At-Large
At-Large Board of Directors Seat
Each year ACTE members have the opportunity to vote for fellow members to serve on the ACTE Board of Directors. The successful candidates will hold office from 1 January 2009 through 31 December 2011. The ACTE Board of Directors is responsible for the global strategic direction and financial well-being of the association.
The following ACTE members are candidates for the At-Large Board of Director Seat.
Corporate
- Yves Galimidi, Global Travel Purchaser, IKEA
- Cynthia Grubbs, Vice President, WW Procurement & Travel, Parexel International
- Terry LaRock, Vice President – Group Manager, SVB
- Megan Stowe, Global Strategic Sourcing Manager, Mobility/HR, Intel Corporation
Suppliers
- Suzanne Neufang, VP, Product Marketing and User Exp., GetThere
- Debbie Thomas, Direct Sales Manager – Washington D.C./Baltimore, United Airlines
Travel Management Company
- Floyd Widener, Vice President Sales, EMEA, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
- Peter Klebanow, Chairman & CEO, Ultramar Travel Management
Click on the candidates’ name above or scroll down to read their quailifications statements.
Click here to cast your vote.
Corporate Member Candidates
Yves Galimidi
Global Travel Purchaser
Ikea
I am honored and thrilled to be under consideration for the ACTE Board of Directors.
As a corporate member of ACTE for nearly 10 years I have been rather extensively involved in various activities, such as speaker or panelist at different ACTE forums and conferences, ACTE Country Champion in the Belgium/Luxemburg area, host of an ACTE forum, member of the ACTE CSR committee and member of an ACTE Steering Committee.
I have also been serving over these years in a few business travel advisory boards (TMC, hotels, corporate payment solutions).
With 22 years of experience and expertise in the business travel industry mainly on the corporate side, as travel manager and travel purchaser with global responsibilities with IKEA, I strongly believe that I can assist ACTE in achieving its missions and goals and I feel ready to dedicate necessary time and energy.
I have no doubts that ACTE has been for years and is today the leader in global education and in the definition of best practices for the global business travel industry, which has become a very complex and extremely challenging professional sector.
A first goal during my tenure on the board will be to actively contribute to the growth of ACTE and attract new members, both on the corporate side and on the supplier side.
I believe that fostering the relations between both sides is a key element.
Education is even more important and will have my full attention. Identifying the most accurate topics, finding the best speakers & panelists and drafting industry best practices will undeniably be amongst my priorities.
I hope your support will give me the opportunity to strengthen ACTE in its mission to provide global and regional leadership for the advancement of the business travel industry
Cynthia Grubbs
Vice President of Worldwide Procurement and Travel
PAREXEL Interational
Cynthia Grubbs is Vice President of Worldwide Procurement and Travel at PAREXEL International. She oversees a team of procurement analysts and managers that operate globally to support more than 7,600 PAREXEL employees in 63 locations throughout 52 countries worldwide. Her team is strategically focused on managing the vendors that affect the business, streamlining processes to eliminate bottlenecks and improving internal customer service. Actively involved in evolving the procurement function from a local to a global service, Cynthia also focuses on the analysis of corporate-wide vendor relationships, high spend contracts and strategic planning.
Cynthia spends 4-5 months of the year traveling Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific in support of the programs and initiatives for which her department is responsible. She has lived in Boston, NYC, Alaska, London, Chicago, and will be living in Berlin for a good part of 2009.
Prior to joining PAREXEL, Ms. Grubbs headed procurement and travel for Aspen Technology, a global software company serving the oil, gas, and processing industries. During this time she initiated the first business safety program for Aspen including education and emergency protocols. She has led global procurement and related IT teams for several companies, including Thomson Reuters (formerly Thomson Financial) and Bank of Boston.
Ms. Grubbs holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, where she studied international politics and several languages. She has taken Master’s courses at La Universidad de Salamanca in Spain and executive education courses at the Harvard Business School.
