What does the Focus Travel Partnership do?
The Focus Travel Partnership is a consortium of independent travel management companies, including Global Travel Management.
Focus was founded in 1999 by fifteen companies solely to serve the growing and evolving requirements of corporate travel. In 2019 Focus became a limited company and, today has a membership four times its original size, with members’ combined turnover totalling more than £1bn per annum.
Membership of Focus enables travel management companies to negotiate beneficial partnership agreements with travel suppliers around the world.
Focus enables a collaborative voice on industry matters to be heard across the industry, regulatory bodies and governments. In this way, Focus is able to set the agenda and steer conversations and agreements on important industry issues like airline fare distribution, the latest technology developments, sustainability within the industry and duty of care – a topic that has come to the forefront in 2020.
The partnership has a Board of seven directors, including GTM’s Scott Pawley who is responsible for bringing technical innovations to the Focus panel, such as the industry-leading Focus Fare Finder product developed by Scott and his team.
Chief Executive Officer Abby Penston leads the partnership and directs the Focus panels. Adrian Parkes has joined the Board as Non-Executive Chairman.
Mick Gibbs is the partnership’s Director of Industry Affairs, promoting Focus at industry events. Christian Gleave is the Operations Director, running the operational teams and managing third party support and other services. Cilla Goldberger is the Marketing & Events Director, splitting time between brand management and developing the partnership’s range of events. Martin Pearce is the Director of Business Development, managing the whole process of acquiring and implementing new partners. Wendy Walker is the Supplier Management Director, overseeing the partnership’s supplier relationships. And Adam White has the role of Finance Director for the Focus Travel Partnership.
Scott Pawley explained how a corporate client can benefit from GTM’s membership of Focus:
Like all Focus partners, we have direct access to the lowest fares from most of the world’s leading airlines, thanks to our collective bargaining power. And we – like all Focus members – have access to the most competitive hotel and car hire rates and exceptional high-level relationships with all suppliers. So GTM’s membership of Focus means our clients benefit from the great, personalised service we always offer all our clients, but they also benefit from cheaper fares previously only available through larger, less personal travel management companies. The best of both worlds.
In addition, I make sure Focus works closely with leading technology companies to produce a range of tools, datasets and travel management applications which are delivered as part of GTM’s offer to clients, having been built, tested and proven by some of the industry’s most demanding businesses.
If you would like to know more about how clients benefit from GTM’s membership of Focus, please contact us.
