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Who we are

Meet the Team

Meet our global team

London, UK

Caroline Strachan

Caroline has worked in the travel and meetings industry for over 20 years. She has held roles as both buyer and supplier, so brings a unique perspective across the whole travel supply chain. Most recently she led the Global Consulting group at American Express, helping a broad customer base tackle complex travel programme/industry issues. Prior to co-founding Festive Road she led the AstraZeneca Global Travel Programme and was awarded the Best Travel Team category in the 2013 UK Business Travel Awards.

Her work leading travel programmes at Yahoo and Cisco is well documented and she has sat on the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Board of Directors, chaired GBTA in Europe and the Institute of Travel Managers (ITM) in the UK. Caroline has received a number of industry awards including the GBTA Luoma award in 2012 for services to the European travel and meetings industry and the Business Travel News Multinational Travel Manager of the Year award in 2013. Caroline is also the Co-Founder of LEVEL Women and Women At Work, 2 voluntary initiatives supporting women in the workplace. Caroline is often called “the most credible Business Travel expert” in the industry and was listed as an “industry influencer” in the Buying Business Travel 2016 Hotlist.

Caroline is based in Kent with her “techie” husband and twin daughters. Her home-baking obsession serves as a cover for her passion, intuition, meticulous planning and emotional intelligence in business.

London, UK

Paul Tilstone

Prior to co-founding Festive Road he acted in senior roles for travel management companies for 13 years, and then subsequently as CEO for the Institute of Travel & Meetings UK (ITM) for seven years and Chief Global Development Officer for the Global Business Travel Association for a further five. In July 2017 he was appointed to the board of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) as the first elected international director in the association’s history. His knowledge and networks represent the best in the industry.

Paul has received the UK Buying Business Travel Diamond Award for services to sustainability and was listed by the magazine in the industry’s 2013 “Hot List” as one of thirty professionals driving change in the industry. He has twice been listed as one of the world’s top 25 business travel industry influencers by the Business Travel News, USA, for work in advocacy and sustainability.

Paul is a Surrey-based Welshman with an impulsive, insightful and creative nature. He’s not afraid to say what he sees and can regularly be found lecturing his two sons on what it takes to succeed in the 21st century.

Miami, US

Lora Ellis

Lora has worked in the business travel consulting sector for more than 20 years. Since joining FESTIVE ROAD, Lora’s consulting projects have focused on strategy, operating models, global TMC & micro-services sourcing, traveler/stakeholder engagement initiatives and travel program branding. Prior to joining FESTIVE ROAD, Lora was a Director at American Express GBT Consulting where she delivered amazing results for her clients through hundreds of consulting projects involving strategic sourcing, outsourced travel, total program management and demand management. One of Lora’s unique attributes is the ability to run complex projects where she can simplify and visualize the output for the client. Lora is known for getting to what matters most at speed, whilst bringing along a group of people with her.
Manchester, UK

Louise Kilgannon

Louise has worked in the travel industry for 15 years, predominantly on the buyer side. Her most recent role was Outsourcing Director for American Express Consulting, where she led multiple teams, managing global programmes for the likes of Microsoft, BASF, AstraZeneca and Philips.

Prior to this Louise was the Travel Buyer/Manager for corporates across a variety of industry sectors including Procter & Gamble, Infor and IBM. In each of these companies she was responsible for sourcing and managing TMC’s and other travel related services.

In addition to these roles, Louise has played an active role in the industry, sitting on the Board of the ITM and on various industry committees. She is a regular contributor to industry events both speaking and moderating sessions.

Sydney, AUS

Mike Orchard

Mike is in his 20th year working in the business travel industry. He has held senior supplier, buyer and consultant roles which give him a uniquely rounded view of the industry. Mike recently led the global travel program for international investment bank, Macquarie Group. He steered the travel category through a period of renewal, leading sourcing activity across every facet of the program, implementing travel technologies and consolidating to a single TMC.

