Scott McCartney
Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Scott McCartney covers the airline industry for The Wall Street Journal. He writes a weekly column on airlines and travel called ``The Middle Seat’’ and is the Journal’s travel editor.
Mr. McCartney has been on the airline and aviation beat for more than 12 years and makes numerous radio and television appearances. He was part of the Journal’s team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting for coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. His transportation coverage in 2000 won a George Polk award and the Deadline Club award from the New York City Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2003, ``The Middle Seat’’ was named the best online column by the Online News Association. It has consistently been one of the most popular features on the Journal’s Web site.
Before covering aviation, Mr. McCartney covered technology and the personal computer industry for several years. He is the author of three books, the most recent of which was ``ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World’s First Computer.’’
A native of Boston and graduate of Duke University, Mr. McCartney spent 11 years with The Associated Press before joining the Journal. He was Southwest Regional Writer for the wire service, and before that Texas News Editor.
He is an instrument-rated, multi-engine private pilot, and lives in Dallas.
Franck Schuurmans, Ph.D., CAE
Wharton Senior Consultant and Director of Non-Profit Practices
Decision Strategies International
Franck Schuurmans is a Senior Consultant and the Director of Non-Profit Practices for Decision Strategies International. He is a highly acclaimed, dynamic speaker and author of numerous influential industry reports. Dr. Schuurmans works both with corporate clients as well as with leading non- profit organizations. His areas of expertise are retail finance, governance and the non-profit sector, with a special interest in executive training workshops, board governance and strategy development.
Schuurmans received his MA from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. As a Fulbright Fellowship recipient, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Modern European History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. He taught there for several years as a full-time faculty member, and conducted research.
Until 2002 he was the senior vice president of Business and Professional Development for the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) in Madison, Wisconsin. At CUES he was in charge of all research and professional development, playing a critical role in transforming CUES into the industry’s thought leader. Specifically, he helped expand the CUES-CEO Institute by working closely with several leading academic institutions, such as Berkeley, Cornell and Wharton. This Institute has become the industry gold standard in executive education, with over 500 alumni in senior positions. Franck is a Certified Association Executive (CAE).
With Prof. Paul Schoemaker and others he most recently co-wrote 2010 Scenarios for Credit Unions. He is also the co-author of various Industry Scenario reports including: “Scenarios for the Future of Human Resources Management”, commissioned by the Society of Human Resource Management; “2020: The Future of the Legal Industry”; “The Long and Winding Road, Histories of Aging and Aging Services in America, 2006-2016” and “Memories of the Future, Scenarios for the Life Insurance Industry”. Schoemaker and Schuurmans jointly wrote, “Opportunity in Uncertainty: Techniques for turning an Unpredictable Future to your Advantage” published in Association Management.
Schuurmans is a frequent speaker at conferences and meetings throughout North America and Europe. He is a periodic guest lecturer at the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and at The European Centre for Executive Development (CEDEP) at INSEAD in Paris, one of Europe’s leading business schools. Dr. Schuurmans interests are in strategic planning, decision-making, innovation and corporate governance.
Key clients include: AAHSA, ASAE, BAT, Fidelity, Glaxo Smith Kline, Heijmans Vastgoed, Investors Group Canada, LIMRA, ManuLife, Merrill Lynch National Court Reporters Association, New York Life, Pfizer, SHRM, Selective Insurance, Westar Energy and many Credit Unions in the US, Canada and the Caribbean (Navy FCU, Kinecta, Community Savings, etc.).
Christa Degan Manning
Director, eXpert insights & Research
American Express Business Travel
Christa Degnan Manning heads AEBT’s eXpert insights research practice, which seeks to objectively identify travel program optimization opportunities, analyze best practices, and quantify improvement outcomes using extensive travel commodity, program, and transaction data worldwide. Christa is responsible for identifying the meaningful trends in the industry, educating clients on the impact of market changes to programs, and publishing actionable advice to help companies reduce travel costs, improve compliance, mitigate risk, enhance sustainability, and ultimately drive desired business outcomes. Regularly quoted in the business press, including comments in the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Financial Times, and The New York Times, Christa speaks frequently at industry events, including The Masters’ Program, GBTA’s International Conference, GBTA Europe, the Institute of Supply Management Conference, the China Business Travel Forum, and Business Travel & Meetings Show and Business Travel Market in the UK. She serves on the ACTE Global Education Conference Steering Committee, Executive Travel Magazine’s Corporate Travel Agent and Planner Advisory Board (CTAP), and the GBTA Foundation Industry Advisory Council. Prior to joining American Express she spent almost a decade as a technology market analyst, following five years as a technology business journalist and new media professional.
Kenneth McGill
Executive Vice President, Research Services
Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc.
Ken McGill is EVP of Research Services at Vantage Strategy, Inc., an advisory, development, and research firm headquartered in Annapolis, MD. His team specializes in the many volumetric research challenges faced by travel management, suppliers, destinations, and financial organizations. He has a longstanding track record for generating credible measures of market performance, growth, share, ROI, and relative opportunities and risks. Prior to this position, McGill was Executive Vice President for IHS Global Insight and head of its Travel & Tourism Practice. In his 30 years in economic and strategic consulting, he has developed an expertise in research and planning methods that has been successfully applied to business problems in a variety of corporate and government settings. A particular focus of his work has been in tourism economic impact assessment. He has executed tourism impact studies for over 25 countries, 28 states, and over 30 U.S. cities. Moreover, Mr. McGill's expertise has often been called upon to estimate the economic impact of specific destinations, attractions, convention facilities, resort/hotel developments, events, and tourism policy decisions. He is a frequent presenter at industry trade events, Governor's conferences on tourism, and supplier strategy meetings.
Michel Brisson
Senior Consultant
Revenuestorm Corp.
Michel delivers sales performance consulting expertise for Revenue Storm clients, building on over 25 years of international successes in the complex arena of business-to-business management and sales.
Prior to his work with Revenue Storm, Michel was President and CEO of SAP Canada. Promoted to the position in 2002, he directed all sales efforts, installed a sales management process, and oversaw building and implementation of customer relationship management systems.
Starting in 1999, Michel was appointed Senior Strategic Consultant for SAP’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, which took him around the globe to install sales processes in SAP Japan and SAP Finland, act as VP of Sales in SAP Sweden, and design the customer engagement lifecycle for SAP Corporate.
Michel built this work on major sales success over the preceding four years, starting as Vice President of Sales for SAP France and then SAP Canada. Charged with building complete sales organizations from the ground up in these countries, Michel was extremely successful, accomplishing his goals and increasing the revenue performance of SAP France by 100%. In Canada, he transformed SAP’s sales force, which corresponded with a substantial growth in the acquisition of new accounts, sales in existing accounts, and 90% increase in sales revenue.
SAP noticed Michel’s capabilities and passion for the sales process while he was a sales performance consultant with Holden Corporation, a position he held from 1990 to 1996. At Holden, Michel developed, managed, and delivered sales training to the world’s top 100 IT and telecom companies, including SAP, EDS, Ericsson, UNISYS, Intel, and Nortel. Michel’s work included sales management training for upper level executives, deal making and strategic sales plan development.
Michel came to Holden from TNP Inc., where he was Managing Director and responsible for large-scale motivational seminars. His sales career began in the 1980s as Sales Director for Bell Mobility (Montreal), where he built a new sales organization and captured market share. Michel also worked as an account executive for GE Plastics, Genpack Plastics, and Rolph Clark Stone Packaging.
Michel holds a degree in Graphic Arts and speaks French and English.
Mike Malinchok
President
S2K Consulting, LLC
Mike is President of S2K Consulting, LLC which focuses on providing consulting services to organizations in the area of strategic meetings management and the change management surrounding it. An active member of GBTA, he has worked extensively with the Groups & Meetings committee in the development of a series of white papers outlining the tenets, benefits, and strategies of what has become known as SMMP (Strategic Meetings Management Programs). He is also on a faculty member of the GBTA Certification program for SMM.
Mike has spent over 25 years in the meetings and travel industry in key positions at companies like StarCite, BCD Meetings & Incentives, GetThere and McGettigan Partners. He has focused most of his career in the area of meetings technology and the business processes surrounding the usage of those technologies. He is a frequent speaker at many industry events and is considered one of the foremost experts in the area of strategically managed meetings programs for corporations.
Mike is also a Certified Executive Coach, through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). His diverse coaching practice includes one-on-one coaching with executives seeking peak performance levels in their professional as well as personal lives. His ‘On Purpose’ seminars have been widely recognized for their practical and direct approaches on such topics as: SMM made Simple, Public Speaking Training, Business Discipline Boot Camp, and Transition-to-Transformation Change Management. His coaching style has been consistently described as intense, focused, and results oriented.
Mike is a graduate of The American University in Washington, DC.
