BTN Europe Podcasts

BTN Europe produces two podcast series: Week in Review, a fortnightly panel discussion covering current industry trends and developments; and In Conversation With..., a one-to-one interview with senior figures from across the industry.

All episodes from both series can be downloaded below or listened to using the embedded players. Alternatively, subscribe to the two series via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other platforms.

In Conversation With...
Fred Stratford, chief executive officer, Reed & Mackay (published 13 September 2021)
Fred Stratford, CEO of travel management company Reed & Mackay, tells BTN Europe's Andy Hoskins about the TMC's acquisition by TripActions, what's new in the first four months under its ownership, and the need to provide clients with both top tech and strong service in the current environment. Stratford also discusses the wider TMC landscape, potential industry consolidation, his hopes for the future of his business over the remainder of the year and into 2022, and why 80-90 per cent of pre-Covid volumes is a realistic target.

In Conversation With...
Karelle Lamouche, chief commercial officer Northern Europe, Accor (published 2 August 2021)
Karelle Lamouche tells BTN Europe's Andy Hoskins about the group's early observations on business travel recovery, its H1 results, the resilience of the SME sector, the return of small meetings, and how staff shortages are affecting the hospitality sector in the UK. Lamouche also talks about the group's approach to negotiating new deals with corporates, having previously rolled rates over from 2020. "In 2021 we will be most probably going back into renegotiation of rates and RFPs with many corporates. We can see some further re-engagement and a sort of 'back to normal'," says Lamouche.

Week in Review: Episode 26
Are we entering a golden age for NDC?
(published 28 July 2021)
Regular host Mark Frary is joined by Claudia Adams of Allianz, Lydie Charpin of Amadeus, Aman Pourkarimi of Gray Dawes Group and Paul Tilstone of Festive Road. They discuss GDS strategies around NDC, the version 21.3 standard coming in September, and whether corporates really are seeing the benefits. 

In Conversation With...
Corneel Koster, chief customer and operating officer, Virgin Atlantic (published 19 July 2021)
Corneel Koster discusses the airline's return 'home' to Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3 some 450 days after the facility's closure when scheduled services 'melted away'. The carrier is tripling its schedule to the Caribbean this summer but desperately awaits the lifting of travel restrictions to the United States, says Koster, who also talks about new Covid-related safety protocols at the airport, in lounges and onboard, and addresses concerns around security and immigration queues at Heathrow as international travel volumes return.

Week in Review: Episode 25
Will double vaccination plans reopen business travel?
(published 12 July 2021)
Regular host Mark Frary discusses the implications of the UK Government's recent decision for business travel with Cilla Goldberger of ABT UK and the Focus Travel Partnership, and Clive Wratten of the Business Travel Association.

In Conversation With...
David McNeill, AVP global corporates sales EMEA & APAC, Enterprise Holdings (published 5 July 2021)
David McNeill discusses car rental's role in post-pandemic business travel recovery and corporates' keener interest in ground transport as employees get back out on the road. He talks about behavioural change among users – including longer rental periods and how SMEs are proving more agile in their return to travel – and how the company is combatting vehicle shortages and prioritising corporate customers. McNeill also explains the challenges involved in promoting and providing electric vehicles.

Week in Review: Episode 24
Is the future of travel online or offline
(published 30 June 2021)
Host Mark Frary debates the point with panellists Adrian Witschi, global lead travel, expense and card programs at Mondelez International; Carlos Delatorre, chief revenue officer of TripActions; David Bishop, chief commercial officer of Gray Dawes Travel; and Leigh Cowlishaw, global supplier partnership director of the Advantage Travel Partnership.

In Conversation With...
Glenn Hogben, chief executive, Air Charter Association (ACA) (published 21 June 2021)
Hogben discusses how the private aviation sector's many different areas have fared, including how business jet usage was only 6 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels in Q1 this year and how private jet charter will support corporates' travel needs while scheduled operations remain heavily reduced. 

Week in Review: Episode 23
Is it time to change TMCs?
(published 14 June 2021)
Host Mark Frary talks to Katie Virtue of Festive Road, David Bishop of Gray Dawes Travel, Jean-Michel Kadaner of Areka Consulting and Chris Vik of TripActions about what is making corporates go to market right now.

