Corporate Travel Management

Zara Higgins, Director of Business Development, ERM

About you

Tell us a bit about your organisation. (who are you, where do you operate)

CTM is an award-winning travel management company that provides local service solutions to customers around the world. We provide business travel solutions for several different industries, including the energy sector. We take a partnership approach with our clients, guaranteeing a return on investment through reduced travel costs, increased efficiencies, and maximised traveller safety. Our services are underpinned by a range of technology and operational solutions specifically developed to deliver against the complexities of travel in the energy industry.


What is keeping you busy currently? What large projects are you working on?

Our projects are driven by client demand; therefore, our focus right now is on sustainability, technology, and data. We are working closely with our client base to provide sustainable travel solutions and are implementing new technology solutions to improve operational efficiencies, drive cost savings and control/monitor carbon usage through robust reporting.


What are some of the opportunities/challenges you see for your organisation in the future?

At CTM we embrace challenges and work in collaboration with our teams, suppliers, and clients to provide the right solutions. Like the energy industry, there is immense pressure on the travel sector to become more sustainable. Whilst this is a challenge now, we are continuously looking for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint as a company, and for our clients.


How would you describe the company culture? Do you have any specific shared values?

We never assume at CTM, like OEUK we take pride in informing, listening, and championing, both internally, and externally. We take time to listen, understand and utilise what makes us different and how we set ourselves apart.

We go above and beyond in delivering benefits to all our stakeholders. We live by our corporate values – both internally and externally:

  • Exceed to Service: Excellence is a habit, not an act
  • Trust to Succeed: Belief is what makes a person, team, company and community stronger
  • Innovate to Generate: Innovation in thinking and doing what nobody else does
  • Collaborate to Perform: Through teamwork, wonderful things will be achieved
  • Play to Win: People are successful when they have fun in what they do
  • Empowered to Achieve: The power to make the right decision to achieve great results
  • Recognise to Reward: Celebrate and acknowledge when we have accomplished something special.

We are developing a highly motivated and empowered workforce and developing ground-breaking technologies which will define the future of travel. Our Mission is to be travel management leaders in all regions in which we operate, using innovative technology to improve the customer experience and bring positive change to the market.


Find out more:

www.travelctm.co.uk

About your OEUK membership

As an SME how is OEUK membership helping your business?

Although CTM is a travel management company, we see ourselves as an extension of the energy supply chain, we play a prominent role in ensuring that business travellers and offshore personnel get from A-B safely, on time and at the right cost.

Joining OEUK has been invaluable for CTM. We are constantly learning from the valuable insights provided by OEUK and industry peers. Through attending the forums and events we keep abreast of what is happening within the industry, thus ensuring that our offering is fit for the future and aligned with the needs of companies that operate within the energy space.


Which OEUK event did you most enjoy and why?

Looking forward to more in-person events, however, if we had to choose one it would be the Offshore Energies UK – Working Together, Producing Cleaner Energies event. This virtual event was so well put together, the subject was relevant, the speakers were fantastic, and we took a lot away from this.


OEUK has over fourteen forums, which forum do you attend and what do you like most about that particular forum?

At CTM we attend as many of the forums as we can and have found that we fit in better with the SME, Supply Chain and the Continuous Improvement network forum. If we really had to pick one, it would be the Continuous Improvement Network.

We embrace continuous improvement within our own business and regardless of the subject we always take something away from the individuals/companies presenting.

 

Future of the industry

What are the biggest net zero changes you have seen in our industry?

We have seen companies rebrand, more focus on renewables, several mergers/acquisitions, and more collaboration, and we have seen others setting some very ambitious plans to become net zero before 2050, all of which are very positive changes.

As an industry that has historically received a lot of criticism, we have seen a new appreciation for the energy sector. This is through a combination of realising just how important the energy sector is, and understanding that achieving net zero targets takes time, careful planning & consideration.

We have learned much from what companies are doing to reduce their carbon emissions. Investing in technologies like electric fleet vehicles; adopting sustainable business travel policies, and shifting away from fossil fuel production and consumption towards renewable energy like solar and wind, or by using sustainable biofuels.


How do you see the industry looking in 20 years?

It is inevitable that the industry will look significantly different in the next 20 years. We see more renewables being introduced into the global energy mix, producing fossil fuels in a more environmentally efficient way, and companies continuing to reduce and offset their carbon footprint.

Through a willingness to change and become greener, collaboration and technology investment we see the energy industry continuing to thrive for many years to come.


How is your organisation driving the transition to net zero?

CTM recognises its responsibility in addressing the climate emergency and has rolled out a variety of initiatives across our business to rapidly respond.

Our Board Remuneration and Sustainability Committee, made up of Board members and executives, has continued to evolve CTM’s sustainability strategy in 2021. This framework is broadly aligned with the guidance provided in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) report: Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism: Towards Common Metrics and Consistent Reporting of Sustainable Value Creation.

This is the strong commitment made by leading bodies to develop consistent reporting across the globe. Based on WEF guidance, our sustainability framework is currently broken down into four pillars: governance, people, planet, and prosperity. Under each pillar, we have identified the material issues that we believe will have the greatest impact on our longer-term sustainability.

In FY22, we will further test and refine these issues with our stakeholders and focus on how to measure, collect relevant data, and consider appropriate goal setting.

Working together, producing cleaner energies