From Tactical to Strategic: How Technology Transforms Travel Manager Careers

Real stories from HelloFresh, Asana, ConnectWise, and Canva on professional growth through technology

One of the most persistent myths in travel management is that technology threatens the travel manager’s role. The reality, as demonstrated by successful travel managers at HelloFresh, Asana, ConnectWise, and Canva, is exactly the opposite. The right technology can actually elevate travel managers from tactical coordinators to strategic business leaders.

These travel managers have experienced firsthand how modern platforms transform their daily work, expand their influence, and position them as indispensable business partners. Their stories reveal how technology doesn’t diminish human expertise, but instead, amplifies it..

Increasing the Value of Travel Managers

From administrator to strategic advisor

Technology has been a game-changer for Renato Bianucci, global mobility and travel manager at HelloFresh. “I couldn’t count the number of hours I’m saving with Navan,” he said. “All my work has changed.” Instead of spending evenings confirming individual bookings, Renato now shapes HelloFresh’s travel strategy and drives program improvements that benefit the entire organization. The technology handles routine transactions while he focuses on strategic planning, vendor relationships, and program optimization.

Mindy Owen, travel and expense manager at ConnectWise echoes this experience. “Navan has freed up my time and allowed me to focus on the more impactful and strategic aspects of my job,” she said. Rather than being consumed by administrative tasks, she now concentrates on activities that directly contribute to business success.

Enhanced professional capabilities

Andy O'Mara, head of travel and expense at Canva demonstrates how technology can amplify professional capabilities. He said he can now generate urgent reports for senior leadership in less than a minute, transforming him into a responsive business partner who provides instant insights to support critical decisions.

Note that the software doesn’t do his job — but it does give him superpowers to do his job exceptionally well. The speed and accuracy with which he can provide business intelligence positions him as a valuable strategic resource for leadership teams.

Data-driven decision making

Modern travel managers have easy access to comprehensive analytics that enable strategic thinking. Michali Henig, head of global travel and mobility at HelloFresh, describes this evolution. “Before, we understood travel patterns anecdotally, but now we have comprehensive data insights that help us optimize our program strategically,” he said.

This data capability transforms travel managers from reactive problem-solvers to proactive strategy developers. They can identify trends, predict needs, and recommend optimizations based on evidence — not intuition.

Building Stronger Stakeholder Relationships

Becoming a facilitator, not a gatekeeper

When routine administrative work is automated, travel managers can invest more time in what truly matters: building relationships with travelers, understanding business needs, and proactively solving challenges before they impact the organization.

Rudy Batts, head of global spend at Canva highlights this shift. “My stakeholders can build and run programs without needing to create complex processes or infrastructure,” she said. Rather than being gatekeepers managing complex manual processes, travel managers enable employees by designing self-service systems that empower their organizations while maintaining appropriate oversight.

Improving employee experience

The travel managers in these case studies achieved remarkable employee satisfaction scores by focusing on user experience rather than just cost control. HelloFresh maintains a 4.7/5 customer satisfaction rating, while Canva achieved 94% booking compliance — not through enforcement, but by making compliance the easiest path forward.

They did this by ensuring employees could find everything they needed in one place, offering the same choice and flexibility they’d expect when booking personally, and removing unnecessary friction from the booking process. By prioritizing speed, convenience, and clarity, they made the compliant option the natural, preferred option for travelers.

Kate Marsden from Canva describes the user experience: “Navan just feels so much easier. It’s super seamless.” When employees have positive experiences with travel programs, they naturally provide positive feedback about the travel managers who designed those experiences.

Supporting major business initiatives

Technology enables travel managers to support complex business initiatives that would be impossible to manage manually. Canva’s successful coordination of its flagship event, Canva Create 2025, demonstrates this capability. “Travel logistics can easily become complex at this scale, but with the right systems, we knew we could make it all happen without the stress, said Jimmy Knowles, global head of experiential at Canva.

In all these cases, technology has positioned travel managers as business facilitators who can support major corporate initiatives rather than being potential bottlenecks.

Creating Quantifiable Professional Impact

Measurable business results

With the right technology, travel managers were not only able to facilitate changes but also to measure their effects.