Ms. Grubbs is a member of the Advisory Board of AIRPLUS International and Garber | FCm Travel to advise on technology and customer services programs. She has been involved in many Boston, Massachusetts area initiatives, including serving on the Boards of Directors for the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing initiative in East Boston as well as the Boston Recycling Coalition.
Terry LaRock
Vice President - Group Manager
SVB
Terry LaRock is Vice President/Group Manager at SVB Financial Group.
He brings a diverse work experience in the field of Purchasing and Travel Management. Mr. LaRock has combined more than 25 years work experience at Tandy Corporation, Gould, Masstor, Kaiser, Schlumberger, Softbank Events, Loudcloud, as well as several leadership positions in other Fortune 1000 corporations. Mr. LaRock has his MBA and has taught for several universities and colleges. Capitalizing on this varied background, Mr. LaRock is recognized as a leader in the Purchasing and Travel management practice and as a sought after speaker brings a cross-functional perspective to his classes, speeches, seminars, and key executive presentations, which he delivers across the US, Canada, Europe, and the Far East. During the last ten years. Mr. LaRock has served on professional associations Board of directors such as APICS and NAPM. This global experience, when combined with his work and educational training, brings a unique blend of theory, expert findings, practicability, and financial impact savings to his companies.
Megan Stowe
Global Strategic Sourcing Manager - Mobility / HR
Intel Corporation
The business travel industry is facing unprecedented challenges in a changing global travel and financial environment, where new technologies and ways of doing things are needed to help the industry move into a new era. I believe in the current environment ACTE members, both buyers and suppliers, should be challenging the “old way” of doing things and looking at new ways to help the industry. Along with this I believe ACTE members look at the industry organizations to help them intelligent, well informed decisions for their companies, be it corporate or supplier. As a member of the ACTE Board of Directors my goal would be to continue to help drive and provide leadership and vision to continue the association’s mission. Over the past years, I have been a:
- The Asia Pacific Board member – representing an ever changing and developing region (term ends at the end of 2008)
- Speaker at ACTE forums and conventions in many regions around the world – Rome, Singapore, London, Vancouver to name a few
- Member of the ACTE Nominations committee
- Speaker at other travel organization events
- 2008 BTN international travel manager of the year
- Share benchmarking with other corporates in the industry so we can all learn from each other
ACTE is the leader in global education for the business travel professional. A goal during my tenure on the board will be to continue help grow the education, look at new ways of doing things in the industry and by providing timely education programs to support the membership. I believe it is vital to bring together people from both corporates and suppliers to work together to share ideas, best practices and look to a new improved future together.
After working with the 4 main regions geographically I think it is impretive that we take into account the different regions nuances, I have lived in both EMEA and APAC and have been responsible for the US and Latin American markets and hope to bring some of my experiences and those of my collegues to help others understand and how to work better as a global community.
I believe strongly in ACTE, its vision and its membership. I hope to bring my experience from serving on the board previously and my passion for an ever changing and challenging industry to the Association
Thank you for your support!
Suppliers Member Candidates
Suzanne Neufang
Vice President, Product Marketing, Business Development & User Experience
Get There
As a relative newcomer to the world of corporate travel after "only" four years with GetThere, I promise a different perspective if elected to join the ACTE leadership team. My career in marketing, e-commerce and product management spans several states and industries: travel, telecom, higher education, and public/commercial broadcasting. I've also been in corporate governance positions at a Fortune 50 company, where procurement concerns, company-wide communications and support of corporate programs were of the utmost concern.
My prior experience with Travelocity serves as a key foundational element for my approach to business travel. I think it's important that we - as an industry - continue striving to achieve a balance between procurement requirements and the need to deliver a positive travel experience for all journeys, both business and leisure.
