Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the global travel management company, has announced Bindu Bhatia will become the new Managing Director, Asia Pacific, effective 1 September. Bindu succeeds Kai Chan, who will be leaving the company on 31 August after making significant contributions during her five-year tenure.
“Asia Pacific is the world’s fastest-growing market for corporate travel – there are huge opportunities here,” said Kurt Ekert, CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “Bindu is perfect for her new role: with her proven entrepreneurial skills, commercial savvy, and deep understanding of the global travel market, she will hit the ground running.”
Bindu Bhatia has been with the company for more than 20 years in a number of key roles, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Global Program Management, where she has looked after CWT’s biggest global clients. Bindu has extensive leadership experience in strategic client management, operations, people management, and business development. Reporting to Kelly Kuhn, Chief Customer Officer, she will soon be relocating to CWT’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, where she will have responsibility for approximately 3,000 people across nine countries.
Ann Marie Stone will be taking over Bindu’s current role, also effective 1 September, reporting to Cathy Voss, Executive Vice President, Global Program Solutions. Ann Marie has been with the company since 2000, most recently serving as Vice President, Global Program Management.
The Asia Pacific nations notch up growth rates in the high single digits, year after year. CWT is a key player here, with local teams who understand the culture, client needs, market dynamics, and regulation across this diverse region, and each year we book travel for millions of travelers across Asia Pacific. Recognizing that success, CWT has been named “Best Corporate Travel Agency” in Asia Pacific at the TTG Travel Awards for the past five years running.
CWT is evolving into the world’s first truly digital travel management company, investing significant resources in technology and people to achieve that goal. Alongside rolling out CWT 3.0, CWT’s digital transformation program, Bindu’s focus will be on continuing to provide value to our customers, and growing our business by positioning CWT as the preferred global business travel company for companies across Asia Pacific and beyond.
About Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer-grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day we look after enough travelers to fill almost 200 Boeing 747s and around 100,000 hotel rooms, and handle 95 corporate events. We have more than 18,000 people in nearly 150 countries, and in 2016 posted a total transaction volume of US$ 23 billion.