Sarah Makings, global travel category manager with KPMG and vice-chair of ITM, talks about the challenges of her role
KPMG is renowned as one of the ‘big four’ auditors – presumably the travel requirement is equally vast?
KPMG International has more than 165,000 employees worldwide and, yes, we undertake a great deal of travel. Our annual expenditure comes to more than $1.2 billion globally, with some $600 million spent on air travel and another $250 million going on hotel accommodation.
That must take some management...
We are currently undertaking a global review of our travel programme, including looking at our TMCs – at present, we are using 57 different TMCs around the world, all of whom have been in place for varying lengths of time. We also have a number of discrete travel policies in place around the world.
Does the global nature of the business present cultural challenges?
I think as long as you take enough time to understand the cultural differences, they can be overcome. You may need to compromise and amend your ideas – even change them entirely – but as long as you all work together, cultural differences can be accommodated.
Nevertheless, the differences do exist. For example, policy compliance is higher within our larger member firms, like the UK, the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Where member firms have SBTs [self-booking tools] in place, adoption is generally high, but we do have a number of member companies who do not currently use SBTs at all.
How important – and how good – is the support you receive from senior management?
I believe that senior executive sponsorship is vital for any travel programme. Without top-level support, guidance and sponsorship you are unlikely to achieve any of your goals and objectives.
Within KPMG, we have been really very fortunate in that we have always enjoyed senior level support for our programme. Travel is an area of significant spend for the firm, and everyone accepts that it’s important that spend is managed appropriately and effectively.
What about the travellers themselves - do they buy into your travel policies?
Our people are our business, so it’s vitally important that our travellers support our programme – including adhering to our travel policies. We try to involve our travellers in any important decisions that we make around the programme, asking for feedback and support and, as a result, we have very high levels of policy compliance.
There’s always a lot of ‘them and us’ talk about supplier relationships – do you subscribe to that view?
Absolutely not. I like to work in close partnership with KPMG’s suppliers. Strong supplier relationships are vital within the travel category, so it’s really important that strong relationships are developed between the supplier and the corporate, because both sides need to understand each other’s goals and objectives.
What about that other old chestnut – travel versus procurement?
I am a travel manager who sits within the procurement team, and so for me this has never been a real issue. For those where the two disciplines are separated, it simply comes down to understanding each other’s needs and priorities. At the end of the day, you work for the same company, so your end goals should be exactly the same.
Taking a wider view, CSR seems to have taken a back seat during the recent economic troubles – is that true for KPMG?
Corporate social responsibility is embedded in KPMG’s values, and we make a real commitment to the communities in which we work. We recognise that our firm has the scale, the influence, and the business expertise to make a significant and positive contribution to the issues that affect our communities and environments.
You will be taking over from Omnicom’s Nicola Lomas as chair of ITM in May 2014. How do you view the prospect?
It’s all part of a personal development process. I first joined KPMG a little over eight years ago as UK travel manager, and then moved on to become European travel category manager before assuming my current role as global travel category manager back in January this year. I’m very proud to have been an ITM board director for the past four years, and am currently vice-chair. I am really looking forward to the challenge of taking the ‘top job’.
Obviously, I am a little biased, but I believe organisations like the ITM and CIPS [Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply] play a vital role in the career development of any travel buyer. They are independent associations that actively support the buyer, and provide impartial advice and guidance in all areas of travel and procurement. I have relied heavily on both associations throughout my career, and that’s why I love being so involved with the ITM – it gives me the opportunity to provide support for other buyers.
You are on the judging panel for the Business Travel Awards – what will you be looking for?
I’m very excited to be a judge again this year, and I hope that the standard of entries is at least as good as last year – I have to admit I hadn’t realised how much time and effort goes into the submissions. This year I’d like to see the entrants be more proud, and shout about all the good things they are doing in their sectors. I was so impressed by the awards entries last year, and I learned a lot – but the entrants really do need to start sharing the information they submit with their clients.
KPMG, ITM, Business Travel Awards... do you have any spare time, and what do you do with it?
I live in a very old house which requires a lot of work, and that basically takes up much of my spare time, but I do love going to the gym, too. I also completed the Paris marathon earlier this year and am aiming to complete a midnight marathon in a few weeks’ time.
Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years’ time, both professionally and personally?
That’s a tough one. Professionally, I would like to be in a role where I have been able to put in place a best-in-class travel management programme, with a great team and fantastic support from the business. Personally, I would like to be living in a fully-renovated house – at last!