Since 2004, I've experienced and appreciated the forum that ACTE offers travel professionals -- and have been active as a general session speaker, conference steering committee member, workshop moderator, and TransACTE sponsor at US, Asia, and Europe events. ACTE provides an important forum for companies at all levels of the travel supply chain to collaborate, learn and network in and outside of these global events. There's never been a more critical time to be globally connected to peers in this industry.
I would welcome the opportunity to serve on the ACTE board -- to translate corporate concerns for travel procurement, efficiency and supplier collaboration into platforms and agendas for the broader ACTE membership. Thank you for your consideration and support.
Debbie Thomas
Direct Sales Manager – Washington D.C./Baltimore
United Airlines
As a 30 year veteran of the Travel Industry, I have had the opportunity to watch this industry change and evolve. I am also very optimistic about the future and I want to be sure we have prepared the next generation to take our place. As a Board member, that is one of the goals I have for ACTE. We need to work with universities and career counselors to encourage career paths in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. My second goal is to increase our membership by working closer with our new members. Develop an informal mentorship program and solicit their feedback.
My personal experience with ACTE has been from the outside looking in. I’ve been impressed by the caliber of its membership and the quality of the information covered in the conferences. I’ve most recently volunteered at the European conference in Rome and had the opportunity to see the efforts from behind the scenes. I’d like everyone to better understand how much headquarters is working on their behalf and be sure the membership is using all the tools available to them.
As a Regional and District Sales Manager for United, I’ve learned the importance of living up to your commitments, rolling up your sleeves and working hard, teamwork and achieving goals. Most importantly are the relationships and partnerships that you develop and maintain.
I would be honored to represent you as a Board Member. I am committed to listening to your ideas of what you want from ACTE and continuing the programs and processes that have made ACTE so successful over the years. Every year brings new challenges and opportunities for us to show the value of what we do. Together, we can learn new ways and leave a legacy of accomplishments for years to come.
Travel Management Company Member Candidates
Floyd Widener
Vice President Sales, EMEA
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
I am running for the ACTE Board seat of “Member at Large” because I want to continue to support ACTE and have an influence on how the future organisation will interact with members and the industry.
My background and experience provides me with insight into industry matters all along the “travel chain”. I am passionate about our industry and the people that make it the great place it is to work.
Please vote for me so I can contribute even more.
Originally from California, Floyd Widener, 43, is a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Literature. He has lived in Europe for the last sixteen years and is a US and French national.
Early in his career, Floyd worked in the engineering and construction business, followed by sales positions in the field of electronic directories and catalogues.
Subsequently, after 18 months as sales manager for Amadeus France, he joined Sabre in 1998, as Director Sales & Marketing France. He then moved to the position of Managing Director France and Benelux.
Floyd was later promoted to Vice President Emerging Business EMEA and finally Vice President Corporate Solutions Sabre/GetThere EMEA.
Floyd joined Carlson Wagonlit Travel in April 2006 as Vice President, Sales and Marketing EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), and is responsible for developing global sales within the EMEA region and expanding business in each of the countries where CWT is present.
Peter Klebanow
Chairman & CEO
Ultramar Travel Management
Please support my candidacy for an At-Large Board seat on ACTE’s board. For more than 25 years, I have built and grown Ultramar Travel Management. (A BTN top 15 ranked national TMC headquartered in New York.) But more relevantly, for the last 6 years, I have served as Chairman of the Board of GlobalStar Travel Management – a long term equity partnership of leading national independent TMCs. In this capacity, I have steered an international partnership of 75 partners in more than 50 countries. I have a great respect for cultural diversity and have demonstrated the ability to incorporate the contributions of many in pursuit of common goals and objectives while delivering tangible results. I believe it is inherent upon the leaders in our industry to effect positive change for the overall good of buyers and sellers of travel. By harnessing the experience and talents of able travel professionals, ACTE can build upon its already impressive impact. If elected, I promise to use all of my knowledge and contacts in the industry to attract people into the organization and to apply great energy to fulfill the principles of ACTE for the enrichment of all its members and the industry at large.
VOTE HERE FOR AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER
