CWT makes Navigant UK jobs pledge

The integration of Navigant in the UK following its acquisition by Carlson Wagonlit Travel will not lead to any wholesale job cuts, the global agency’s UK boss has pledged.

CWT will take over Navigant’s 120 employees based in five centres handling accounts generating annual sales of $130 million with its key strength in mid-market account handling, see previous TravelMole story.

The integration process is expected to take until the second half of the year and is dependent on regulatory approvals in the US for the overall deal.

But Andrew Waller, CWT’s UK executive vice-president, told TravelMole: “Our intention is to retain the existing network while looking at where we both have offices, as is the case in Aberdeen and Newcastle.

“Our intention is not to close down regional locations, we want to manage and retain the best of both because there is a very complementary fit.

“I don’t see us moving to less people because the number of people is relevant to the size of the business.”

Waller said the addition of Navigant, following $330 million of new business wins so far this year in the UK, enabled CWT to leapfrog American Express to become a strong number two in business travel management, challenging HRG (Hogg Robinson) for the number one slot.

“The challenge for us in the SME/mid-market sector is to communicate that we can give specialist support but we have a better set-up to provide services that local providers won’t,” he said.

Recent CWT account wins include the £100 million Office of Government Commerce to add to existing government travel responsibilities. The TMC is also understood to have taken on the J P Morgan account.

Coinciding with the Navigant deal and Carlson Companies and One Equity Partners acquiring Accor’s stake in CWT, Waller unveiled a re-organisation of the UK management team.

Ed Creswell joins on July 1 as sales director from Avis UK where he is head of field and business travel sales; a director of business development is due to announced next week and a director of corporate account management is at the short list stage.

Former sales director Simone Buckley takes the new position of UK marketing director within the 10-strong senior UK management team.

Nigel Turner, former account management director, takes the newly created position of UK government account management director following the OGC win.

Report by Phil Davies