Previously, Mike worked up through the ranks at HRG. He ultimately led their global travel consulting practice, HRG Consulting in London, before making the move to Australia. From Sydney, Mike ran CWT’s client consulting division for Asia Pacific - CWT Solutions Group for several years. As a consultant Mike has worked with many organisations as Shell, Microsoft, News Corp, AstraZeneca and Vodafone and UBS, as well as a large number of smaller ‘national’ companies.

Mike is an active member of GBTA and sits on the ACTE Australasia council.

As “poms" living in Australia, Mike and his wife love cricket and rugby, especially when the English have a victorious tour down under. Mike is studying for a Masters of Data Science and is also a drummer, aspiring woodworker and loves a glass of Aussie red.

New York, US

Meredith Smith

Meredith started her career in hotels in revenue management in Australia, went on to use this hotel knowledge with Expedia and then moved to Singapore to join Intel in a procurement role for Agency, Hotels and Immigration.

She joined MSD Singapore in 2008 where she implemented and managed the Asia Pacific and Japan Travel and Payment program. Whilst building a talented team accountable in the region for the ongoing operations, supplier management and stakeholder engagement of all aspects of T&E, she then set her sights on the controls and standardization of Meetings for the Region.

Whilst there she sat on the Board for ACTE, United Airlines and Marriott Hotels, was a frequent speaker and thought leader with deep subject matter expertise on the unique landscape of each of those 14 countries.

In 2014, she moved to the US Merck headquarters in NJ, as Global Head of Operations for Travel, Meetings, Payments and Creative Studios. Her primary responsibility was to implement a robust Strategic Meetings Management Program and continuing to challenge the status quo on aspects of the established Travel and Payments programs. She is used to managing large organizations of 100+ people and getting the best out of her people by always listening and making rapid decisions.

Meredith is passionate about ensuring knowledge is shared, has a very energetic open direct style and since joining FESTIVE ROAD has managed some of the most complex deliverables requested.

When Meredith is not working she enjoys embracing Vermont Mountain life with her husband, two boys and 3 x 4 legged children

Cleveland, US

Katie Virtue

Katie is a builder and connector of ideas and is relentless in her pursuit of excellence! She is energized by moving organizations forward by connecting purpose to execution, deeper engagement and continual business process improvement.

At Festive Road, Katie is the Client Solutions Lead working with companies to craft the right approaches to help them create better. She also leads strategy reviews and provides thought leadership solutions to industry suppliers bringing a vision of macro trends and how they will shape future of business travel and meetings.

Katie is a frequent speaker on different business travel topics and involved with numerous industry groups such as GBTA Ladders and the GBTA Technology Committee. She has a goal to #runtheworld and complete a half marathon on every continent. When not traveling or running, you can find her playing ice hockey and coaching her sons.

San Francisco, US

Barbara Arena

Barbara is a travel professional with over twenty-five years in the industry. She has a strong background in global procurement and supplier management, along with the passion and ability to build and sustain positive relationships with team members and business partners globally.

Most recently she comes from Oracle as Principal Category Manager, Global Travel Sourcing where she managed the global sourcing cycle, project management, identified strategies and global opportunities, delivered solutions to improve workflows and processes to drive automation. She led strategic supplier reviews, identified cost savings, collaborated with internal stakeholders to support their priorities, and aligned with Global Corporate Safety & Security Policies. She also spent another eight years as a Team Lead for the Oracle VIP Travel Desk while at Rosenbluth International.

Over the last 14 years, Barbara has held several roles for the Silicon Valley Business Travel Association, including Professional Development Director, VP, President, and Chairman.

Barbara is based outside the Silicon Valley in Northern California where she and her husband spend much of their free time with their two adult children and spouses, or with extended family and friends relaxing in the mountains.

Orlando, US

TRACI AULTMAN

Travel Category Analyst

Traci has worked in the travel industry for more than 20 years, holding positions on both the corporate and consulting side. Prior to joining Festive Road, Traci was Senior Manager of Global Travel at RELX. She has held previous positions at Accenture, CenturyLink and WorldCom in the areas of category management, procurement, operations, and meetings and events.

