Zoe-Ann Bartlett Presented with ACTE Global Vision Award

SEATTLE, January 11 - Microsoft's Zoe-Ann Bartlett was awarded the Association of Corporate Travel Executives Global Vision Award today for significant contributions made toward the globalization of corporate travel management. The award was presented by ACTE President Earl Foster during an association Travel Management Forum in Seattle.

According to Foster, the award recognizes "creative approaches to problem solving, seizing the initiative, and employing the principles of business travel management to a worldwide application." This year's winner, Zoe-Ann Bartlett, is manager of global travel and events for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.

At Microsoft, there's a theory that one normal year is seven dog years, which may explain how Bartlett managed to implement a complex and brilliant purchasing strategy in a relatively short (for dog and man), one-year period. Although there is no formal travel policy--" At Microsoft, nothing is mandated; rather, you build the best product and compel usage," she says--and no single consistent travel procurement method around the world, Bartlett was still able to create a foundation for smart purchasing now, while establishing a fairly painless transition to the time when global travel purchasing is fully consolidated.

Bartlett was able to employ her strategy in such a short time by setting up a corporate travel purchasing site--the MS Travel UI Web site, on the Microsoft corporate intranet, using the already existing corporate procurement architecture. The Web site includes destination and other relevant information for travelers, and explains to the traveler what the preferred travel procurement methodology is based on where the employee works. (A password triggers the right information.) Comptrollers and other supervisors can also use the site to extract purchasing data from travelers under their purview.

The beauty of the system is that regional variations, such as language, purchasing customs and local preferred supplier agreements, are all left intact. This maintains local autonomy--and a certain comfort level--for employees and managers. By respecting regional variations while transitioning to a new global strategy, Bartlett fostered strong regional support instead of friction and resentment. And because the UI Web site is plugged in, it's simple, efficient and cost-effective to make updates--in the travel program and the travel information database. That keeps the site fresh, and above all, relevant for users.

In recognizing Bartlett's achievements, Earl Foster noted that her ability to "bridge the gap between travel and technology function" has resulted in "substantial gains for Microsoft now and in the future." For her part, Bartlett is pleased to share the kudos with her travel management partner, American Express, her bosses, "who embrace risk taking; the fundamental philosophy is that if you don't fail once in a while, you're not taking enough chances" and with her colleagues in Program and Product Management at Microsoft. "These two groups are an integral and extended part of the travel team," she said. "Their job is to ask tough, detailed cost-benefit questions about your business needs. Once satisfied, they developed the internal tools that support your effort, and established the technical foundation that made this project possible. It's a real honor to accept the award on behalf of everyone who worked with me on the project."