MINNEAPOLIS, USA –
EQS Newswire – 2 September 2020 – CWT,
the Business-to-Business-for-Employees (B2B4E) travel management platform,
today announces a new operating structure aimed to accelerate innovation,
transformation and growth. With immediate effect, Patrick Andersen is
appointed President, RoomIt & Commercial, Niklas Andréen is
appointed President, Traveler Experience & Customer, and Michelle
McKinney Frymire is appointed President, Strategy & Transformation,
Chief Financial Officer.
Patrick Andersen – President, RoomIt & Commercial
Niklas Andréen – President, Traveler Experience and Customer
Michelle McKinney Frymire – President, Strategy & Transformation, Chief Financial Officer
The three newly created
global operating units these leaders will oversee comprise:
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RoomIt &
Commercial: Global Supplier Management,
RoomIt, Marketing, Product, Partnerships, External Communications, and
Solutions Group;
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Traveler
Experience & Customer: Traveler
Experience, Global Sales, and Customer Engagement, including oversight of all
industry verticals;
-
Strategy &
Transformation: Finance, Technology, Talent &
Performance, Enterprise Projects and Strategy.
Along with these
changes, Kelly Kuhn, an outstanding leader throughout her thirty-plus year
career at CWT who has delivered market share growth and strong performance as
Chief Customer Officer over the past four years, has decided to step back from
her operating role to assume the newly created role of Special Advisor, while
remaining on the Executive Leadership Team.
Lauren Aste, Chief
Legal Officer, Catherine Maguire-Vielle, Chief Human Resources Officer, John
Pelant, Chief Technology Officer, and Chris Vukelich, Strategic Advisor, remain
in their roles and on the Executive Leadership Team.
CWT
has taken a number of additional steps to weather the challenges of the
pandemic and position for the future. The company recently announced a
successful capital raise of $250M, backed by strong support from its
bondholders, lenders and shareholders. Given the need to re-align resourcing in
today’s market conditions but also to protect employees, operating costs have
been managed mainly through temporary furloughs and pay reductions, and more
recently also through voluntary programs offered by the company that have
received strong interest from employees globally.
Commenting
on developments, CWT President & CEO, Kurt Ekert, said: “As we
navigate and emerge from the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we do so
from a secure financial base, with a talented and aligned team, and looking to
expand our industry leadership position. We have used the quieter lockdown
period to progress a number of innovations and initiatives, with a focus on
developing and delivering material value to our clients and their travelers. I
commend my CWT colleagues across the world for their customer-focus and
spirit.”
The issuer is solely
responsible for the content of this announcement.
About CWT
CWT is a
Business-to-Business-for-Employees (B2B4E) travel management platform.
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected – anywhere,
anytime, anyhow – and, across six continents, we provide their employees with
innovative technology and an efficient, safe and secure travel experience.
CWT
Specialist Operations
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CWT
Energy, Resources, & Marine provides travel management
solutions for many of the world’s leading companies in the oil & gas,
mining, offshore, marine, and alternative energies industries.
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CWT Meetings
& Events is CWT’s meeting & events division. It delivers
innovative, high-quality projects for its clients across all industry
sectors globally. Its creative know-how helps it deliver awe-inspiring
events, and its logistics expertise guarantees professional meeting
services, group travel, and compliance.
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CWT SatoTravel
is the largest provider for global corporate travel services for the US
military and civilian government agencies.
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CWT
Solutions Group is the consultancy arm of CWT. Solutions Group
drives value and growth to its clients’ businesses by helping them to
extract more value from their travel and expense program through
state-of-the-art technology and business travel knowhow. Its innovative
approach focuses in four key areas to achieve true ROI: travel and expense
strategy, data insights, supplier management, and travel services
outsourcing.
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RoomIt
by CWT(TM) is the hotel distribution division of CWT. Every day it
matches travelers with the right room at the right rate, and every minute
over 125 hotel rooms get booked. It also provides travelers with the
amenities and loyalty programs they want, while helping organizations
control their budget and improve travel oversight.
CWT
Executive Leadership Team (@ 2 September 2020)
Presidential
Appointee Biographies
- Patrick
Andersen, President, RoomIt & Commercial
Patrick joined CWT in 2008 and has over 30 years’ experience
in global travel & logistics, with various international leadership roles
at Deutsche Post Worldwide and DHL.
Patrick also serves as a Non-Executive Member of the Board
at Global Minnesota, and MNSNAP, and is on the Board of Overseers for the
Carlson School of Management. He studied management at the London Business
School.
- Niklas
Andréen, President, Traveler Experience & Customer
Niklas joined CWT in 2018 and has over 20 years’ experience
in global travel, tourism and technology, having held various international
leadership roles at Travelport and consulting positions with Accenture,
Connecta and Monitor Company. He has started two businesses and served as an
Advisory Board Member of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality
Research. Niklas current serves as an independent board member of B&B
Hotels Group, an international hotel chain. He holds an MSc in Business
Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics and is a Wharton Executive
Education Aresty Scholar.
- Michelle
McKinney Frymire, President, Strategy & Transformation, Chief
Financial Officer
Michelle joined CWT in 2019 and has 18 years’ travel
industry experience, with CFO roles at Starwood Vacation Ownership and Delta
Technology (a division of Delta Airlines), and financial leadership roles with
Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines. In addition, she held CFO positions
at several private equity portfolio companies. Michelle currently serves
on the Board of Directors for Family Gateway in Dallas, Texas. She holds
a bachelor’s degree in economics from Austin College, and an MBA in finance and
accounting from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas.