Michael Boyd
President
Boyd Group International
Michael Boyd is president, Boyd Group International. Mike is well known as an expert in futurist aviation issues, and is often called upon by the national media to provide input regarding events and trends affecting airlines, airports, and aircraft manufacturers. Since co-fou nding the company in 1984, he has directed hundreds of projects for clients ranging from small airports to global companies such as General Electric, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, Aerostructures, and Embraer Aircraft. Mike started his career with American Airlines in 1971. He joined Braniff International in 1977, attaining the position of Regional Director, and was responsible for opening the carrier's Far Eastern operations. In 1982 he moved to Bar Harbor Airlines as Vice President of Marketing and Planning.
In 1984, he co-founded what is today Boyd Group International. Seeking advice from respected leaders in the aviation consulting industry, it was recommended that the firm be based in New York or Washington, in order to have proximity to headquarters and key branch offices of airlines and to government offices. Underscoring the firm's strong sense of independence from "ambient" thinking, the firm was established in a small town high in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. It was only the start of the company's dedication to seeking fresh and higher (in this case, literally) perspectives from the stale norms accepted in aviation. Even then, Mike and the staff recognized that electronic proximity was the future, and that integrity, research, and cutting-edge expertise would trump any benefits of an office on Connecticut Avenue.
In the past 25 years, this philosophy has resulted in Boyd Group International evolving into one of the most respected firms in the industry.
Mike holds a degree in Social Science from Michigan State University, with a minor in Chinese language.
John C. Slater
Vice President Sales - Americas
United Airlines
John Slater is Vice President of Sales of the Americas for United, the world’s leading airline. In this role, Slater oversees the company’s sales for the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Slater most recently held the position of Staff Vice President of Latin America and the Caribbean Sales for Continental Airlines. In that role, he was responsible for a team of 180 sales professionals and $2 billion in travel agency and corporate revenue.
Since joining Continental, Slater has held various senior level positions in flight operations, customer service, sales and marketing. In 1997, Slater was named the Senior Director of Sales for Continental’s Midwest Sales Division. From 2002-2008, Slater was responsible for Continental’s distribution strategy and consumer website, continental.com with sales of $3.5 billion. Other responsibilities included managing business relationships with GDS’s, online travel agencies, direct connect providers and various other technology companies. Slater also represented Continental on the board of the Airline Reporting Corporation, and served on the boards of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Slater began his airline career with People Express Airlines in 1982 and later assisted in the merger with Continental in 1986.
Slater has two children.
Mike Koetting
EVP of Advertising and Supplier Management
Concur
Based in Minneapolis, Mike is currently EVP of Advertising and Supplier Management at Concur and is responsible for Concur’s global relationships with airlines, hotels, car, rail and GDS relationships as well as Concur’s new advertising initiatives. Prior to joining Concur in 2010 Mike was with Carlson Wagonlit Travel where he held the positions of North American COO, EVP of Global Supplier Management and CFO of the Americas. Mike’s travel career began with Maritz Travel Company where he held a variety of leadership positions in finance, business development and marketing prior to relocating from St. Louis to Minneapolis with Carlson in 2004. Mike started his professional career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse.
Named one of BTN’s 25 Most Influential Travel Executives in 2006, Mike most recently served on the NBTA Foundation board and is a two time Ironman finisher.
Mark Hollyhead
Senior Vice President
Egencia Americas
Mark Hollyhead’s background spans several disciplines and industries, including sales, marketing, account management, operations and business management in the travel, hotels and telecommunications industries. He started his career at Forte Hotels where he led a number of sales and marketing functions until 1995.
After which he spent 15 years at British Airways where he held key in leading significant change to BAs commercial and distribution model positions including Vice President of eCommerce, Vice President of Customer Contact for the Americas, and Head of Revenue Management for the long haul business worldwide. He completed his tenure at BA as the Head of Heathrow Customer Operations, leading a major terminal consolidation and future design for the airport.
Prior to joining Egencia, Mark was the Head of Transformation at Vodafone UK.
Mark has an MBA from the City of London Business School. He recently relocated from London to Seattle with his wife and daughter.
Cindy Gillen, CCTE, C.P.M.