With a passion for improving the traveler experience and continuing to evolve a corporate travel program to be best in class, Traci has the keen ability to envision the big picture of how a corporation’s travel program could look, while also having the detail-oriented ability to dive into the project specifics.

Traci is based near Orlando, where she enjoys traveling, relaxing on the many Florida beaches, and spending time with family and friends.

London, UK

Asif Bashir

A passionate business travel professional with over a decade of experience in consulting and data analytics roles with various players of the industry. Asif has helped optimise some of the most complex travel programmes and advised some of the biggest global buyers of business travel, driving tens of millions of dollars in savings and value. He has supported prominent organisations across professional services, financial services, technology, and media (among other industry sectors) to optimise their travel spend. When he’s not crunching numbers he can be found out enjoying life with his friends and family in East London.
Cambridge, UK

Gemma Bassett

Gem is in her third decade in the Meetings and Events Industry.

She had many years focusing on the experiential side of events in multiple industries, running successful portfolios of global events and teams that did the same. This allowing a true understanding of what can be at the heart of M&E programs and experiences and giving her unique experience of being on both the strategy/service and delivery side, allowing a unique point of view of balancing strategy with stakeholder experience, truly understanding the cause and effect of decisions, leading to more harmonious programs.

She worked in both corporate and agency organizations, with 14 of these years at EY as part of the award-winning Global Travel, Meetings and Events Team where amongst many projects she ran the SMMP for EMEIA, designed and implemented a Global M&E Policy and streamlining the supply chain and enhancing compliance, meanwhile ensuring the stakeholder experience was optimal, leading to a specialty in bringing order to chaos!

After taking a small sabbatical to spend some time with her husband and two young children, in their home in Cambridgeshire, Gem joined the team of an Event Tech SMT Startup to develop and enhance their client services function, working with an array of corporate clients with her natural curiosity she enhanced their service offering and shaped a client strategy.

Gem loves spending time with her family and friends and loves to go out and to entertain in their lovingly restored home. Using her combination of cookery skills, event management attention to detail and zest for travel and dining out, she loves to bring that experience to her home and ensure her loved ones always have the best time, she likes to bring that same sense of good times to work and ensure any team she integrates with, have a seamless experience and always pause for a little fun amidst the hard work!

Manchester, UK

Abi Cummings

Abi has worked within the travel industry for the past 19 years where for much of that time she was part of AstraZeneca’s award-winning business travel team. More recently, Abi has worked at American Express GBT where she has held project management roles with clients including JTi, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.

With a passion for customer satisfaction and a tenacious approach to all of her work, she has earned a reputation for integrating seamlessly into established teams and delivering success in the areas of travel technology, crisis management, traveller engagement, process improvement and optimisation.

Abi is based in Manchester where she lives with her partner, two young children and Juno the cat. Abi loves spending time outdoors with the family, dinning out with friends and at weekends can be found watching her other love in life - Football!

London, UK

Fenella Cusack

Fenella has worked in the finance industry for over 20 years. After graduating with a first class degree in chemistry, she qualified as an accountant with Deloitte in London, and is now a Fellow of the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

She has advised public and private companies on a variety of finance and legal issues throughout her career, including a number of large UK inbound and US outbound listed groups. Specialising in international taxes, Fenella’s work has encompassed the increasingly high profile areas of tax compliance, tax advisory and tax controversy.

Her most recent role was EMEA Tax Manager for Jones Lang Lasalle Inc, a role she excelled in, before taking a career ‘break’ to raise her two small children.

Based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, she is happiest enjoying long walks in the countryside with her family (despite the protestations from little legs!), but now marries this with her alter - ego as ‘Fenella Finance’ – another important asset in the FESTIVE ROAD family.

