Celonis streamlines global travel operations with Navan

Region

EMEA: Europe, Middle East, and Africa, NORAM: North America

Headquarters

Munich, Germany; New York, USA

Industry

Tech

Products Used

• Navan Business Travel
• Navan Pro
• Navan Travel Payments

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Celonis is a global leader in process intelligence, with headquarters in Munich and New York, as well as major offices in Madrid and London. As the company expanded rapidly across multiple regions, travel became essential for connecting teams, serving clients, and driving business growth — particularly for client-facing departments such as sales, value engineering, and services.

“When we think about the value of business travel, we’re looking at both the tangible and strategic impact,” said Karla Rodriguez, Manager, Travel and Expense Operations at Celonis “We view travel as a strategic lever for value creation. By removing friction, we empower our teams to focus on innovation rather than administration,” says Karla. 

Before Navan

Before implementing Navan in 2020, Celonis faced significant challenges with its travel management approach. Employees booked travel independently, which resulted in a fragmented process with limited oversight and control.

“People were booking outside of our preferred channels or not following policy guidelines, which made it really hard to control costs or maintain any kind of consistent approval workflow,” said Karla. Without a centralised platform, finance and travel teams had minimal data infrastructure into travel spend, making it difficult to analyse trends, negotiate better rates, or identify cost-saving opportunities.

Duty of care was another critical gap. “There was a lack of duty of care, which made it more difficult to ensure employee safety and support while they were travelling,” said Karla.

“

We view travel as a strategic lever for value creation. By removing friction, we empower our teams to focus on innovation rather than administration.

Karla Rodriguez

Manager, Travel & Expense Operations,

Why Celonis Chose Navan

A unified platform for global operations

As Celonis evaluated modern travel solutions, a unified global payment strategy was paramount. The company required a platform that could resolve the fragmentation of regional corporate cards while maintaining a single, automated source of truth for travel spend.

Navan stood out for its integrated infrastructure, which eliminates the friction of traditional card programs and manual reimbursements. By embedding payment directly into the booking experience, Navan allows Celonis to use virtual cards that automate data capture and speed up reconciliation worldwide.

"What really stood out is that all transaction and booking information needed for our ERP is unified in one place," says Karla. "Employees can use the central card without using personal funds, which improves their experience while giving finance better data infrastructure and control. Every transaction is within governance and reconciled before the traveller even returns home.”

Strategic investment, not just cost

For Karla, modernising operations wasn’t just about cost; it was about building a scalable foundation for global expansion. "In a process-driven organisation like Celonis, eliminating manual fragmentation is a strategic imperative," she explains.

For other organisations considering a modern travel platform, her advice is clear: “While there is an upfront investment, Navan’s offering is worth it, as the solution increases governance and reduces manual work. Plus, you get access to better negotiated rates. Navan also provides the data infrastructure we need to move from reactive reporting to proactive strategy."

“

Navan’s offering is worth it, as the solution increases governance and reduces manual work.

Karla Rodriguez

Manager, Travel & Expense Operations,

The Navan Effect

Global consolidation and governance 

Implementing Navan delivered immediate benefits for Celonis’ global travel programme. Having a single consolidated platform simplified administration, reduced vendor management overhead, and created a consistent booking experience for employees worldwide. “Navan provides one consolidated platform for both our users and reporting, which greatly simplifies travel management. Having just one vendor to manage reduces administrative overhead,” says Karla.

Most importantly, the platform dramatically improved governance. “Built-in controls help enforce travel policies consistently, reduce noncompliant bookings, and provide clearer financial oversight,” said Karla. Dynamic policies, cabin class restrictions, and spend caps now help ensure that bookings align with company guidelines before they’re completed — moving policy enforcement from reactive to proactive.

Features driving strategic value

Several Navan capabilities have been particularly valuable for Celonis. Dynamic policies and fixed caps enable the travel team to create custom rules for each department, level, and trip type while maintaining overall control. Cabin class restrictions help manage cost while still supporting employee comfort for longer journeys.

In addition, Navan’s integration capabilities have enabled connections with Celonis’ ERP (for HR data) and Salesforce (for customer information), creating a seamless flow of data and reducing manual work. 

Real-time data infrastructure transforms decision-making

Access to real-time data has fundamentally changed how Celonis manages travel, allowing the team to identify trends, monitor spend, and optimise the programme more efficiently. This visibility is equally vital for duty of care, where real-time traveller tracking is a non-negotiable.

“Knowing exactly where our travellers are allows us to respond instantly in emergencies, which is critical for their safety,” Karla explains. She notes that without this real-time oversight, the company would be exposed to much higher risks — not just regarding safety, but also through missed cost optimisations, delayed approvals, and lack of overall travel governance.

Measurable results

Navan has delivered significant cost savings to Celonis — 22% on hotels and 13% on flights — demonstrating both the power of Navan’s inventory and negotiated rates, as well as the impact of improved compliance. With 83% mobile adoption and a 76% hotel attach rate, employee engagement with the platform is strong — a critical factor in maintaining governance and maximising programme value.

Traveller satisfaction scores of 4.6 out of 5 CSAT and an NPS of +40 reflect a user experience that employees find genuinely valuable. “Employees appreciate the ease of booking and the intuitive interface,” said Karla.

“

Knowing exactly where our travellers are allows us to respond instantly in emergencies, which is critical for their safety.

Karla Rodriguez

Manager, Travel & Expense Operations,

Future with Navan

Celonis continues to evolve its travel programme, with a focus on further improving governance, optimising spend, and enhancing the traveller experience. 

As Celonis expands and enters new regions, Navan’s global platform will provide the scalability and consistency needed to support expansion. “Even as travel patterns or regional needs differ, the platform offers a centralised point of control and reporting that supports scaling operations — and doing it efficiently,” shared Karla.