NBTA Europe Announces Advisory Board
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Network Creates European Leadership and Searches for Advocacy Representative
NBTA Europe, the largest European buyer-led business travel and meetings network, has announced the first wave of advisory board members. The network has appointed an initial set of three European based regional & global travel professionals to join the Chairman of the board, Caroline Strachan, Global Category Lead for Astra Zeneca. The board's role will be to provide representation of and strategic direction for the newly established network. In addition, the network has announced that it is looking for the right person to join the Advisory Board as its advocacy representative, to represent the interests of the network at a European parliamentary level.
Joining Ms Strachan initially on the newly formed board will be buyer and supplier representatives from major European companies, including:-
• Torbjorn Erling from Sweden, Global Meetings & Travel Manager for IKEA Group
• Yann Le Goff from France, Sourcing Director for Sidel, the subsidiary of Tetra Laval Group.
NBTA Europe has also appointed Floyd Widener, Vice President Sales & Global Program Management, EMEA, for Carlson Wagonlit Travel as the sole supplier Advisory Board member at this time. Biographies and photos of the four appointees are listed on the NBTA Europe launch site, www.nbtaeurope.org
Speaking about the appointments, Ms Strachan said, "That we can attract talent like this when we have only just launched is testament to the robust structure and plans we have in place. We are grateful for the support of these well respected players in leading NBTA Europe into the future. Each of them is highly innovative and professional in their fields and epitomise the thought leadership NBTA Europe strives to deliver."
Ms Strachan also stated that the network will be looking for additional Advisory Board members in the coming months and that the appointment process would ultimately develop into a full nomination and interview process over time.
In the meantime, NBTA Europe is searching for a single additional Advisory Board member to lead the network's advocacy plans in Europe and to work closely with the US parent, NBTA, on issues which affect Washington and Brussels. Interested parties should contact paul.tilstone@nbtaeurope.org
Advisory Board Member Biographies
Caroline Strachan - Global Category Leader - Business Travel, AstraZeneca
Caroline recently moved to AstraZeneca as Global Category Leader for Business Travel and acts as Immediate Past Chairman of the Institute of Travel & Meetings having just completed two years as Chairman.
Prior to her role at Astra Zeneca, she was International Travel Manager at Yahoo!, responsible for overseeing Europe and Asia Pacific travel management, across 19 countries. This included strategic programme development, supplier management, a multi-level approach to internal stakeholder engagement and initiative leadership.
Caroline has also worked for Cisco Systems as EMEA Travel Operations Manager and in the supplier sector with American Express Groups & Events and subsequently as Divisional Head of BTI UK Groups & Meetings Division.
Torbjorn Erling - Global Meetings & Travel Manager for IKEA Group
Torbjorn has operated as Global Meeting & Travel Manager, IKEA Group, since 2007 prior to which he spent 12 months as Department Manager for IKEA Travel Services at Helsingborg. Previous roles have included ten years in marketing and sales positions at Scandinavian Airlines and as a senior level teacher in Gothenburg, Sweden.
He qualified in 1985 with a degree of Masters of Education from the University of Gothenburg.
Yann Le Goff Sourcing Director - Indirect Material & Service Operations, Sidel Blowing & Service SAS
Yann Le Goff is a member of the French Travel Manager Association (AFTM) steering committee and has been responsible for travel management at Sidel since January 2008. He started his career as a pilot of business aircraft, after which he dropped the flight controls for a sales and marketing function in aviation, before moving to Sidel in sales and then in purchasing.
He cites his excellent market knowledge of business passenger problems as a pilot and experienced traveler himself as a key driver in the function which he manages. Moreover, after having spent 9 years in global and strategic sourcing, he has taught purchasing strategy at Le Havre University now for 4 years.
Floyd Widener - Vice-President of Sales & Global Program Management (EMEA), Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Floyd's role since 2006 includes heading the teams responsible for new customer acquisition and managing the corporate travel programs of more than 60 CWT global customers with offices throughout EMEA. He is also involved in creating strategic partnerships and evolving CWT's business and service model in the region.
From 1998, he spent eight years at Sabre Travel Network. First as sales & marketing director and then subsequently as Vice-President of emerging business (EMEA) and Vice-President of corporate solutions (EMEA), responsible for the GDS operator's relationship with its corporate customers and for rolling out the GetThere corporate self-booking tool across the region. Floyd has also soent time as European sales manager for the French electronic publisher Euredit, and sales director for Amadeus France.
Originally from California, he is a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in management and literature. He has lived in Paris for the past nineteen years and has dual US and French citizenship.
