotlist. Rob Gill looks at who - or what - will be shaping the world of business travel in 2014 and beyond
It’s the new year, and our first resolution has been to expand the Hotlist for 2014. What was previously a list of the top 30 people influencing the industry now includes companies and products driving change within corporate travel.
It’s a recognition that even the most influential CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs need a great team behind them; yet at the same time we continue to shine a light on certain individuals whose influence is so great they simply cannot be left off the list – both for their achievements so far and what they are likely to do over the next few years.
Click on the links below to see the list:
Agenda Setters
Air
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Disruptors
Managing travel
Tech
As with last year’s Hotlist, the final entries are a mixture of the BBT editorial team’s nominations, plus those from industry experts – we asked key figures in the sector who they think are the individuals, companies and products bringing the most innovation to business travel, and which are likely to continue to drive the agenda over the coming years.
There are plenty of names you will recognise and people you have come across in your careers, as well as some of the big bosses who are taking on new challenges that are likely to have a major impact on managed travel. It was also impossible to ignore those with a crucial part in the UK’s key infrastructure debates – particularly over increasing airport capacity and the building of the High Speed 2 rail line.
Another challenge we wanted to set was to introduce some products and concepts which have been making waves in the leisure travel market. They may not (at first glance) seem to have the most obvious connection to managed business travel – indeed, many will be seen as unpalatable or just too revolutionary by some travel buyers – but we have witnessed before how leisure travel innovations have been slowly working their way into the corporate environment.
We hope you will find this refreshed and revised approach to the Hotlist entertaining, informative and, perhaps, even infuriating if you feel we have missed out some deserving individuals and companies. If you do have strong feelings, please let us know via the BBT online forum at, and maybe your suggestions and nominations will make it on to the Hotlist for 2015.