Week in Review: Episode 22
Working with the supply chain to meet sustainability goals
(published 2 June 2021)
Host Mark Frary talks to Francesca Mendola of the Global Travel Collection, Adam Knights of ATPI, Daniel Tallos of Nike and Paul Tilstone of Festive Road to discuss how corporates can work with the supply chain to meet sustainability goals.


Week in Review: Episode 21
Who's buying whom? TMC consolidation gathers pace
(published 19 May 2021)
Featuring Julia Lo Bue-Said of the Advantage Travel Partnership, David Bishop of Gray Dawes Group, Steve Allen of the Firebird Partnership and Jean-Michel Kadaner of Areka Consulting, along with regular host Mark Frary.

 
In Conversation With...

Simone Buckley, VP marketing EMEA, TripActions (published 7 May 2021)
TripActions' newly appointed VP of marketing for EMEA discusses the organisation's acquisition of Reed & Mackay, the future strategy for the two businesses, and the recovery of business travel. Buckley was previously chief executive of travel management company Fello and before that of the Institute of Travel Management.

Week in Review: Episode 20
What types of business travel will survive?
(published 5 May 2021)
Join EY's Karen Hutchings, Nike's Daniel Tallos, Gray Dawes' David Bishop and Festive Road's Paul Tilstone with regular host Mark Frary to hear what the shape of future business travel will be.


In Conversation With...
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO, Advantage Travel Partnership (published 26 April 2021)
Lo Bue-Said, who was recognised for her industry advocacy by being named on BTN Europe's 2021 Hotlist, talks about balancing the needs of Advantage's business and leisure agencies, her communication with local MP and transport secretary Grant Shapps, and the Global Travel Taskforce's proposals for the restart of international travel.

Week in Review: Episode 19
The route to net zero
(published 19 April 2021)
Daniel Tallos, EMEA travel manager of Nike, Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings & events at EY and Pascal Jungfer, CEO and co-founder of Areka Consulting talk about how travel programmes can reach net zero.

 
In Conversation With...

Scott Davies, CEO, Institute of Travel Management (published 12 April 2021)
Davies talks about the return of travel booking to an online environment as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for new skills and expertise in the industry, and his thoughts on 'pay as you fly' airline pricing.

Week in Review: Episode 18
Different states, different rates of recovery
(published 7 April 2021)
Featuring Niklas Andreen of CWT, Lotten Fowler of the Swedish Business Travel Association, Pascal Jungfer of Areka Consulting and Clive Wratten of the Business Travel Association, along with regular host Mark Frary.


In Conversation With...
James Parkhouse, CEO, Capita Travel and Events (published 26 March 2021)
Parkhouse discusses how the TMC is navigating through the pandemic, how the nature of its clientbase has worked to its advantage, and the future of TMCs and business travel volumes. He also talks about the 'remarkable resilience' of the corporate travel industry, consolidation among TMCs, and addresses the possibility of new ownership in the coming years.

Week in Review: Episode 17 
The airline refund crisis and the rise of pay-as-you-fly
(published 21 March 2021)
Featuring Christoph Carnier, president of the VDR, Guillaume Bizet of Areka Consulting and David Bishop of Gray Dawes Group along with regular host Mark Frary.

 
In Conversation With...

Derek Sharp, chief operating officer, RoomIt (published 15 March 2021)
Sharp discusses business travel's tentative recovery, rate movement, trip value, the future of RFPs, booking tool content and best practice for corporate accommodation programmes.

Week in Review: Episode 16
Have we reached a tipping point on NDC?
(published 8 March 2021)
Featuring Nike’s Daniel Tallos, David Bishop of Gray Dawes Group and Paul Tilstone of Festive Road. Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Mark Frary.

In Conversation With...
Alison Rogan, global head of travel and expense at Barclays, and chair of the Institute of Travel Management (published 28 February 2021)
Rogan discusses the trends to expect as corporates return to business travel, new levels of complexity, the evolving role of the travel manager and the importance of transferable skills.

Week in Review: Episode 15
Will digital health passports unlock business travel?
(published 22 February 2021)
In this week's episode we look at the growing discussion around digital health or vaccine passports and whether they are a solution to reopen locked international borders. Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Mark Frary.

In Conversation With...
Richard Adler, vice president sales UK & EU and strategic accounts, Millennium Hotels and Resorts (published 15 February 2021)
With more than 120 hotels across the world, Adler discusses the group's hopes for Q2, some tentative signs of recovery, hotel quarantine programmes, how new hygiene protocols could be here to stay, and why he believes the traditional RFP process has a healthy future. 

