How Travel Managers Can Drive Real Change in Their Programs

For travel managers looking to elevate their programs, the path forward is clearer than it might seem.

In a recent Navan webinar, two travel leaders shared the strategies that helped them transform their programs and earn recognition as strategic business enablers: Danny Cockton, VP of Global Travel Services at Wood PLC; and Kerrie Henshaw-Cox, former Director of Global Travel Services at AstraZeneca.

The webinar, hosted by Navan Chief Travel Advisory Officer Kim Hamer, drew on our recently released report, 5 Ways to Uplevel European Travel Management, which found that 60% of European travel managers are focused on simplifying their programs.

Here’s how the two travel leaders are making that happen.

Start With What You Can Control

When facing program challenges, the most effective travel managers focus first on what’s within their power to change. Cockton recommends examining the entire ecosystem — from HR feeds through to reconciliation — before looking externally.

“If you can build something really solid, everything else falls into place,“ he said. “It’s making sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row first.“

Henshaw-Cox agreed, noting that travel managers are uniquely positioned to bridge gaps between systems and stakeholders. “As travel managers, we need to be communicating, working in partnership with our suppliers, sharing strategies, sharing objectives better,“ she said.

“Her advice for driving improvement: “Go back to the what and the how. What is our aim? What are we trying to do? And then simplify how we’re going to get there.“

Watch the on-demand webinar now.

Build Trust One Win at a Time

When Cockton joined Wood PLC, the program faced significant challenges — no coherent HR feed, fragmented payment systems, and over 23 TMCs in operation. Rather than attempting a complete overhaul, his team started by listening.

“The first thing we did was go and speak to people, start engaging, and be honest about where things were at,“ he recalled. “People appreciated the honesty.“

He uses an analogy from the hit comedy series “Ted Lasso” to illustrate the approach. In the show, when Lasso introduces a suggestion box, “One person says the shower pressure’s rubbish, and they fix it. You fix one thing, and people start to build trust,” said Cockton. “That’s how you start building credibility.“

This incremental approach creates momentum. By solving visible problems, travel teams earn the credibility to tackle larger initiatives.

Speak the Language of Leadership

The report found that travel teams cite a 10% increase in confidence around ROI when they have clear C-suite sponsorship. Both leaders emphasized that earning executive attention requires aligning travel initiatives with corporate priorities.

“Most companies have pillars aligned to people and culture, business performance, and profit and growth,“ said Cockton. “Make sure whatever you’ve got on your agenda speaks to that.“

When Cockton joined Wood, he requested meetings with both the CEO and CFO. His message: “You need to stop looking at travel as a cost and start looking at it as an enabler.“ That framing now anchors his team’s identity — their intranet homepage reads: “Global Travel Services enables our remarkable people to design, build, and advance the world.“

Similarly, Henshaw-Cox aligned AstraZeneca’s travel program with the company’s public sustainability commitments, ensuring executive relevance. The result?

“One of the proudest moments for me is when the CEO said, ‘Travel is a strategic enabler to the success of this business.’“

Become an Engagement Officer

Both leaders agreed that successful travel management requires spending more time building internal relationships than managing external suppliers. “80% of your time should be internally focused — working with your teams, understanding what different business partners need,“ said Cockton. “You’ve got to keep knocking on those doors.“

But engagement isn’t just about selling — it’s about listening. Henshaw-Cox described tailoring conversations for different business units at AstraZeneca, from high-frequency commercial travelers to R&D scientists with different priorities.

“We don’t go off on a tangent and just do what we think is the right thing,“ she said. “We’ve got to be aligned to the business, to the strategic objectives, to the corporate agenda — because then the message fits.“

The Bottom Line

Throughout the discussion, one theme surfaced repeatedly: Simplification drives success. Whether streamlining fee structures, consolidating systems, or distilling executive presentations from 30 slides to 3, the most effective travel managers ruthlessly prioritize clarity.

“Transparency and communication really leads to simplification,“ said Hamer. “What travel leaders are looking for today is how to simplify the program, from the time someone decides they need to take a trip all the way through until it’s reconciled.“

Watch the webinar and download the report, 5 Ways to Uplevel European Travel Management.