As we approach the Business Travel People Awards – shining a light on the industry’s finest talent, we spoke to ‘Tech Innovator’ finalist and Focus Business Solutions Manager, Tony Edge, about his nomination and his career to date.
1. Can you share your first experience with the business travel industry and how it impacted your career choices?
My first experience with Business Travel was by chance, I do often hear that everyone in business travel ended up here accidentally! I was 21, with a son and I needed a job. With the country coming out of the recession there wasn’t much around, so I took any opportunity I could, and luckily for me it couldn’t have worked out any better.
2. Please tell us about your average day at work?
My role at Focus as Business Solutions Manager is wide reaching, and I don’t really have a set routine, tasks change day by day and are ever evolving. Whether it is reviewing a new product, prepping something for the Focus Innovation Group (FIG) or supporting the helpdesk. One thing I do like to keep constant is being visible and available, working from home can honestly be lonely without the right team, so I try and make sure the team know they can contact me about anything at any time.
3. How do the current trends compare to when you joined the industry and what do you personally find the most interesting?
Obviously for me the development in technology has been something I have a high interest in. It amazes me how much we have moved on but not lost any of the personal touch so closely related to our industry. There has been a lot of movement in different areas but I would now like to see real progress in providing efficiencies for our front line agents.
4. What do you think motivates Millennials and Gen Z when they are looking for new roles?
Through the rise of social media everyone now has a personal brand and a platform to show their persona at young age, I believe the younger generations are looking for companies that suit them rather than fitting into a corporate mould. The younger generation want to align themselves with a company that follows their own values and I think we are seeing more companies shift to build a culture around their employees rather than hiring those that would simply fit in.
5. How do you think the business travel industry can enhance its appeal to the next generation?
I think we need to show off who we are and what we do more. I have travelled to places and experienced things I would never have had the opportunity to in other industries. We have so much variation in what we do and we work within an industry that has a real community feel to it, but for many that pathway doesn’t exist. As I mentioned in my first answer, a lot of people end up in business travel by mistake and we need to find a way to open the doors and showcase this brilliant industry.
6. Who has influenced your career most to date?
My Wife (Katie) and the kids (Jacob, Emmie, Teddy & Ada.) I started in business travel to provide for them, and that hasn’t changed. I honestly feel that I got lucky landing in this industry. Aside from that, I feel everyone I have ever worked with has played some part in who I am today, I believe you can learn something from everyone, although that doesn’t mean you always learn something good!
7. What do you admire about Focus? What do you feel are the Partnership’s greatest strengths?
Focus Travel Partnership was a bit of a foreign concept to me before joining. The idea of competing TMCs working together was something I hadn’t seen. Once I dug a little deeper, the community within Focus really stood out to me, seeing how all the different TMCs help each other learn and grow was amazing. I’m thankful for the role I serve at Focus, technology can be a hard nut to crack but being able to help everyone achieve their goals and elevating our Partners is something I am committed to.
8. How important has mentorship including reverse mentoring been to you?
I’ve never really had a mentor, but I have had some great managers and peers over time who have taught me so much. I do believe in the benefits of mentoring and reverse mentoring as you can learn something from everyone and understand differing viewpoints much more clearly. I think my approach is more that I will give my opinion or idea whether its good or bad, and then learn from the answer (probably a bit of an annoying approach now I’ve said that out loud!)
9. What role do you think emerging tech will play in business travel over the next 3-5 years?
I’m excited about where AI can take us, but like all things tech and innovation, it almost needs to deliver instantly. Usually when someone uses a product for the first time, they will try it 2-3 times before losing confidence, so a measured unrushed approach would make the real difference. I also think we will see an overhaul of most online booking tools, travellers now have everything at their fingertips and it is easy for them to switch away from these products if they do not deliver an enjoyable retail experience. For Focus, we will continue to review our Technology suite and ensure we stay committed to providing our Partners with an eco-system that expands their offering in a modern, efficient and competitive way.
10. As a finalist in the upcoming Business Travel People Awards, how are you feeling?
It’s a huge achievement to be nominated for a Business Travel People ‘Tech Innovator’ award and that certainly isn’t lost on me. Win or lose I’m very proud to be representing Focus Travel Partnership at these awards and it is great testament to the work put in by our TMC Partners and the whole Focus team centrally. I was lucky enough to win an Institute of Travel Management achievement award earlier in the year where they celebrated our innovative technology solutions that enhanced tools for the benefit of our Focus TMCs, and the continued recognition gives me great confidence that we are well on our way to achieving our collective goals. Plus I don’t wear a suit often, so I will be wearing my ‘lucky jacket’ to mark the occasion.
Tony Edge, Focus Business Solutions Manager