Doug Anderson, formerly the CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel (No. 4 on Travel Weekly's 2016 Power List), was named the CEO of American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), which ranks No. 3 on the Power List. Anderson spoke with senior editor Jamie Biesiada about his new post, his goals and GBT's focus on growth.
Q: What attracted you to GBT?
Doug Anderson
A: I saw a company that had, through the creation of the joint venture [when GBT became a standalone company in 2014], a real focus on driving growth on the back of technology and had an integrated technology offering, had a strong balance sheet and the wherewithal to invest significantly in geographic network expansion in technology, and technology delivery that would really ... enable top-line growth and market share growth.
Q: What's the top priority in the new post?
A: My first, personal priority is to get to know the company, its people, its clients, its board and share[holders], and I want to be able to do that in a way to ramp up very quickly so that as we move into the fourth quarter of this year and into 2017, we're ready to really create success.
Q: GBT has said it's on a growth trajectory. What drives that?
A: There's three things that drive growth, and we're in good shape in all three of these regards. First of all, it's client retention -- it's very, very important that our existing clients stay with us, and we've had an exceptionally strong year when it comes to client retention. ... The second thing that drives growth is winning new business, either new clients or expanded scope from existing clients, and again, we've had an excellent year. ... The third thing that drives growth is what happens with the organic business, so same-store sales and, in some regions of the world, organic growth is cut back. Organic growth is starting to recover in Asia Pacific and Europe. It's a little soft in the U.S. -- much of the U.S. is driven by the oil and gas sector, as you would expect. But in all three of those regards, especially retention and new business sales, which we can control ... we're in good shape, and I think we've set ourselves up nicely to have a strong 2016.
Q: What's next for GBT?
A: We do have a technology and a [mergers and acquisitions] road map, and we're working hard to find the right solutions. ... We've got investment capital available to us. We've got a strategic plan. We're focused on growth, and we understand [on the technology side] ... what travelers in the marketplace are looking for and [we] have the wherewithal to integrate the products and services.
Q: What's the state of corporate travel today?
A: It's a great business to be in for suppliers, but it's a very rapidly changing landscape. Twenty years ago, most revenue in the [travel management company] world was generated by distribution. Transactions were generally on the telephone and things were relatively low-tech. And then the internet and web-based distribution and online booking tools [came along], and now, the last three or four years, the revolution that's taken place around mobile -- not just in our space, but generally when it comes to consumers, and in our case, consumers are travelers -- has changed the landscape. Today's world is about delivering a traveler experience that enables travelers to get where they need to be, cost effectively, on time, and ready to do what it is they do for a living for their employers. That's our job.