Check-in with Suzanne

Hi everyone –

Nothing is more important to our industry at the moment than resuming safe, risk-mitigated business travel – and as promised last week, I wanted to quickly update you on the virtual meeting we had with the EU Delegation to the United States last Friday.

Shane Downey from GBTA, our US-based lobbying group Cornerstone, and I met with Michael Curtis, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the US, along with Gzim Ocakoglu, First Counsellor, Mobility and Transport. We each shared initiatives we’ve been working on to persuade the Biden Administration to release its plan for border reopenings. And we’ve agreed to collaborate on further opportunities surrounding both the US border reopening for inbound EU travelers, as well as on insights regarding the EU’s just released “Fit for 55” sustainability legislative initiative.

Our social-media-stirred letter-signing campaign to reopen the borders between Canada and the US yielded over 550 GBTA signatures – and we are very pleased that the Trudeau government confirmed yesterday an August 9^th opening for vaccinated Americans and September 7^th opening for other international vaccinated travelers. View Here

Canada, UK and European vaccination levels are at or above that of the United States. We as GBTA encourage these vaccine-rich countries to keep sharing stockpiles of vaccines with countries who are far behind those vaccination levels.

 

Super Tuesday: Board Election Results

As many of you will have just heard in our Annual Business Meeting, today was the “big reveal” in GBTA Board elections. Nearly 30% of global members cast a ballot, the highest turnout in recent memory – thanks for answering our calls to participate!

 

The following members have earned a new seat on the GBTA Board of Directors:

 

• President – Denise Truso, CCTE, GTP Global Travel Manager PayPal, Inc. – United States
• Vice President – Mark Cuschieri, Executive Director, Global Head of Travel, UBS – UK
• Direct Seat, Regional Canadian – Sharlene Ketwaroo-Nanoo Category Manager, Travel, Rogers Communication Inc. – Canada
• Direct Seat, Regional Europe – Jens Liltorp, CCTE, GLP Manager, Global Travel and Meetings LEO Pharma, Denmark
• Direct Seat At-Large – Michelle (Mick) Lee Managing Director, Head Corporate Services, Travel and Events BNY Mellon – United States
• Allied Seat At-Large – Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer American Airlines – United States
• Allied Seat At-Large – Will Pinnell Vice President, Digital and Product Strategy BCD Travel – United States
• Allied Seat At-Large – Maria Chevalier EVP, Customer Success Predict X – United States
• CPC President – Rosemary Maloney, Global Travel and Expense Lead, Sprinklr – United States

 

To see the entire GBTA Board of Directors – click here.

With 24 candidates running this year, it was the most active election in GBTA’s history. Thanks to everyone for your calls to lead and for your active campaigning. As an association, member engagement is a pillar of our success – and I look forward to working with the new board, with the former candidates, and all other volunteers to keep driving our industry and association forward.

 

Suzanne