London, UK

Sandra Deregoski

Before joining FESTIVE ROAD in October 2019, Sandra had been in the travel industry for over 20 years. Working at the HRS Group for over 10 years, Sandra managed global projects for well-known multinational organisations, having previously led teams as Director of Hotel Solutions.

She has an analytical and data lead approach to monitor performance and to recommend and help create the strategy to meet the client’s objectives and a proven track record of negotiating rates and closing complex contracts with global suppliers.

Keeping up-to-date on the latest disruptive technology in the travel space, Sandra has an extensive product and industry knowledge, and has helped global brands deliver complex projects in fast paced environments. She believes in creating strong business relationships based on open and honest communication, a high attention to detail and accuracy, and focusing on achieving objectives that meet the client’s needs.

Throughout her career, Sarah has held Global and European management positions in consulting, client management, product and project management, supporting a variety of prestigious clients with their extensive and often complex travel requirements. Her well proven history of problem solving, client management, programme re-design and implementations gives her a comprehensive and broad outlook enabling her to identify and evaluate new solutions and strategies to increase customer satisfaction, streamline processes and/or reduce costs.

Sarah has been recognised for her strong leadership skills and is known for being forthright, fair, open, enthusiastic and honest.

Based in Holmfirth, Yorkshire with her husband, Sarah enjoys travelling and fine dining, preferring to combine the two whenever possible!

Birmingham, UK

SALLY HIGGS

Sally has worked in the travel industry for 22 years, starting off as a children’s holiday rep in Italy and Spain. After her summer seasons in Europe Sally spent 3 years working in a hotel whilst studying for her Tourism Business Management degree.

Sally’s career saw her working at Thomas Cook pricing holiday brochures in the yield department and then designing package trips at Thomas Cook Sport for the Football World Cup and Rugby Lions Tour in South Africa.

Sally stepped into business travel in 2010 when she joined GSM Partners working in supplier relations, based out of the Reed and Mackay office in London. Since then Sally held various roles in consultancy, account management and outsourced travel manager at Capita Travel and Events. Before moving to Festive Road, Sally was a global client general manager at AMEX GBT for nearly 6 years. During her time at GBT, Sally co-founded and ran the UK Sustainability team at GBT and worked on several sustainability initiatives, earning her the enviable name “Sustainable Sally” with her colleagues, clients and suppliers.

Sally lives in the Staffordshire countryside with her partner and her Staffy, Rolo. In her spare time Sally “attempts” CrossFit, goes hiking and enjoys being in the great outdoors. Sally is always trying to live a more sustainable life whilst balancing her love for travel.

London, UK

Ola Hotson

Ola is a highly organised VA with 15+ years PA and lifestyle management experience. Her recent portfolio of work includes diary and task management, home refurbishment project management, invoice generation, CV shortlisting and interviewing candidates. She also provides property management services for two flats and a commercial premises.

Prior to becoming a VA, Ola worked as a PA at a communications agency as well as for a fashion designer and the vice-chair of a top-flight football club. Most of these roles had very broad remits spanning "traditional" PA functions, HR administration, recruitment and office management, as well as being a sounding board. Former colleagues and clients have commented on Ola's efficiency, professionalism, positive attitude and loyalty, which enable her to work successfully with her clients.

Washington, D.C., US

Frasier Johnson

Learning and Design Content Manager

Frasier has more than 10 years of training and development experience and is known as a highly creative professional who can always be trusted to come up with a new approach. Most recently she was with the U.S. Courts managing the development of training programs, educational manuals and other workshop material, and coaching groups online and face-to-face. She has consulted with many organizations, including the Defense Health Agency, General Services Administration, Department of Defense, Veteran Affairs, Homeland Security, a major banking institution, and a non-profit assisting young adults with learning life skills.

Frasier holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from Johnson C Smith University, a Master of Education in Educational Technology, and Master of Science in Human Development from Arizona State University. In addition, she is attending a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program at the University of Florida.

Based in Washington, DC, Frasier enjoys spending time with her husband and baby boy, trying all the new sushi spots and traveling anyplace the weather is warm and the water is blue.

