SYDNEY – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization, is strengthening its expanding commitment to global business travel with the formation of a new country-level GBTA Advisory Board in Australia. This initiative is designed to expand GBTA’s presence and foster growth by leveraging local expertise and insights to better support members, partners and the industry sector overall across the country.
Australia is a vital market for business travel, and the new Board brings together diverse expertise from across the region, said Catherine Logan, GBTA Regional Senior Vice President for EMEA and APAC. Their insights will help GBTA deliver tailored programs and offerings in our mission to shape the future together for business travel and across the industry community.
According to the latest GBTA Business Travel Index (BTI™) report, in 2024 Australia was ranked 11th among the top markets forecast worldwide for business travel spending, with $26.7 billion USD (approximately $42.5 billion AUD) representing 12% of the overall global spending total of $1.48 trillion USD.
Andy O’Mara, Head of Travel & Expense, for Canva, will serve as Chairperson of the 18-member GBTA Australia Advisory Board made up of cross-regional leaders from top companies and travel industry organizations (in alphabetical order below):
Ama Aidoo-Sam, Director Procurement Operations, ResMed Australia
Lisa Batchelor, Strategic Sourcing Manager – Global Business Services, Cochlear
Veronica Bergel, Travel Lead (Australia & Asia), Herbert Smith Freehills
Jim Crowder, Strategic Sales Director, APAC, Enterprise Mobility
Karryn Cutcheon, Senior Director, Global Sales Australia and New Zealand, Marriott
Anthea Dimitrakopoulos, GM, Brand and ESG, The Ascott Limited
Anna Fisher, Vice President – Asia Pacific, Frosch Travel
Melanie Giles, Travel Services Manager, Origin Energy
Ashley Houston, Senior RSM, Global Safety and Security, Global Travel Risk, Bain & Company
Emma Jones, Director of Sales – Corporate, Government & Airlines, Pacific, Accor
Kurt Knackstedt, Head of Sales – Pacific, Avis Budget Group
Bill Kokovas, Senior Manager, Travel & Events, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)
Sue McEvoy, Head of Sales ANZ, FCM
Mike Orchard, Head of Performance, Festive Road (Also GBTA APAC Advisory Board Member)
Tanaz Pochkhanawalla, Senior Commercial Manager | Strategic Partnering, Sourcing and Property, AMP
Siobhan Prideaux, Senior Sales Director, APAC, BCD Travel
Agnes Tsoa Lee, Corporate T&E Program Specialist, Optus
To further strengthen its regional presence, GBTA has appointed business travel industry veteran, Derek Sadubin, as Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, Sadubin will provide strategic and local support to members and partners in the region and reports to GBTA Regional Director for APAC, Elle Ng-Darmawan.
GBTA also announced the continuation of its event partnership with the Festival of Aviation and Corporate Travel Summits (FACTS) Taking place 25-26 November, the Summit brings together top-tier speakers, including airline and travel management company executives for a two-day conference focused on key strategic issues impacting corporate travel in Australia and beyond.
In addition, GBTA will again host its APAC Conference from 27-28 May in Singapore at the Raffles City Convention Center. This two-day event will provide a platform for the APAC business travel community to network, gain insights from industry leaders, and participate in peer-to-peer learning. For the third consecutive year, the conference will be co-located with the Worldwide ERC Global Mobility Summit, offering delegates unmatched opportunities for education and networking across both events.
Click here for more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to register to attend the GBTA APAC Conference 2025. Click here to visit GBTA APAC’s regional website.
About GBTA
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premiere business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area and serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.48 trillion global travel business and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information visit gbta.org.
About the GBTA Foundation
The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA’s global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. For more information visit gbtafoundation.org.
