At the Association of Corporate
Travel Executives Global Conference in Amsterdam, BTN recognized Cathy Sharpe, ITW director of global travel and
expense management services, as the 2016 Multinational Travel Manager of the
Year.
BTN editor-in-chief Elizabeth West announced the winner, chosen by
the editors of BTN from nominations
submitted by the industry. "BTN's
2016 Multinational Travel Manager of the Year has emerged as an advocate for the
evolution of travel management," West told the audience. "She has
globalized a uniquely complex and decentralized organization while maintaining
a culture of autonomy. To do that, she has embraced the concept she calls 'freedom
within a framework,' and she has worked hard to extend that framework to as
broad a structure as possible, while still capturing data and providing duty of
care for travelers."
In addition to consolidating ITW's
supplier partnerships and implementing end-to-end tools, Sharpe's journey has
taken her into the emerging practice of managing off-channel bookings and
redefining what it means to be compliant to the ITW travel program. She has
piloted TripLink and has found benefits for her hotel program. With her 30-year
career in managed travel and a steadfast belief in traditional program
parameters, she continues to express surprise at her revelations, but she also
continues to follow the thread. She has collaborated with and pushed suppliers
to refine reporting and has been vocal about breaking down data silos between
on-channel and off-channel bookings. She signed onto the United Airlines
TripLink pilot this summer and already has influenced how that integration will
address unused ticket tracking for direct bookings.
"BTN
wants to recognize Cathy not only for her skill in globalizing a massively decentralized
travel program but also for her courage in facing new travel management
challenges head on—and for her active participation in shaping the next era of
travel management," said West.