Allison Webb, procurement category manager, corporate services, at Centrica – and 2016’s travel buyer of the year – talks to BBT.
Tell us about the scope of your role
I currently have direct responsibility for Centrica Europe travel, which covers approximately 10,000 active travellers. In 2015 we had over 140,000 transactions across air, rail and hotel. UK domestic transactions account for 85 per cent of the trips, and 50 per cent of total spend. We’ve seen significant reductions in travel over 2014. Our air travel in 2015 was down by 30 per cent and travel overall was down by 13 per cent. This was driven in part by less travel to some of our usual international destinations and travellers genuinely looking at the best price. Also, the downturn in the oil and gas industry led to less travel by this part of our business.
What are the key elements of your travel policy?
I have tried to standardise our policies where possible and, later this year, we will issue the first One Centrica travel and expenses policy, which will cover all our group businesses. We do allow some choice in regard to accommodation and we use hotels ranging from budget to four-star. However, there are minimum standards we expect and these generally relate to security and traveller wellbeing. For air travel we ask travellers to choose the most cost-effective option on the day.
What about duty-of-care issues?
I work closely with our head of security and we jointly manage the relationship with Red 24, who provide traveller tracking services and security information to our travellers. I also input to quarterly CO2 emissions reporting for Centrica’s environment team. As our travel has reduced, we are hitting emissions targets.
How wide is your remit?
I have overall responsibility for the travel, meetings and events category, and also manage a small team which works across all our professional services categories. Until recently I also managed management consultancy as a category.
Career-wise, why travel management?
I always knew I wanted to work in the travel industry. I studied travel and tourism, and I have been involved in the business travel industry for about 28 years, starting as a junior business travel consultant for Amex back in 1987. I then went to work at United Airlines in 1990 for ten years, finally as an account manager in the corporate sales department. It was in this role that I was contacted by Dell and asked if I’d be interested in becoming their EMEA travel manager. Then I moved to O2 in 2006 to lead their UK travel programme, and finally to Centrica.
What have been your biggest challenges and achievements?
I’ve been managing Centrica’s UK travel programme since 2011. It had been relatively unmanaged for close to five years. Using all my previous experience, I set about deciding on a strategy for the next four years, starting with the implementation of its first preferred hotel and airline programme. Then, in 2012/13, I completed a review of Centrica’s travel management companies and online booking tool providers, enabling us to go from eight suppliers to two.
What do you enjoy most about the corporate travel sector?
I am passionate about business travel. I enjoy continually looking for new ways to improve the Centrica travel programme for travellers and bookers in terms of process and obtaining added-value benefits from our key supplier relationships. I still get frustrated that, even when you have a global travel management agreement, your UK traveller still has to call the UK when travelling overseas rather than speak to the local agency. We are still beholden to the dominant global distribution systems, and the booking tools need to move to more direct access to the end suppliers.
What advice would you give to someone considering, or beginning, a similar career?
If you’re a procurement person you need to get to know the travel category. Don’t think you can approach it the same way as other categories. Reach out to ITM [Institute of Travel and Meetings] or ACTE [Association of Corporate Travel Executives] as they are both great professional associations and provide useful insights into travel management. The opposite is the case for travel professionals – learn procurement skills as suppliers really appreciate it when you follow a clear tender process with well-written requirements. You do need a thick skin and to be self-motivated to a certain degree, as only other travel buyers will really get what you do.
How does it feel to be recognised as 2016’s Travel Buyer of the Year?
It was amazing – I was really excited. I’ve been a travel buyer for a number of companies, but it’s never really been the right time to enter previously. So it’s a great endorsement that what I do is appreciated.
I celebrated by sharing a bottle of champagne with my manager, some of the HRG team and few fellow travel managers, and went to bed around 3am – I think!l