London, England (1 June 2010) – The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has named Toby Guest, Global Travel Manager within IBM Corporation’s Global Procurement BTO organisation, as Country Champion for the United Kingdom. Well known for his achievements within international travel management circles throughout Europe, Brazil, Japan, South Africa and the United States, Toby has accrued over 15 years of blue chip corporate experience. His current responsibilities encompass strategic global sourcing and management of all aspects of the travel category including travel agency, corporate card, airlines, hotels, car rental and meetings and events, in 36 countries worldwide.
“Toby’s appointment as ACTE’s UK Country Champion is more than the acknowledgement of his accomplishments and his ongoing support of this association,” said Chris Crowley, ACTE President. “It’s also about having the right man in the right place, at the right time. Our Country Champions are senior experts in their respective fields, advising on effective travel management techniques, also able to advise executives how to get the most from their ACTE Global memberships.”
Prior to working with IBM’s client-facing Business Transformation Outsourcing (BTO) organisation, Toby was responsible for IBM’s own internal travel programme within Europe, managing spend for several countries including the United Kingdom. During this time he innovated strategic improvements specific to corporate travel, primarily through the global development and subsequent deployment of on-line travel tools, and a unique pan-EMEA centralised agency fulfilment model leading to significant cost savings.
“I am honoured to be offered this role within such an important global organisation as ACTE,” stated Toby “This is an extremely challenging time for the travel industry yet it is also an extremely exciting time too with such unprecedented change and opportunity for all involved. The nurturing of relationships, sharing of ideas and need for true openness throughout the supply chain has never been so critical”.
Ranked amongst the top performers in IBM globally, Toby was also a finalist for the European Travel Buyer Awards 2009 in two categories: European Travel Buyer of the Year and Best Innovation in a Travel Programme. More recently, he was a finalist in the Business Travel Awards 2010 for Travel Buyer of the Year. Toby has a Masters in Project Management from George Washington University and a BA (Honours) from Bournemouth University.
Now in its fourth year, ACTE’s Country Champion programme has successfully supported a strong association presence worldwide. ACTE’s volunteer ambassadors have helped identify local and regional trends to ensure that educational programming is topical and aligned to discuss and find solutions to regional industry challenges.
ACTE’s European Country Champions include:
- Belux – Xavier Houart, European Travel Center Manager, Atlas Copco ASAP Europe
- France – Jerome Drevon-Barreaux, Group Category Manager, AXA
- Finland – Arja Niilekselä-Tiainen, Corporate Travel, Meetings & Facility Manager, Global Indirect Sourcing, Cargotec Corporation
- Germany – Ralph Ruckgaber, General Procurement/Leasing, IBM Deutschland
- Italy – Diane Laschet, Country Manager, AirPlus International S.r.l.
- The Netherlands – Arthur Sollet, Travel Services Manager Europe Cluster, Shell International B.V.
- Sweden – Cathrine Lundberg, Principal & Senior Consultant, CMM Consulting
- Switzerland – Michael Casati, Head Group Travel Management, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd.
- Russia – Irina Kuznetsova, Head of Administration, PricewaterhouseCoopers Russia B.V.
