The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has announced the hiring of Suzanne Neufang as its next executive director, leading the combined GBTA and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).
Neufang was hired after a comprehensive and exhaustive review of over 130 candidates from around the world, GBTA said. The months-long process was led by an independent search committee of industry leaders and staff. The search was coordinated by leading association consulting firm MCI-USA, which served as a third-party hub to screen applicants and facilitate the extensive interview process.
Neufang, whose executive career has included senior leadership roles with several high-profile travel and technology companies, most recently served as senior vice president-Americas for HRS Global Hotel Solutions. Before HRS, Neufang worked for 10 years as an executive leader with Sabre Travel Network, GetThere and Travelocity and later as a divisional chief marketing officer for Fortune 500 software giant Intuit. An active member of GBTA since 2005, Neufang led ACTE as board president from 2012 to 2014 and as a board member from 2014 to 2018. She served as ACTE’s interim executive director during summer 2012.
According to GBTA in a press announcement, Neufang described the opportunity to lead GBTA as a “pinnacle career opportunity” and an important way to give back to an industry she loves, and which has offered her many opportunities. “The key questions for me are when we as an industry will recover, and how we as GBTA can drive economic and industry recovery to be even faster,” said Neufang.
She added: “We need to emerge from this pandemic as a healthier, more transparent association, one with the strongest possible, globally focused foundation. As an organization, I believe we can work together to provide more value, better education and research, and even more effective advocacy for our members and sponsors.”
Neufang will take over on February 24 from Dave Hilfman, who, since July 2020, has served as the Association’s interim executive director. Hilfman will remain with GBTA in a temporary consulting role to smooth the transition.
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