London, UK

Ian Jones

Ian Jones has spent the past 30 years at the forefront of meetings industry. Joining FESTIVE ROAD in 2018, Ian has a passion for creativity and people engagement.

Ian works across the buyer and supplier space to deliver a range of projects. An accomplished moderator and event producer Ian has designed and delivered numerous high-profile events for FESTIVE ROAD’s client base. His listening style and creative approach has seen Ian add great value to client customer advisory boards.

In addition to consulting Ian works alongside Managing Partner Paul Tilstone to create and deliver FESTIVE ROAD’s marketing as well as working with Client Solutions Lead Katie Virtue to help clients craft the right solutions to help them Create Better.

When not working with FESTIVE ROAD Ian also creates and delivers content for the food and drink industry and in his spare time he can be found out walking the Surrey Hills with his two Boarder Terriers or cooking in his outdoor kitchen with smoke and fire for his wife and two sons.

Manchester, UK

Alex Kington

Alex Kington is a marketing strategist with more than 15 years of experience in and outside of business travel. She is passionately focused on purpose and working with businesses to help them uncover their “why.”

Alex previously occupied Head of Marketing roles with two UK-based TMCs before establishing her own marketing consultancy in 2022. Despite being a relative newcomer to the industry, her impact has been significant, winning her the accolade of Best Newcomer at The Business Travel People Awards in 2018.

And in an interesting turn of events, Alex is the first FESTIVE ROAD client to crossover to become a Roader!

London, UK

Nicola Lomas

Nicola’s career spans three decades and includes buyer and supplier roles covering Europe, APAC, and N. America.

She holds a postgraduate degree in Strategic Procurement Management and brings deep buyer experience in sourcing, implementing, and managing all aspects of a business travel programme from roles at global companies which include Omnicom Group and IFS. On the supply side Nicola held senior sales and partnership management roles with American Express, and American Airlines in the US, and with International SOS in Europe.

She is a former chair of the UK’s Institute of Travel Management where she received the Business Travel Professional Services Award 2017 from GBTA.

Nicola recently became a parent and is looking forward to showing her lockdown baby to the world when global travel can safety resume!

Boston, US

Sean Melchionno

Travel Category Analyst

Sean joins Festive Road with eight years of travel industry experience, having worn many hats along the way! From running travel operations for the New England Revolution, a Major League Soccer team, to building robust dashboards and company metrics for senior leadership at Atlas Travel & Technology Group, Sean’s travel IP is wide-ranging and comprehensive.

Sean’s biggest strength is data analytics and airline contract management – skills he refined while working as a Senior Analyst within FCm Travel Solution’s consulting division. With a knack for augmenting traditional methods and thinking, Sean ensured clients across industries received maximum savings while reducing traveler friction.

In addition, Sean has been coaching soccer as an assistant at Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology for the past seven years. A former student athlete himself, coaching has been a great opportunity to help other student-athletes navigate collegiate sports as they prepare for their professional careers. When not coaching, Sean can still be found on the fields competing at the highest level possible.

Sean lives in Greater Boston with his fiancée and two cats. When not on the soccer field or traveling himself, Sean is a secret nerd and avid gamer, playing challenging games with friends or solo.

Dallas, US

Melissa Mihelich

Melissa has been leading global marketing and communications programs, collaborating with business partners far and wide from across several industries for over 12 years. More recently, she spent nearly six years with Sabre Corporation, keenly focused on delivering executive advisory boards and other engagement programs supporting airline and hotel partners, as well as corporate travel agencies and buyers.

With a customer-centric mentality, Melissa loves to tackle and transform seemingly impossible challenges by bringing together both a strategic and tactical focus to programs and projects.

Melissa is based in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her French Bulldog, Felix. She loves traveling (of course), road cycling, skiing adventures in Colorado, and anything outdoors.

