Lisa Akeroyd, who formerly headed up the Travel Services business, has transitioned into the role of Regional Director for Corporate Solutions in Asia Pacific. Shell Lim, who previously managed the Amadeus Airline Direct Channel, is now Regional Director, IT Sales, Business Solutions Group.

Peter Smith, Vice President for the Business Solutions Group in Asia Pacific said, “Both Lisa and Shell bring key strengths to our team. Their in-depth understanding of the industry and ability to support clients through the technology improvement and business reengineering process will be of great value to our clients. We have created these roles in response to growing demand from the market, and we hope to continue to grow our BSG team in Asia Pacific in the coming years. Our team of 40 dedicated executives in Asia Pacific will provide business consulting services and deliver cutting-edge technology that helps improve efficiency, increase productivity, and cut costs, using the most advanced technology solutions available.”

Based in Amadeus’ Asia Pacific headquarters in Bangkok, Lisa will lead the team to deliver corporate travel solutions in Asia Pacific. Shell will manage business consulting services and sales for the full suite of Amadeus Travel Office Products & Solutions (TOPS) in the Asia Pacific region.

According to David Brett, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific, this expansion is evidence of a growing need to deliver technologies that cater specifically to corporations, travel management companies, large and multinational travel agencies.

“Rising fuel prices and an uncertain economic climate are forcing corporations and individuals to look more closely at travel costs to ensure value. Because travel is no longer a luxury, but an integral part of today's business environment, companies must manage their travel spend very carefully. Employing technology solutions developed for the unique needs of corporate travel is one way companies can bring about very significant savings.”

One of Amadeus’ most recent technologies to come from BSG is the Amadeus Custom Desktop solution that enables travel agencies to customise their own travel consultant desktop by integrating Global Distribution System (GDS) content with local travel content (e.g. low cost carriers and local hotels) and external applications, all within the business process and workflow of the agencies. With all the information they need at their fingertips in a customised display, travel consultants are able to propose a wider offering, reduce manual errors and increase speed of booking process while delivering first-class customer service.

In addition, the Amadeus SMS Solution was also rolled out in May this year, to allow travel managers to send travel information to their customers via SMS. This solution was developed in response to market feedback from corporate travel managers - a recent study conducted by Amadeus and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) showed that the majority of respondents saw many significant benefits that could be delivered via mobile technology.

In the past year, UMW Holding Bhd, one of the largest locally owned companies in Malaysia, as well as telecommunications giant, Huawei Technologies, successfully implemented BSG’s award-winning e-Travel Management solution (AeTM). Other solutions that have also recently been developed include self-booking tools that support security and travel policy compliance, as well as business consulting services for travel agents and corporations.

Brett added: “As a committed technology partner, Amadeus is uniquely placed to provide travel management companies with the tools and solutions they need to meet their customer's growing expectations.”