UK consortium Advantage Travel Partnership has appointed Stephen Baxendale to the newly created role of technology partnerships manager.
Based in Manchester, Baxendale has more than 20 years’ experience in the travel technology space and will support the consortium’s members by strengthening existing relationships with tech providers and working with new-to-market solutions.
He has held previous roles at Travelport and Conferma, and most recently worked as a contract manager at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) overseeing the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy scheme.
Guy Snelgar, global business travel director of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “This appointment follows the launch of our Technology Steering Group last summer, which was set up to help guide us through the key tech issues and solutions which are important to our members. Our focus for the future is very much on driving forward our plans in the technology arena and Stephen will play a key role in our strategy.”
Kevin Trill, chair of the Advantage Technology Steering Group, added: “Navigating the world of business travel technology is tricky even for seasoned professionals… The steering group's consultative approach enables us to provide members with an informed view to support their decision-making process and Stephen is critical in us achieving this.”
Advantage Travel Partnership was ranked as the second largest TMC network in Europe in BTN Europe's Leading TMCs 2022, with 420 members globally and €21.1 billion in combined global sales in 2019-2021.