New York, USA

Allison O'Sullivan

Allison brings diverse travel expertise to Festive Road. Having been too tall to become a flight attendant – back when that mattered! – she redirected her wanderlust instincts in a corporate direction.

Over the course of a 30-year career, she achieved an exceptional reputation with clients and suppliers alike, for her ultra-professional management of complex global initiatives – be it strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, incentive travel or category management consulting.

Her entrepreneurial background is equally impressive. Following a two-year stint in managing the women’s tour division of New Jersey’s largest tour agency at the time, she launched her own company, Away for Women, offering high-end experiential travel to the niche market of solo women travelers. Frequently she accompanied her small-sized tours, providing her group with her own well-traveled insights to the hidden charms of a destination.

In 2012, Allison was recruited by UBS to lead a newly created position in the Americas region. As the Director of Sourcing Travel and Events, she was responsible for sourcing 50% of the bank’s category spend. Quickly known for consistent delivery of best practices in procurement, while surpassing all goals for cost avoidance/reduction, she was chosen to singularly lead all global Travel RFPs. During her tenure in this role, she successfully led the sourcing and contract negotiation of every major initiative, covering every category of the bank’s third-party travel spend.

Prior to joining Festive Road, Allison was the Global Category Manager of Travel at Chain IQ, a leader in indirect procurement, with more than 60 international clients in over 49 countries.

When not working or speaking at industry events, Allison enjoys the culture of New York City. Having been a scuba diver in the past, she is now taking flying lessons and trying to learn how to dance Argentine Tango (flying is easier!).

London, UK

Carol Peter

Carol has over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. She previously worked for American Express as a Travel & Expense Consulting Manager where she worked with clients to focus on ensuring delivery of project objectives. More recently she was the Travel Program Manager for American Express and was responsible for supporting the stakeholder lead in key sourcing activities, supplier management and assisting in the operational management of the EMEA & JAPA travel program.

During her career, she has worked on a variety of engagements including hotel & air sourcing, programme management optimisation, policy redesign and change management projects.

Based in central London, Carol enjoys travelling, playing badminton, and loves nothing more than spending quality time with her family.

Dallas, US

Ginger Rippley

Ginger has worked in corporate travel as both a supplier and buyer for 30+ years, 20+ years of her career have been in global program management. She has a proven track record of leading strategic global travel programs, integrations and sourcing.

Most recently, she led a large Travel Management Company implementation in 56 countries with several system integrations and interdependencies with a big bang five month go live time period.

As one client commented “In my career, I've worked with many project managers. I can unequivocally say Ginger is one of the best. She committed to the project and executed it beautifully… While Ginger was actively engaged in the present, she maintained an awareness of future requirements and next steps.”

A highly motivated, positive and goal-oriented professional, she is committed to performance excellence. She enjoys life on a small ranch outside of Dallas, Texas with her boyfriend, several rescue animals, spending time with family and friends and volunteering.

London, UK

Charlotte Rogerson

Charlotte is a natural born organiser who thrives on building relationships based on trust. Working in a variety of industries including law, insurance and financial services, her career as a Personal and Virtual Assistant has spanned over 24 years.

Charlotte has a wealth of experience in complex inbox and diary management, intricate travel itineraries, event management along with other day to day administrative tasks. Through her experience as a Virtual Assistant, she has supported with HR matters including contract management and implementing onboarding processes. She has also provided social media support and loves to go the extra mile for client by offering bespoke lifestyle support in the form of personal appointments, gift purchases and lifestyle management.

Charlotte is based in Essex and lives with her three children. She is a keen paddleboarder and loves being near the water. She is also studying in her spare time and is in the process of completing an Master's degree in Art Psychotherapy.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Daniel Tallos

Daniel has worked in travel-related roles for more than 20 years. He started on the supplier side, working for Air France KLM and AmEx GBT in commercial and general management roles. Later, he moved to the customer side, working as a travel manager for Citi and Nike.

On the supplier side, his major achievements included acquiring and retaining global customers for Air France KLM and reorganizing the local business at GBT in Hungary.

