BCD holds firm amid shifting travel management landscape

Stephan Baars is global CEO of BCD Travel. He rejoined the company in 2023 having previously been CFO for 11 years. BCD achieved $22.9 billion in global sales in 2024 and has around 15,000 employees.

BCD Travel global CEO, Stephan Baars, joined by several senior colleagues, hosted a small media briefing this week, ostensibly to provide an update on the company’s performance and strategy, including its five-year plan and goal of doubling its UK business. The timing also offered Baars a chance to weigh in on recent industry shake-ups, most notably the “strategic alliance” between Concur and American Express Global Business Travel. The following interview blends Baars’ remarks from that roundtable discussion with those of a one-to-one conversation with BTN Europe.

Speaking just four days after Concur and Amex GBT unveiled details of their partnership – which includes an integrated travel and expense platform and sees the former anoint the latter its preferred partner – Baars conceded there is still much to unpack, not least how the union will affect other TMCs and their customers.

Like many in the industry, he had heard the rumours of a looming deal and had sought clarification from Concur, without success. “As a long-standing customer we tried to find out in advance what was going on,” said Baars. “We learned on Friday. They did give us a courtesy call up front with some information but, honestly, I read more and learn more from the press.”

Is Baars concerned by the partnership? “In principle I’m not because we were expecting something. Am I surprised? A little,” he said. “Amex, even as the biggest [TMC] in our industry, only has a certain percentage of the overall market. Would you put all your eggs in one basket and say, ‘okay, we just go with one provider?’ I can't think so.”

For that reason, Baars is hopeful that Concur will keep its word and continue to innovate and invest in the new iteration of Concur Travel (also known as T2).

“The thing that worries me is that two giant companies are using their position to squeeze customers in one direction. Our philosophy has always been to give customers options,” said Baars.

Around 70 per cent of BCD's customer bookings made via online tools come through Concur, Baars stated. The remainder are made through a combination of its travel commerce platform – which supports its proprietary tools, TripSource and SME offering GetGoing – as well as API connections and other online booking tools that the TMC supports, including Cytric.

“Concur is a dominant service provider to our customers. Are they [customers] getting concerned? First reactions have not been that positive but everybody is saying ‘ok, let’s see what it all really means’. We have seen over past years a lot of noise in the market and then the delivery did not come or they didn’t fulfil expectations. As we know a little more, we will reach out actively to customers and share with them what we learn,” said Baars.

SHIFTING VOLUME

The TMC will continue supporting Concur – “they are still important to us” – but may now steer more clients toward its own technology. “There is a lot of volume going through our own technology already and that will continue to grow. And the first reaction of some customers is ‘ok, we definitely are open to looking at that’,” said Baars.

In communications sent to its TMC partners in the wake of its announcement, Concur said its Elite and Select status levels would be discontinued at the end of the year. “We are in discussions about what that really means for us,” said Baars. “The reseller agreement is still in place and we are one of the top resellers of their solution. There’s a lot for us to understand before we can give concrete answers.”

Baars is clearly irked by Concur’s claim that working with multiple TMCs has hindered its ability to innovate and delayed the rollout of T2. The vast majority of BCD’s Concur Travel users – “99.5 per cent” – have now migrated to the new platform, with the remainder holding off amid “uncertainty” about its readiness.

“It’s funny how they [Concur] positioned themselves. They have said they couldn't deliver as fast as they wanted to because the integration of TMCs was holding them up... and that's the reason why they now choose to go [down] a new avenue,” said Baars.

“We feel as a service provider to our customers that we have to challenge [new] solutions that come into the market. If we won't do it, who does? We have to test, we have to make sure the promises they give are really delivered to the customer. If we don't do that, the customer will ask ‘Why have you implemented T2 for us when you knew it's not ready?’”

He continued: “If that is now held against the TMC community… that is an interesting position to take. I see it as a fundamental role, at least at BCD, to really challenge technology until it's ready to deliver good service. That was the same with NDC. It's not that we have said we don't want NDC – it needed to be ready for us to deliver service to our customers.”

