GBTA Expands Presence in Asia Pacific with New Advisory Board

Industry Board members, along with new GBTA APAC interim director, will focus on advancing the association’s initiatives in the region

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization, continues to increase its commitment to global business travel with the establishment of a new regional GBTA Advisory Board in Asia Pacific. This strategic move aims to enhance GBTA’s presence and growth by engaging valuable local guidance and expertise to best serve members and partners in the region.

“The new Board brings together many expert and diverse voices across the region. Their insights and industry experience will help GBTA be able to optimally serve the APAC region through the development of tailored programs and offerings for business travel buyers, suppliers, and companies in the region,” said Catherine Logan, GBTA Regional Senior Vice President for EMEA and APAC. “We are grateful for the commitment of the new Board members and their crucial role in shaping GBTA’s learning, community, and advocacy programs in the APAC market.”

Peter Koh, Executive Director, Head of APAC Integrated Travel and Expense for Goldman Sachs, will serve as Chairperson of the 12-member GBTA APAC Advisory Board made up of cross-regional business travel leaders (in alphabetical order below) from top organizations:

• Koreen Barbara, Global Travel Manager, McDonalds
• John Holden, Regional Lead / Global Strategic Sourcing APJ, Workday
• Carl Jones, former Managing Director, Southeast Asia, SAP Concur
• Jonathan Kao, Managing Director-Greater China, BCD Travel
• Amarnath Lal Das, Vice President – India Travel Meetings and Events, Accenture Solutions Pvt Ltd
• Ewan Lin, Travel Operations Manager APAC / Global Category Lead (Hotels), Johnson & Johnson
• Michelle Low, Global Vice President of Supply Chain, Synergy Global Housing
• Mike Orchard, Principal Consultant, Lead of Product Development and Analytics Center of Excellence, FESTIVE ROAD
• Bertrand Saillet, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions Asia
• Timothy Tan, Senior Vice President Global Corporate Travel Management, UOB Bank
• Nichola Winchester, Asia-Pac Travel, Meetings and Events Leader / Global Corporate Card Leader, EY
• Kenji Soh, Board Member, Director, Global Travel (APAC), Bain & Company

GBTA has also appointed business travel industry veteran, Maura Geertsma, as its interim Regional Director for APAC. Reporting to Logan, Geertsma brings extensive expertise and a deep understanding of the region to support GBTA’s initiatives.

Logan added that GBTA is focused on serving the unique needs and interests of APAC through a longer-term regional strategy, as well as with nearer-term initiatives such as the upcoming GBTA APAC Conference 2023.

Taking place September 19-20 at the Shangri-La Singapore, the GBTA APAC Conference will serve as a platform for the business travel community to network, gain insights from industry experts, and engage in peer-to-peer education. For the first time, this year’s event will be co-located with the Worldwide ERC Global Mobility Summit, providing all delegates with unparalleled opportunities to learn and network across both conferences.

The two-day conference will feature insightful Main Stage speakers, buyer/supplier roundtables and “The Big Idea” innovation workshop session, along with newly released APAC-specific data and analysis from the latest GBTA Business Travel Index™ Outlook forecast. Education sessions will feature timely topics from across the business travel ecosystem including business traveler engagement, measuring the environment impact of travel programs, the resiliency of travel and meetings in Asia, managing risk, and negotiating rates in the current NDC environment.

Click here for more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to register to attend the GBTA APAC Conference 2023.