On the customer side, he drove important initiatives around sourcing for the global program, elevating the traveler experience and creating a global framework for sustainability.

More recently, Daniel has launched his recruitment and talent sourcing business, with a special focus on sales, account management, general management, finance, and supply chain (mid- & senior) roles in FinTech, Travel, Retail and FMCG.

London, UK

Ami Taylor

Ami Taylor brings insights from 30 years of experience in the business travel industry. Her career journey spans multiple sectors and job functions, with a significant focus on SaaS-based businesses in recent years. Ami's deep understanding of the travel ecosystem and her strategic thinking have continually added value to her work and contributions.

As a consistent advocate for sustainability, Ami has been instrumental in driving green initiatives during her career, reflecting her commitment to fostering responsible practices within the sector. Ami has been quoted in various industry articles, sharing perspectives honed from decades in the field.

Ami has been invited to speak at a number of industry events, including the Concur Travel Industry Summit, Business Travel Show, and ITM Conference. Covering a wide range of topics, her presentations are known for their strategic insights and practical takeaways, sparking meaningful dialogue about the future of business travel.

Ami strikes a balance between her demanding professional life and personal interests. She cherishes time spent with her family and eagerly looks forward to moments she can nurture her passions for dancing and reading. Her personal commitment to sustainability is a perfect complement to her professional endeavours, demonstrating her holistic approach to life and work.

Driven by a steadfast commitment to the business travel industry, Ami remains devoted to sustainability and is eager to contribute to positive change in her field. She dedicates her unique combination of industry knowledge, strategic thinking, and personal integrity to evolving the landscape of business travel.

Manchester, UK

Sarah Van Dyke

Sarah has worked in the travel industry for over 25 years. Most recently, as Global Client Manager for American Express GBT, Sarah was responsible for leading a global team to deliver a highly successful travel programme for one the world’s leading consulting firms. Prior to this, as European Account Manager at GBT, Sarah was part of Astra Zeneca’s award winning travel team.

Throughout her career, Sarah has held Global and European management positions in consulting, client management, product and project management, supporting a variety of prestigious clients with their extensive and often complex travel requirements. Her well proven history of problem solving, client management, programme re-design and implementations gives her a comprehensive and broad outlook enabling her to identify and evaluate new solutions and strategies to increase customer satisfaction, streamline processes and/or reduce costs.

Sarah has been recognised for her strong leadership skills and is known for being forthright, fair, open, enthusiastic and honest.

Based in Holmfirth, Yorkshire with her husband, Sarah enjoys travelling and fine dining, preferring to combine the two whenever possible!

Sarasota, US

Jackie Visnic

Hotel Category Analyst

Jackie brings more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry. Most recently, Jackie was at American Express Global Business Travel, where she served as a Senior Consulting Manager. In addition, Jackie held roles at Apple Vacations and Rosenbluth International. Her experience encompasses client management, consulting, product management, business development, procurement, contract negotiations, and project management for some of the biggest companies in the world.

Jackie is based in Florida, where it is blue skies and white puffy clouds most days. In her free time, she enjoys biking, morning walks, beach and sand therapy, baseball, getting together with friends and family, and of course searching for that next travel adventure.

London, UK

Mark Wilkinson

Mark is an accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience in senior commercial roles with the last 9 years spent in business travel and thrives on building strong relationships with clients. He has a proven track record of providing exceptional customer service. Mark's dedication and passion for his work have earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to his clients.

Mark's commitment to excellence, both personally and professionally, is evident in everything he does. His passion for learning and personal growth is an inspiration to those around him coupled with a positive attitude and infectious energy.

Mark's commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond his professional life. He was fortunate enough to spend a week in Cameroon with UNICEF, where he witnessed first-hand the incredible impact of their work. This experience left a profound impression on Mark, and he remains committed to supporting humanitarian efforts whenever possible.

