Nicola Ping
FCM Travel has established a new role focusing on customer content strategies, appointing travel distribution global manager Nicola Ping to the position, the travel management company announced.
As FCM's head of content, Ping said her focus will be on making sure the TMC's content strategy is emphasised externally to customers as much as there has been an internal focus at FCM in building content. Even with all the emphasis on technology, content remains the key reason that clients work with FCM, she said.
"It's very much around making sure that we deliver to our customers what's relevant for them here and now and making sure we can talk confidently to existing and new customers about how their programme is going to change and what that means for content," Ping said.
Part of Ping's role will continue to build content to scale at FCM. That largely has been reached on the air side with "strong" adoption of New Distribution Capability, and the TMC now is working on a "really strong, cross-border, sustainable rail solution" as well as getting hotel content to scale with mixed content sources, she said.
Her focus also will be demonstrating the value of that content, which could be monetary savings, efficiency savings or sustainability, she said. As such, areas such as reshopping will be part of her remit as well as auditing products that make sure large customers with route deals have optimally negotiated them.
"Having the content is one thing, but you've got to know why you've got it," Ping said. "I want to work with the teams to make sure we can demonstrate that to the travellers, the corporates and the travel managers."
Ping has been with FCM parent company Flight Centre Travel Group since 2019, and she previously worked with British Airways, delivering its NDC solution. She added that while her role is a part of FCM, the product benefits delivered for the TMC would also be delivered for its sister brand, the small- and midsized-client-focused Corporate Traveler.