Tracey Williamson

Tracey Williamson, Global Commercial Manager of Vodafone will also be scrutinising how travel managers can use demand management to avoid severe European airport congestion.

In addition to the videoconferencing push, global commercial manager Tracey Williamson, recruited in September 2005, has overseen the introduction of the first unified travel policy for the 17 countries with operations in which Vodafone has a majority shareholding.She also selected Carlson Wagonlit Travel as the company's first consolidated travel management company and concluded the company's first multinational deals with airlines and hotels.
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Frengle and Williamson also ascribe the success of videoconferencing to assiduous communication, especially for the highly visible lounges.
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Williamson received a board-level endorsement for the initiative, but found TMCs that bid for Vodafone's consolidated business last year far less helpful."They were not very creative or holistic," said Williamson.
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Williamson said all bidders offered fairly similar products and services but Carlson Wagonlit won after a close run-off against another competitor.Carlson Wagonlit also has been given the job of handling Vodafone's meetings and conferences.

"Carlson Wagonlit is clearly doing a good job already," said Williamson."Our venue day rate has gone down because they are implementing the guidelines we gave them and taking care of details, like not hiring overhead projectors if they are not required."

However, finding a TMC was by no means Williamson's first task when she joined Vodafone.Instead, her top priority was securing senior buy-in for the program she intended to create.She found a sponsor in CFO Andy Halford, to whom her plans appealed both because they would reduce the travel bill and impose standardization throughout the business."I knew from previous experience that I must get senior buy-in," said Williamson.

Her next step was to form a global travel team by asking each of the 17 countries to send a representative.Armed with useful feedback and a sense of enfranchisement among the representatives, she then created a consolidated travel policy that sets the minimum,but not maximum,restrictions to which all countries must adhere.This includes allowing business class for flights of more than four hours' duration.Previously, some countries had permitted business class for all air travel.

Williamson established a good relationship with Vodafone's human resources department, under whose name the policy was issued."It proved a wise decision," she said."If it had been seen to originate from the supply chain group, it would have been seen as a cost-cutting exercise.Instead, it helped travelers realize the policy was as much about issues such as safety and security."

Williamson formed air and hotel agreements based on data provided by the suppliers.The improvised nature of those deals gives Williamson confidence that she can improve on them next time, despite the impressive savings in year one, because she will have the benefit of consolidated data from Carlson Wagonlit.However, she faces another challenge: Vodafone increasingly is globalizing its business and therefore likely will travel more.Cutting trip volumes likely will prove harder, so the onus to reduce average prices will be even greater.

The major uptake of videoconferencing offers hope that Vodafone can succeed."The travel category strategy approved by the board," Williamson said, "is as much about challenging and changing existing processes to become more efficient and remove costs as it is the consolidation of the supply base and leveraging spend."

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In addition to the videoconferencing push, global commercial manager Tracey Williamson, recruited in September 2005, has overseen the introduction of the first unified travel policy for the 17 countries with operations in which Vodafone has a majority shareholding.She also selected Carlson Wagonlit Travel as the company's first consolidated travel management company and concluded the company's first multinational deals with airlines and hotels.
...
Frengle and Williamson also ascribe the success of videoconferencing to assiduous communication, especially for the highly visible lounges.
...
Williamson received a board-level endorsement for the initiative, but found TMCs that bid for Vodafone's consolidated business last year far less helpful."They were not very creative or holistic," said Williamson.
...
Williamson said all bidders offered fairly similar products and services but Carlson Wagonlit won after a close run-off against another competitor.Carlson Wagonlit also has been given the job of handling Vodafone's meetings and conferences.

"Carlson Wagonlit is clearly doing a good job already," said Williamson."Our venue day rate has gone down because they are implementing the guidelines we gave them and taking care of details, like not hiring overhead projectors if they are not required."

However, finding a TMC was by no means Williamson's first task when she joined Vodafone.Instead, her top priority was securing senior buy-in for the program she intended to create.She found a sponsor in CFO Andy Halford, to whom her plans appealed both because they would reduce the travel bill and impose standardization throughout the business."I knew from previous experience that I must get senior buy-in," said Williamson.

Her next step was to form a global travel team by asking each of the 17 countries to send a representative.Armed with useful feedback and a sense of enfranchisement among the representatives, she then created a consolidated travel policy that sets the minimum,but not maximum,restrictions to which all countries must adhere.This includes allowing business class for flights of more than four hours' duration.Previously, some countries had permitted business class for all air travel.

Williamson established a good relationship with Vodafone's human resources department, under whose name the policy was issued."It proved a wise decision," she said."If it had been seen to originate from the supply chain group, it would have been seen as a cost-cutting exercise.Instead, it helped travelers realize the policy was as much about issues such as safety and security."

Williamson formed air and hotel agreements based on data provided by the suppliers.The improvised nature of those deals gives Williamson confidence that she can improve on them next time, despite the impressive savings in year one, because she will have the benefit of consolidated data from Carlson Wagonlit.However, she faces another challenge: Vodafone increasingly is globalizing its business and therefore likely will travel more.Cutting trip volumes likely will prove harder, so the onus to reduce average prices will be even greater.

The major uptake of videoconferencing offers hope that Vodafone can succeed."The travel category strategy approved by the board," Williamson said, "is as much about challenging and changing existing processes to become more efficient and remove costs as it is the consolidation of the supply base and leveraging spend."

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Tracey WilliamsonGlobal Commercial ManagerVodafone