Flight Crew Series: Field Marketer Victoria Deprez on Restarting Events Across Europe

Welcome to The Flight Crew Series, where we sit down with our team members around the world to get to know them better. We talk about the careers that led them to Navan, what their roles look like on a daily basis, why they believe in their teams, and even their favorite travel memory. Their peers selected the participants for their incredible work, team spirit, and how they embody Navan values. Read more from the series here.

Victoria Deprez, Field Marketing Manager in Northern Europe, joined Navan in July 2021 to manage the company’s presence at events across Northern Europe and reimagine what’s needed to truly make Navan stand out.

“What can we do to make ourselves look different? Not only because we have a different offer but because we have a different approach. We want to draw people in. It starts with the designs, the look and feel, and includes the team members at the event, how we interact with one another, and also how we interact with prospects,” explains Victoria.

“It’s an exciting role—especially as we get back to doing these events for the first time.”

A Wealth of Experience

Victoria started her career in the travel industry in the corporate bookings department of a 5-star hotel. Working her way up from the bottom of the ladder, she began to manage group and VIP bookings, including the England football team and Premier League accounts. She was tasked with ensuring that their rooms were booked and every detail accounted for—including the football pitch the hotel had put in just for them.

“It provided insight into what events management could be. It was fast-paced and every day was different,” says Victoria. “It was the stepping stone that opened my eyes to the fact that I love events and corporate travel as an industry.”

She then took a role at Travelport, where she learned more about travel management companies and industry associations like ITM and GBTA while building her network. With each step, her intention and direction became clearer.

Victoria left Travelport to serve as the Sponsorship and Event Manager for the Institute of Travel Management (ITM), where she felt like all her previous experiences came together. She thrived in bringing together suppliers and buyers and was part of the team that put on the first European GBTA Conference in Lisbon. Victoria then became part of Corporate Travel Management’s Events Division, where she helped organize major events and mentor her team, which she absolutely loved. When COVID-19 happened, however, she was tasked with the travel logistics of the British National Repatriation project, which brought around 64,000 British nationals home at the cost of 85 million pounds over ten weeks.

“It was the hardest, longest, and most draining project, but it was also wonderful. It has the highest highs and the lowest lows,” says Victoria, who then took a break from corporate travel while working for a private COVID testing company.

Then she found Navan.

Coming Home to Navan

Navan is a natural fit for Victoria, who thrives in the corporate travel industry, but she also found something that she never expected.

“There are so many TMCs trying to do what Navan does, but they’re still using old clunky technology. I’ve spent years hearing sales teams say one thing to get the contract signed and then watching implementation teams pull their hair out over what’s been promised versus what can actually be delivered,” she explains. “It was quite enlightening to see that Navan delivers on its promise.”

Victoria was also pleasantly surprised by the interview process in which she met with six people during informal one-to-one interviews.

“I was able to get a very good understanding of the culture. It was lovely having so many interviews that were conversation-led. Everyone told me, ‘This is a two-way interview. You’re interviewing us as much as we’re interviewing you.' It was a refreshing, modern approach.’”

Building Back Stronger

As business travel returns throughout Europe, Victoria is thrilled to be back, creating spaces for those in-person experiences that enable impactful connections.

“The most exciting thing about being in EMEA right now is the return of in-person events,” she says. “I’m looking forward to building truly unique events—something that people are not expecting and talk about for months afterward. It’s all about the kind of in-person, unique experiences that engage and excite us. I’m also excited for the industry to be back and see those tides change.”

Navan is currently hiring field marketers in France and Germany as Navan continues its expansion throughout Europe.

Culture is integral to what makes Navan who we are and allows us to work together to innovate quickly for our customers and users. See what roles are available to join Navan today.