The Business Travel Magazine Oct/Nov 2019

MEET THE BUYER
meet
Jimena Alvarez Vallina
As travel manager for a mobile gaming giant, Jimena Alvarez Vallina has to
manage lots of trendy creatives. But do they stick to the policy?
I started in the business travel industry
in 2011 at American Express GBT, where
I was working in operations on various
tech projects and managing supplier
relationships. In 2015, I took a role in
Global Business Consulting as an outsourced
service excellence manager at a pharmaceutical
company, and since 2016 I have
been the outsourced travel manager of a
mobile gaming company.
I am responsible for the travel
programme in terms of sourcing and
relationships mainly with hotels and
supporting the airline programme.
I also manage the relationship with the
TMC; supervise, investigate and resolve any
internal or external complaints that arise;
define, negotiate and execute the hotel
programme; and I have responsibility for
the configuration of the online booking tool.
I also work with the data team tracking and
reporting on CO2 emissions from travel,
and advising on best practices on how to
reduce and offset them.
All my time is spent
managing the travel
programme and
providing support on
various projects. I am
not necessarily
involved in travel
arrangements – nor
do we have a team of
bookers – but I am
happy to provide
assistance if anyone
requires my intervention.
It’s company policy for the
organisation for everyone to make
their own reservations through the booking
tool or by contacting the travel agency.
The company has approximately 2,000
employees globally and, on average, some
350 employees travel every month. Around
OUT OF THE OFFICE
"I love to explore new
cultures and to learn from other
people’s experiences. South East
Asia is where I feel life in all its
splendour, and before the end of
the year I am hoping to
complete my diving
certification"
90% of our travel takes place between the
nine offices the business has across the
United States and Europe where the
company operates.
Based on the nature
of the industry,
employees' travel
plans are constantly
changing. And as our
offices are located
in very popular
destinations – such as
London, San Francisco
and Barcelona – it is
important for us to have the
right strategy in place to keep
the costs within budget and to
guarantee hotel availability.
We work with American Express Global
Business Travel and we have an online
booking tool. I'm satisfied with the
performance and the service levels of both
companies. The online adoption is 85%,
which reflects how effective both the tool
and travel policy are. The company has a
comprehensive and effective travel policy
that applies to all employee levels.
Compliance levels are very good.
We expect very high levels of service to
be provided by our suppliers, so one of
our main challenges is that I have to make
sure our expectations are met. Equally, if
there are any issues that arise I have to
make sure they are immediately solved.
The company’s offices
are located in very
popular destinations. The
key is to have the right
strategy in place to keep the
costs within budget and to
guarantee hotel availability”
40 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com