 
Week in Review: Episode 14
On business travel's recovery by 2025... or later
(published 7 February 2021)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary, who is joined by Festive Road's Paul Tilstone, EY's Karen Hutchings, Advantage Travel Partnership's Julia Lo Bue-Said and Mondelez International's Adrian Witschi.


In Conversation With...
Karin Sheppard, SVP & MD for Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts (published 29 January 2021)
Sheppard talks about the hotel group's experience of the pandemic, hotel quarantine programmes, industry consolidation, why corporate deals are now about so much more than rates, and how investor interest in new openings points to a positive future. 


Week in Review: Episode 13
New year, new mindset for business travel (published 24 January 2021)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary, with psychologist Dr Lucy Rattrie, David Bishop of Gray Dawes Group, Nike’s Daniel Tallos and Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage, a consultancy specialising in safety training for business travellers.

In Conversation With...
Pat McDonagh, chief executive, Clarity Travel (published 15 January 2021)
In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Pat McDonagh, chief executive of travel management company Clarity. McDonagh discusses Clarity's adjustment to the Covid-19 pandemic, TMC remuneration models, the fallout from Brexit and his hopes for business travel's recovery for 2021 - in spite of what he says will begin with an 'abysmal' first quarter. 

 
Week in Review: Episode 12
The vital conversations in business travel right now (published 8 January 2021)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary, with Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Pascal Jungfer, CEO and founding partner of Areka Consulting.

Week in Review: Episode 11
How can the UK and Europe unlock business travel? (published 18 December 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary, with Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Pascal Jungfer, CEO and founding partner of Areka Consulting.

In Conversation With...
Clive Wratten, chief executive, Business Travel Association (published 11 December 2020)
In the latest episode of BTN Europe's 'In conversation with...' podcast series, editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association (BTA), about the TMC market, the measures required for business travel's recovery, his hopes for 2021, and much more

Week in Review: Episode 10
After Covid, what will the new level of business travel be? (published 4 December 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary and featuring Jason Geall, vice president & regional general manager, Northern Europe for American Express GBT; Neil Ruth, co-founder and chief operating officer of booking platform TapTrip; Adrian Witschi, global lead for travel, expense and card programmes at Mondelez International; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

Week in Review: Episode 9
Covid has changed airlines - will they stay that way? (published 20 November 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary and featuring Nikki Ping, manager, air content & distribution EMEA at Flight Centre Travel Group; Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

Week in Review: Episode 8
Business travel and the end of the office (published 6 November 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

Week in Review: Episode 7
Time to look at TMC pricing? (published 23 October 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

In Conversation With...
Abby Penston, chief executive, Focus Travel Partnership (published 16 October 2020)
BTN Europe's editor-in-chief Andy Hoskins speaks to Abby Penston about the challenging environment for TMCs, the evolution of service models and the desperate need for a Covid testing regime to help stimulate international travel.

Week in Review: Episode 6
Managing the air supply chain in a Covid world (published 9 October 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe acting digital editor Mark Frary and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

Week in Review: Episode 5
Let's talk about NDC (published 25 September 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Molly Dyson and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

In Conversation With...
Chris Galanty, chief executive of corporate travel, Flight Centre Travel Group (18 Sept 2020)
As the travel industry takes steps towards recovery, Galanty talks about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Flight Centre’s corporate divisions, FCM and Corporate Traveller, the action it’s taken to navigate through new pressures and the changing face of corporate travel.

Week in Review: Episode 4
How Coronavirus is changing travel policies, Part Two (published 11 September 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Molly Dyson and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road.

Week in Review: Episode 3
How Coronavirus is changing travel policies, Part One (published 4 September 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Molly Dyson and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Karen Hutchings, global head of travel, meetings and events for EY; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road. 

Week in Review: Episode 2
Technology and the post-pandemic recovery (published 21 August 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Molly Dyson and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Suzanne Horner, chief executive of Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road.

Week in Review: Episode 1
The complexities of travel in a Covid world (published 7 August 2020)
Hosted by BTN Europe digital editor Molly Dyson and featuring Daniel Tallos, travel manager EMEA at Nike; Dave Bishop, CCO at Gray Dawes Group; and Paul Tilstone, managing partner at Festive Road.