PayPal travel manager Denise Truso has been elected to a two-year term as
president of the Global Business Travel Association's board of directors, the
association announced during its annual business meeting on Tuesday. Truso has
been acting as board president since the former elected official Bhart
Sarin abruptly
left the office in April.
In her campaign statements, Truso concentrated on the health of the
organisation and vowed to bring financial and decision-making transparency to
the forefront in regular open-to-members townhall meetings with the GBTA board
of directors. She also promised to build upon the organisation's recent push
toward globalisation and inclusiveness.
For the first time, voting was open to both buyer and supplier members of
GBTA.
UBS global head of travel Mark Cuschieri, based in the UK, ran uncontested
for the vice president role on the GBTA board, and was also elected to a two-year
term.
The organisation's newly expanded board included direct member regional
seats for both Europe and Canada.
Jens Liltorp, global travel and meetings manager for Denmark-based LEO
Pharma, prevailed in the Europe race for the regional seat. His manifesto urged
GBTA to break down the current siloes between the US and other regions to
create a more globalised information exchange and dialogue among GBTA community
members.
The Canadian seat, which was uncontested, went to Rogers Communications category
manager for travel and events Sharlene Ketwaroo-Nanoo, who is a founding member
of the organisation's new DE&I committee and whose campaign focused on hope
for a more inclusive future for GBTA.
Ketwaroo-Nanoo will serve a two-year term; Liltorp will serve a three-year
term.
Some members were disappointed with the results, saying they lacked enough
change at the top to drive a meaningful shift in the organisation's direction.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a longtime member and former board director
contacted BTN.
“It is pleasing to see that there is more global representation on the
board; however, with the events that happened last year, it is disappointing to
see that there is not change at the helm," which the member called to task
as complicit in GBTA's prior
organisational failures. "I believed that change would drive GBTA to
the next level; based on these results, I am not sure that is really possible.”
GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang, however, emphasised during the organisation's
business meeting that 29 per cent of eligible members voted in the online
elections, which is a banner turnout for GBTA. In a statement, she praised the
revamp of GBTA bylaws that expanded voting rights to suppliers, rather than
only buyers, and which renewed term limits for board members and expanded the
organisation's global representation.
"In this election, for the first time ever, both buyer and supplier
members could vote for all seats. For the first time, we have global voting
representation and officers placed on the new board," Neufang said.
"These are amazing firsts that bode well for the future of our
association, and the members and constituencies whom GBTA serves,” she said.
The full election results can be viewed
here.