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Business Travel

Amex GBT CEO Sees Newly Distributed Workforces as Opportunity

Sean O'Neill photo
Sean O'Neill
Business tourists in face masks walking outdoors Adobe

Photo Credit: Business travelers wearing face masks walking outdoors with luggage during the pandemic. American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), a travel management company, recently signed $3 billion in new business, said CEO Paul Abbott. Adobe

Skift Take

American Express GBT's top boss Paul Abbott knows that having a distributed workforce can boost business travel spending. The travel management giant itself went 90 percent remote in the U.S. several years ago, and it saw its business travel expenses rise.

The world's largest travel management company added corporate clients even as the pandemic crushed business travel. The client wins at American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) may sustain hope for an eventual recovery in the broader corporate travel sector. "Last year was a record year for us, as we signed over $3 billion in new business, including some of the largest technology companies in the world," said CEO Paul Abbott, when he spoke Wednesday at the Skift Live Business Travel and Future of Work Summit. A year of remote working has upended business travel. Some experts predict that the corporate world will opt for a long-term reduction in business travel. Even a shift to 5 percent more video-conferencing could capsize many travel companies whose profits depend on long-haul international trips with fat expense accounts. Abbott dismissed worries about his company's prospects.

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