Cost optimization:

• Asana: 13% savings on hotel bookings, 23% lower average nightly rates
• Canva: 94% policy compliance driving systematic cost optimization
• ConnectWise: 9% net savings on bookings
• HelloFresh: 33% savings on hotels, 28% savings on flights

Operational excellence:

• Asana: Eliminated currency conversion complexities and payment processing issues
• Canva: 84% mobile adoption, instant report generation
• ConnectWise: Automated expense reconciliation, 18-day average booking lead time
• HelloFresh: Real-time reporting replaced time-intensive manual processes

Professional recognition and growth

These results position travel managers as strategic contributors rather than cost centers. When you can demonstrate concrete business results — cost savings, efficiency gains, employee satisfaction improvements — you can become an indispensable part of an organization’s success story.

Andy O’Mara from Canva advises: “If you’re building out a travel and expense platform, my advice is to use Navan for that all-in-one instance. It’s user-friendly, saves you a lot of time, and gets your travel program up and running.” In other words, technology isn’t just about system functionality — it’s about professional effectiveness and career success.

Improving Sustainability Efforts and Strategic Value

Supporting corporate initiatives

Modern travel managers can also contribute to broader corporate goals like sustainability. HelloFresh’s experience with one feature, rail alternative suggestions, demonstrates how technology can enable travel managers to support environmental objectives while maintaining an intuitive user experience.

“When I was looking for a flight from Berlin to Amsterdam,” said Henig, “I got a prompt asking if I wanted to take the train instead. That made me think more strategically about route selection.” Travel managers can now contribute to corporate sustainability goals through smart system design rather than just policy enforcement.

Future-proofing careers

The travel managers in these case studies have positioned themselves for long-term career success by embracing technology as a professional amplifier. They’ve demonstrated that their expertise can become more valuable when supported by powerful tools.

The Future of Travel Management Careers

These success stories demonstrate that the future belongs to travel managers who embrace technology. The most successful professionals understand that tech tools enhance their value by reducing manual tasks, freeing up their time for strategic thinking, relationship building, and program optimization.

Rudy Batts from Canva feels that travel technology liberates travel managers from routine tasks, so they can focus on strategic contributions that drive business success.

The travel managers featured in these case studies haven’t just improved their programs — they’ve elevated their careers by becoming strategic business partners, change leaders, and valuable organizational assets. Also, by demonstrating that human expertise becomes more valuable when amplified by powerful technology, they’ve helped future-proof their careers.

Professional Development Strategies

The travel managers at HelloFresh, Asana, ConnectWise, and Canva demonstrate key strategies that others can adopt to similarly transform their careers:

1. Embrace technology as your ally

View modern travel management platforms as professional development tools that enhance your capabilities rather than threats to your role. The travel managers who thrive are those who leverage technology to amplify their expertise.

2. Focus on strategic thinking

Use the time freed up by automation to develop strategic thinking skills. Learn to analyze data, identify trends, and make recommendations that align with broader business objectives.

3. Build business partnerships

Position yourself as a business partner by understanding company goals, budget cycles, and strategic priorities. When you speak the language of business strategy, you become a valued advisor rather than just a service provider.

4. Develop change management skills

Modern travel managers need to be effective change leaders who can guide organizations through program evolution. Develop skills in communication, training, and stakeholder management.

5. Measure and communicate results

Learn to identify, track, and communicate metrics that matter to business leaders. The ability to demonstrate concrete value can make you indispensable to organizational success.

6. Stay current with industry trends

Technology continues to evolve rapidly. Stay informed about new capabilities, industry best practices, and emerging trends that could benefit your organization.

Your Professional Evolution

As these travel managers demonstrate, embracing modern technology isn’t an effort to maintain job security, but to create professional growth opportunities and business success. Implementing tools that handle routine tasks frees you to focus on strategic thinking, relationship building, and value creation that only human expertise can provide.

The bottom line is this: Technology will continue to change the business of travel management. The travel managers who thrive in the coming years will be those who recognize technology as a professional development opportunity and use it to drive extraordinary results for their organizations.

Will you be one of them?

Technology doesn't replace travel manager expertise—it amplifies it. The professionals who embrace this transformation position themselves as strategic business leaders and future-proof their careers.