Mark's family is his greatest joy, and he spends as much time with them as possible. He has two teenage boys 15 & 17 who keep him on his toes, and he enjoys engaging in a variety of physical activities with them, such as playing cricket, football, and go-karting. Mark is also a passionate runner and indoor cyclist and has completed numerous half marathons and marathons.

In his free time, Mark enjoys exploring new places and cultures. He spent over 8 years living in Nerja, Spain, where he immersed himself in the local community and developed a love for Spanish cuisine and culture. Mark is also an avid home cook and enjoys experimenting with new recipes and recently set up a TikTok channel to share his culinary creations with the world.

Dallas, US

Amy Williams

Technical Program Manager @ Amazon

Amy has more than 20 years of experience in software architecture, development, training, and mentorship. She began her career in corporate travel technology 10 years ago at Concur where she was a Supervisor / Senior Technical Consultant responsible for Compleat implementations. She next worked with Atriis as a Customer Solutions Architect for GTP, and then continued as an independent consultant focused on mid-office and booking tool implementations for regional and multi-national TMCs. In all her roles, Amy specialized in the full software implementation lifecycle, from technical business analysis and solution design through configuration, testing, and delivery.

Amy is thrilled to be working alongside the brilliant Festive Road team (whom she's been fangirling for years). She feels fortunate to be in an innovative corporate travel technology space where relationships are valued and the "art of the possible" is the driving force.

Based in Dallas, Amy enjoys traveling with her family, finding hilly places to hike in flat north Texas, having her teenagers roll their eyes at her (she says she's a pro!), and tending her garden.

London, UK

Holly Windsor

Holly’s previous experience includes 7 years with HRG/AMEX GBT in Operational Analyst and Operational Support Consultant roles, and 2 years as a call handler for NHS 119 (the UK’s health service). Based in Kent, Holly has a 3.5 year old adopted Border Collie called Patch, and outside of work enjoys renovating property, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.
London, UK

James Windsor

James Windsor has more than 14 years of experience in all things data. His knowledge around data analytics enables him to transform complex data feeds from multiple sources into easy-to-understand stories that drive tangible strategies and results.

Most recently, he was a Business Intelligence Analyst at MWI Animal Health responsible for dashboard creation and KPI benchmarking. Prior to that he led a team of data analysts working on sourcing projects at HRG Consulting; and he has held data roles at American Express Global Business Travel and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

James is based in the UK and enjoys playing football, playing video games, travelling, and spending time with his family.

Seattle, US

Nabina Yea

Nabina is a customer-oriented technical professional with strong business acumen. She received her Master of Business Administration degree from University of Washington with double specialization in Product Marketing Management and Marketing Analytics.

Nabina has several years of experience working with some of the biggest tech companies in the world. In her most recent role, she was a Senior Product Analyst at Amazon where she managed all things related to data and metrics for the team and led process improvement programs. She has also worked at SAP Concur as a Support Engineer and with Microsoft as an MBA Consultant in Product Management and Business Strategy.

Nabina is based in Seattle and lives with her boyfriend, Golden Retriever dog, and Siamese cat. She loves animals, summers in Seattle, hanging out and travelling with friends, retail therapy, and watching Netflix.

Morges, Switzerland

Marc Zuber

Marc brings a wealth of experience following a 30-year career at Nestlé Group, where he held a variety of roles, including most recently the Global Travel Category Lead. While there, he gained extensive experience in managing a complex corporate travel programme and completely transformed the category – moving it from operational and locally led to a strategic, global category. Early in his career, Marc also held roles in finance and audit.

Throughout his career, Marc has played a leading role in various industry associations, including the Association of Swiss Travel Management (ASTM), the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and as a participant member of IATA’s Travel Manager Advisory Group (TMAG) since its inception.

In addition to his home country of Switzerland, where he is currently based, Marc has lived and worked in South America. In his free time, Marc enjoys exploring countries by bike, outdoor activities (hiking, skiing) and is a keen wine enthusiast.

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travel & meetings management
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