The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has appointed Roberta
Billè as the first president for its GBTA Italy chapter.
GBTA established the chapter in 2018 to provide education, resources
and networking opportunities to professionals in Europe’s fourth largest
business travel market, worth an estimated $35.6 billion in 2019.
Billè is travel manager for Novartis and has served on the GBTA
Italy advisory board for three years. She was selected by her peers on the board,
and will take up the position with immediate effect for a two-year term. Flavio
Ghiringhelli, country manager for Emirates in Italy, has been appointed vice-president.
“I am delighted that Roberta and Flavio have been selected to
lead GBTA Italy during this next phase as we navigate a safe and timely return
to business travel. The GBTA advisory boards are run by member volunteers to
help steer the association at a local level and ensure local buyer and supplier
needs are met; both Roberta and Flavio are experts in their fields and their
roles are pivotal to the success of GBTA Italy,” said Catherine Logan, regional
vice-president EMEA at GBTA.
“As president of GBTA Italy, I want to ensure that we deliver
the relevant content, education and events for our members in Italy. As we
navigate our way to a return to business travel, we need to provide local
support to members leveraging on collaboration and partnerships between buyer
and supplier members to create together a bridge to the new normal,” said Billè.