The 25-year-old Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has elected its first Asia-based president. Rio Tinto’s global category leader of travel & expense management, who lives in Singapore, tells Caroline Boey what members can expect
Congratulations Kurt on your appointment. So how will having an Asia-based president benefit members in the region and the association?
Asia being the epicentre of the world economy is great for ACTE and the association has seen the most rapid growth in this region. Membership has grown about 50 per cent, with new members from Pakistan and Mongolia joining in 2013. ACTE is also seeking new members in Kazakhstan, where Asia regional director, Benson Tang, recently participated in a travel event.
Asia is maturing rapidly in its knowledge about corporate travel and ACTE has proven it is ideally placed to lead this knowledge growth.
I believe I bring a unique perspective to both the president role and the region having been based here for 10 years across Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, with a year in London in the middle of the decade. I began my travel industry career 12 years ago in North America at Rosenbluth International, moved to Sydney and London with Galileo, returned to Sydney with American Express, set up my own consultancy before I joined Rio Tinto and moved to Singapore in 2011.
Technology, rapidly maturing payment and expense management systems, and the emergence of world-class Asian-based suppliers have risen rapidly in the last 10 years.
I have been active with ACTE since 2001 when I attended the inaugural ACTE Asia Education Conference in Singapore and I feel strongly that I can help adapt corporate travel best practices and knowledge to help make it relevant for Asia.
What are your goals and objectives over the next two years of your presidency?
They are numerous, but my key areas of focus are to further enhance ACTE’s global corporate travel education and advocacy capabilities, extend its already significant reach into Greater China, India, Japan and ASEAN, and bring new, innovative and visionary companies and leaders into our association.
In the past decade, corporate travel in Asia has developed from being an area of expertise among MNCs to one which is now pervasive across local, regional and global Asian-based businesses. We now see strong travel purchasing strategies being deployed in companies of all sizes, and more and more companies are realising the benefits of a well-managed corporate travel programme.
What are the top corporate travel trends in the US and Europe now, and how will they impact Asia in the future?
What will be interesting to watch is whether Asia will leapfrog the US or Europe in the coming year or two in finding new and innovative ways to manage corporate travel. The US and European economies still face significant challenges. Although Asia has slowed since the dizzying heights of the mid-2000s, there is still much to do and lots of opportunity to invest in Asian corporate travel. The region is well placed to continue to invest in its future around corporate travel.
What are the key challenges and opportunities for companies in Asia?
The big challenge is for companies to decide how corporate travel will be managed. Do you want to focus on compliance and company-specific objectives or a long-lasting relationship with suppliers not necessarily based on cost analysis and open sourcing? If you ask me, I believe it will be a balance of the two. Businesses are aware of the need to balance relationships and competition. The big trend among buyers in China is how to apply proper procurement and sourcing processes. It’s the same in India and South-east Asia.
Companies such as Lenovo, Haier, Tata, Samsung, Alibaba and Qunar are growing bigger and are expanding their economic base. Will they adopt local or global practices, or blend the two? What’s exciting for me is the prospect of meeting the buyers – expatriates and local talent, in particular, which has been emerging in the last couple of years.
Another thing that is very exciting is the technology. It’s not the same in Asia like in the past with online booking tools in North America. A lot is being done and can be done with mobile technology and on smartphones. Yes, Asia is fragmented but that gives it vibrancy and its lack of legacy offers a lot of opportunities.
What ACTE initiatives are being planned in Asia, what new innovations?
We are enhancing our education teams worldwide to bring new and innovative networking and learning opportunities to our Asian events, including more in-depth workshops on hot topics, utilising interactive technology and social media to engage our members and attendees to make our events more “alive”. We’re also going to some new and exciting locations in Asia to continue to spread our vision for the corporate travel industry.
There will be different types of learning opportunities. ACTE started exploring virtual conferences in 2012 and it looks more feasible now with the technology. In Asia, budgets and visas can be an issue, so we want to offer a range of options.
ACTE will go where the buyers are, Central Asia, Kazakhstan where there are big oil and gas government-linked, state-owned enterprises, Chengdu and Harbin. India, for example, is being looked at as a more specialised market needing specialised events. Japan is underserviced and we are addressing it.
ACTE is also looking at new destinations and may move the ACTE Asia Education Conference, which has been in Singapore for many years, to stay fresh. If we do move the conference there will be other events in Singapore.
Watch this space as we will be announcing the exciting locations for all our 2014 events very soon, including some new locations for events in Asia.
We are getting different feedback from different regions regarding membership and we are looking at a different fee structure as a top priority. It will be a different model by 2014.
Why did you put your name down for the ACTE President’s role?
I do spend a fair bit of time on ACTE since being elected to the board in 2012 as the Asia Region Board Representative. But it is worthwhile because I get to meet other industry peers and suppliers, which is very valuable, and learning from them is beneficial for what I do at Rio Tinto. It’s win-win.
What new destinations will you be travelling to in the coming year as ACTE president?
As ACTE is a truly global organisation, I will be attending board meetings, conferences, events and networking opportunities on nearly every continent to connect with as many people as possible.
How do you balance work and family life, and what keeps you sane on the road?
Thankfully, my family loves to travel as much as I do. So at every opportunity I either meet them before or after a business trip or we plan our holidays on the back of my work travel. Also, my son, who is now seven years old, knows how to use the video applications on our smartphones so we can chat face-to-face rather than just talk on the phone. This has made a world of difference in sharing my travel experiences with him.
What are the three most important things on your checklist before you leave for the airport?
Passports – I hold US and Australian citizenship, mobile phone, and at least one complete set of clothes.
If there is one thing you could change about your business trips in 2014, what is it?
Have more of them and to take my family with me on all of them!
