The APAC Risk Committee of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), which formed a small group following the September 2023 Singapore conference, has expanded from seven to 11 members.
GBTA APAC regional director, Elle Ng-Darmawan, told TTGmice there was high interest among corporate travel buyers to join when the call was made for applications to be reviewed.
Ng-Darmawan said the APAC Risk Committee comprises a high proportion of eight buyers and three suppliers.
Among the committee’s first projects was a Travel Risk Management 101 for Travel Managers and Procurement Professionals webinar held on December 12, 2024.
Committee co-chair Rebecca Malzacher, vice president, marketing and product, International SOS, shared that members were spread across the region in China, Singapore, Australia and India.
Another committee member, Victor Lim, global travel leader, Ingka Group (IKEA), gave pointers on a case study of a Swedish colleague who travelled to Shanghai and suffered a stroke, where the “template is still being used” today.
Fellow speaker Dean Fowles, unit head – travel, Asian Development Bank, said “many things can be preventable and mitigation is key”, adding that “there is (now) heightened awareness and travellers are more receptive”.
Speakers further highlighted the absence of inherent safety culture in certain industries, and the critical role of duty of care in equipping travellers to navigate unfamiliar environments. They asserted that such measures are essential to safeguarding the company’s brand image.
Beyond logistics, Fowles suggested engaging the local team, as not all countries or companies have documented legislation or are at different stages of the process.
International SOS security director Noriko Takasaki, noted that as every traveller is different so is the person’s risk profile. “Increasingly, nationality has become a risk profile because of geopolitics,” she said.
Craig G. Stark, medical director, Crisis24, advised pre-screening travellers going on a long trip to update them on medical advice, equip them with a medicine kit when they cannot access medical care and enforce a seal-belt use policy.
Practical tips the speakers offered ranged from blacklisting hotels with poor room-entry operating procedures, to female travellers carrying a door-stopper, to better preparation and clear directions being set.
Fowles noted the partnership between the travel, health and security departments is “crucial in risk management”.
Just as important, Lim commented, is to collect feedback, in particular negative experiences, while Stark raised the question of following up on how a traveller’s medical history and the treatment received overseas.
Malzacher announced part two of the risk management webinar series will be organised in early 2025.
