New executive director will begin term with listening tour to learn what is on minds of members and stakeholders >>
Watch the video
hereSuzanne Neufang, the new executive director of the Global Business Travel Association, said in a video shot on her first day on the job that her priority will be to establish trust by members and all stakeholders in the organization. She said she would spend her first weeks on the job on a listening tour to get input from as many members, volunteer leaders, global partners and former members as she can. This will help her, she said, to prioritize opportunities and challenges and to chart a course for the future. She said an email address has been set up — 2021@gbta.org —where members and others can tell her what’s on their minds, and she promised to pay attention to every email.
Neufang, who came to GBTA from HRS, the hotel technology company, said she has spent the last 15 years of her career in corporate travel and has seen ups and downs before, “but we have always recovered and I believe we will recover this time.” She said she loves what Dave Hilfman, who had been serving as interim executive director, and his team have been working on, and now it is time to accomplish their goals. She said that she does not have all the answers yet, “but I promise I’m a fast learner.” She concluded by telling members and other stakeholders that “You are the driving force of GBTA, and I look forward to not only a robust recovery but also to careers we are all proud of.”