National Director, Procurement & Travel
BDO
Cindy Gillen is the Director of Procurement and Travel Management at BDO - a leading accounting and consulting Firm. She is responsible for the Firm’s national goods & services procurement, and is the creator of BDO’s managed travel program. Since 1998, she has introduced mandated travel and service suppliers, a corporate T&E credit card, a purchasing card, and was instrumental in deploying online expense reporting. Ms. Gillen holds CCTE and C.P.M. designations; she received her B.A. at the University of Virginia, and is enrolled in the GBTA Foundation/Wharton School’s Global Leadership Program designation program, and has served on corporate advisory boards of airline, credit card and travel industry press companies. She is recipient of the 2007 Business Travel Professional Service Award of the GBTA Chapter President’s Council and was honored by Business Travel News as a “2005 Best Practitioner” of corporate travel management. Ms. Gillen is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the GBTA Foundation, President of the Chicago Business Travel Association and is a member of GBTA and Institute of Supply Management.
Joe Bates
Director of Research
GBTA Foundation
Joe Bates joined the GBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in early 2010. Joe is responsible for the entire research program at both GBTA and the GBTA Foundation. This includes directing the activities of sponsored studies, such as the annual Global Business Travel Market Metrics Study and the quarterly U.S. Business Travel Quarterly Outlook, in addition to business and market research, such as membership and event attendee surveys.
Joe has more than 15 years of experience in the research industry and is an expert in both qualitative and quantitative research design, implementation, analysis, and consulting. He has spent more than 10 years in the non-profit sector and his background also includes research in the areas of political polling, healthcare, law and manufacturing.
Joe has been a guest lecturer on research methods at The College of William and Mary, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, The Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, and the Marketing Research Association.
Joe has been interviewed or quoted by a variety of media outlets including NBC Nightly News (off-air), WUSA-9 (CBS affiliate), BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, and Investor’s Business Daily.
Joe graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Lane Dubin
Vice President and General Manager, Americas and Global Accounts Sales
American Express Business Travel
Lane Dubin leads the Americas Sales organization and the Global Accounts Sales team within American Express Business Travel. In his role, he oversees customer acquisition efforts across the Americas as well as strategic business development opportunities for large global accounts. He is also a member of the American Express Global Executive Team responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company.
Lane has been with American Express since 1992 and has held several business development and leadership positions within the Corporate Card, Travel and Purchasing Card businesses. Lane also served as the National Director of Business Development for the Financial Education and Planning business of American Express Financial Advisors.
In 2000, Ketera Technologies, an American Express-owned technology company specializing in e-procurement, spend analytics, and procurement consulting, tapped into Lane’s expertise. There, he was responsible for building and managing Ketera’s direct sales force. Afterwards, he led Business Development and Alliances nationally and was responsible for the management of Ketera’s strategic partnership with IBM Business Consulting Services. During 2002 and 2003, Lane travelled extensively with IBM to market a joint solution based on IBM’s procurement consulting expertise, Ketera’s technology platform, and the American Express Purchasing Card.
Lane received his B.A. in Economics in 1990 from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
He is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
Fay Beauchine
President, Business Loyalty
Carlson Marketing Worldwide
Fay Beauchine leads Carlson Marketing’s Business Loyalty team that helps corporations gain and retain enthusiastic employees, committed and aligned business partners and loyal customers. Her team plans positive experiences by using intelligent data, insightful strategies, and relevant, creative communications that influence, inspire and change behaviors.
Prior to joining Carlson Marketing in 2007, Fay was Senior Vice President, Enterprise Strategic Account Management for Carlson, where she was responsible for cross-enterprise strategies focused on driving profitable revenue growth. In 2007, Fay was recognized with the distinguished “No Borders, No Boundaries, No Limits” award, which was created by Carlson’s Chairman, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, and recognizes a top leader for reaching across organizational borders to help create Carlson-wide products and services for customers.
Before Carlson, Fay served as Vice President of Sales and Customer Care and Vice President of Reservations for Northwest Airlines. Fay directed Northwest and KLM Royal Dutch Airline’s North American passenger sales strategies targeted to corporations, the U.S. government, travel management companies, meeting and event companies, cruise lines, global tour operators, incentive companies and associations. She also was instrumental in developing Sky Team’s passenger alliance strategies within North America and was an active proponent of global alliance network value for business travelers.
Fay is a founding member of the USTravel MEI Coalition and served as past president and founder of the Site International Foundation. She is past president of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives and of the National Business Travel Association Foundation (now GBTA), and former chair of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association.
Fay will be inducted into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders in 2011 as one of the most outstanding leaders and innovators in the industry, identified as a top Industry Leader by Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in 2008, recognized three times by Business Travel News as one of the business travel industry’s top 25 most influential executives, received Hong Kong and London’s travel and tourism honors, and called one of Minnesota’s Leading Business Women by Corporate Report. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota.