Skip to main content

Navigating The New World Of Work

Catching up at BTS

5 min
Posted: 18 May 2022
Working From Home

At the Business Travel Show (2021) we caught up with Egencia employees to see how their post-pandemic travel ecosystem has changed compared to pre-covid times. In this post we’ll look at:

  • Conversations with colleagues
  • Egencia and Amex GBT – leading the restart of travel and business trips
  • So, why is it a good time to join the business travel industry?
  • Flexible working is a huge priority initiative for Egencia
  • But what are some of our colleague's favourite things about working at Egencia?

Conversations with colleagues

In September, we were fortunate enough to take part in the Business Travel Show 2021, held in London, where travel suppliers, travel management companies and travel booking decision-makers come together. So, of course, we saw this in-person event as a great opportunity to reunite with our colleagues and pull them to one side for a quick catch up!

Watch our videos below and discover what they have to say about the resurgence of business travel, the business travel industry and what life is like at Egencia.

Egencia and Amex GBT – leading the restart of travel

To kick off, we spoke to Paul Abbott, CEO of American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), who discussed the energy that's building across the industry as corporate travel returns, and the exciting opportunities ahead in bringing together Egencia and Amex GBT for corporate travel management.

“I have to say, I’m very excited about the value we’re going to be able to create for customers", says Abbott. “I think we’re going to have the absolute winning formula in the marketplace".

Watch below for the full conversation.

So, why is it a good time to join the business travel industry?

The pandemic presented massive challenges to businesses and providers across the board, and the business travel industry was no exception. However, as we’re seeing, travel is returning, and is most certainly changing for the better.

With challenge comes change. “It’s been a very disruptive period", says Matthieu Champion, Senior Sales Director at Egencia. “And a new travel culture, a new era, is emerging out of it and there are a lot of exciting things happening".

Companies have had to pivot their attention, which has expanded the role of business travel professionals, as well as the importance of travel management and sustainable travel. “There’s a lot of big focus on areas that haven’t been at the forefront", says Isabel Clark, Global Sales Manager at Egencia. “Things like sustainability and duty of care. Before it used to be a lot about cost. Now it’s about really interesting things that we have the ability to change and help shape the way the world is going".

It's a time for new ideas too. “Through difficult times comes a creative outflow", says Simon Moran, Sales Director at Egencia. “Everybody has had to adapt and bring out new products. Technology and information are going to be about what’s next with business travel".

The business travel industry is coming out of the pandemic into an exciting new era of innovative business travel trends. There’s never been a better time to be involved.

Watch the full video below:

Flexible working is a huge priority for Egencia

Flexibility has emerged as a top priority for employees coming out of the pandemic. Traditional expectations of what a workday should look like were turned upside down, and as a result, we gained new perspectives that can shape where we go from here.

Isabel Clark, Global Sales Manager at Egencia, says, “Egencia is a really flexible place to work. It gives us the ability to work your hours and do your job, but also have flexibility with your personal life as well".

“We’re really looking after the well-being of our employees", says Matthieu Champion, Senior Sales Director. “So we have developed some flexibility around home working".

For some, working from home may mean being more available for family. For others, it may open doors for exploring new places. Simon Moran, Sales Director at Egencia, says that because of Egencia’s flexible work policy, “… one of my colleagues recently spent two weeks working in Barcelona, just to experience another culture".

Flexibility is key to enhancing quality of life, however you define it. Egencia is committed to fuelling that flexibility for our employees.

Watch the full video below.

But what are some of our colleague’s favourite things about working at Egencia?

People who are drawn to working in the travel industry tend to have an innate curiosity about other cultures. Which is part of what makes Egencia such a great place to work. Matthieu Champion, Senior Sales Director at Egencia says, “Egencia is a very diverse, very inclusive company. It’s good to work with people all over the world".

That multinational reach and international travel plays an even more important role when we’re isolated within our own communities. “It sounds corny, but I think with the pandemic human interaction is very important", says Isabel Clark, Global Sales Manager at Egencia. “Working for a nice big global company, being able to speak to people from different countries is just fabulous, and the people are wonderful".

“We have a lot of fun – it’s a work hard, play hard culture", says Simon Moran, Sales Director at Egencia. “Everyone is respected. When I joined 4-1/2 years ago you would walk around the building and see a lot of happy people. It’s a nice place to be".

Egencia gives employees a chance to make remote work turn into connections with colleagues around the world, even prior to in-person meetings.

Watch the full video below.

Was this content helpful?
0

Looking for better business travel solutions? Get in touch with us.