Global business travel agency alliance Woodside Travel Trust has created a dedicated department to help its partners put together joint bids.
It has appointed Paddy Corbino to head up the division in the new position of senior vice- president global business development.
She was previously vice-president strategic initiatives for one of the alliance’s USpartners, Travel and Transport, in Omaha, Nebraska.
The new account networking division will focus on putting together regional bids, rather than global bids.
John Melchior, Woodside managing director international operations, said:”Many companies are realising that it doesn’t work to consolidate on a global basis but it does work on a regional basis.
“This is a major step for us and it’s something that our partners need to do. We have always helped our partners in this way, but not on a formal basis with a dedicated department.”
Melchior said the division would also look to educate its partners’ clients about the benefits of closer co-operation between various countries within a region. “Companies are very loyal to our partners in the different countries but we want them to get to know Woodside Travel Trust as an entity,”he explained.
The work being undertaken by the new division will be backed up by a group effort for a stronger presence at conferences and trade shows, he added. Meanwhile, Melchior is recruiting for a director for Europe to help take on some of his regional responsibilities.
Melchior, who is based in London, heads up the European region but in recent years his role has become more global.
Woodside has partners in 81 countries and its UK partners are Portman Travel, P&OTravel and Going Places Business Travel.