Baars questions whether Amex GBT can manage both its new partnership and tech roll-out with Concur while simultaneously integrating newly acquired CWT. “There is a lot going on for them to deliver on their promises.”

Baars believes Concur and Amex GBT “have put all their energy together to get through the challenges that the whole industry has to”, but questions whether they can do it any faster. “The proof will be in the future.”

STAYING THE COURSE

As the companies’ plans became clear, Baars said BCD has kept faith in its own strategy. “We might have to tweak some things and maybe double-down on artificial intelligence – which is anyhow part of our plan – and really take advantage of the situation because customers in the future will want to see an alternative.”

Many corporates who were due to go to market in the last 18 months were left in limbo during Amex GBT’s drawn-out acquisition of CWT, but Baars said that RFP activity has already accelerated. “The pipeline is growing and a lot of discussions are already happening right now. This is going to be a busy last quarter and 2026 seems it will continue like that too,” he said.

The UK and India have been identified as two “extraordinarily important” opportunities for BCD. It intends to concentrate its efforts on the sectors it serves best in the UK, doubling its sales from £860 million in 2024 to £1.72 billion by 2030, and is eyeing a blossoming mid-market in India.

Baars would not disclose the company’s overall 2030 growth goals but did not rule out acquisitions as part of its strategy. “There is acquisition potential,” he said. “We have the financial strength and the support of our shareholders. We are definitely looking into opportunities that will fit our strategy.”

While Amex GBT, CWT and Concur chart a new course, rival Navan nears an IPO, Direct Travel has acquired ATPI, and Trip.Biz is expanding beyond its Asian stronghold – all confirmed within the past five weeks. “Each of those is a lot to swallow,” said Baars, but none have shaken his belief in the TMC’s strategy.

“We don't see any of those events fundamentally changing what we have addressed in our long-term plan. Will there be short-term adaptations of that strategy or will we accelerate certain technology developments? ‘Maybe’ is the answer to that.”

He continued: “We have always looked for new opportunities and we will continue to do that. But do we now force another big merger [on the industry] or do we feel forced to do another acquisition? No, we will do what is good for our customer base, for our shareholders, and as well for our employees. We hold the course.”

FAMILY FOUNDATIONS

The company’s family-owned structure is something he frequently points to, underscoring its flexibility and stability. A recent restructure saw three grandchildren of BCD founder John Fentener van Vlissingen join the company’s ‘family board’.

“They have reached an age where they have their own opinion about how the company is run and developed,” said Baars. “They also have one thing in common – that's a long-term view on BCD, their willingness to invest, and their willingness to give us the resources to stay relevant and on top of everything in this industry.”

Strong technology, investment in AI, and a rich marketplace that provides diverse choice to its customers are among the key pillars of BCD’s strategy. “Our plan is driven by what clients are telling us. We have put that into a long-term plan with the flexibility of a family company. We are not driven by quarterly results,” said Baars.

Pointedly, he added: “We focus on what customers want and don’t just put them in a box and say ‘because we have now a partnership with X, Y, Z, this is the best solution for you’.”

BCD has “50-plus” service providers in its marketplace, something Baars believes gives the company a “huge” advantage, enabling customers to “pick and choose” the tools and services they want. “Customers want empowerment and support – the freedom to decide which technologies and third-party providers are servicing them best, and they want to have the support from our agents when they need it.”

That sounds straightforward, said Baars, but there remains an industry-wide shortage of staff with the right expertise. Technology, and AI in particular, can help remedy that.

BCD has recruited some 1,600 employees in the last 10 months but, at the same time, has agreed a partnership with AI-based travel assistant SkyLink to offer users an “autonomous and touchless travel experience.”

Baars explained: “We don't invest in artificial intelligence with the aim of reducing our workforce – we want to enhance the service offering that they are giving to customers.”

AI is there to take away the “boring manual work” and “make the organisation faster and more effective.” He also cautions that the tolerance level for AI errors is low. “There are a lot of fields where we can use AI but always with human intelligence behind it.”