Maureen Brady, COO of CTM North America, on the heels of her recent WINiT Top 50 Women in Travel win

 

Maureen Brady, Chief Operating Officer, joined the Corporate Travel Management (CTM) family two years ago, bringing a long tenure in the travel industry. Throughout her journey at CTM, she has led and mentored CTM employees through the COVID-19 pandemic, played an integral part in CTM’s integration with Travel and Transport, and provided a wealth of knowledge and effective leadership.

Maureen was recently named as one of the Top 50 Women in Travel by WINiT by GBTA. We sat down with her to discuss her travel industry journey, the impact of COVID-19, and advice for future women leaders.

How did you get into the travel industry?

I studied economics in college, and after graduation, I worked for the United States government. I got hired by the General Account Office (GAO) and was assigned to the Social Security Administration. My job was analyzing non-US citizens receiving social security benefits. While I found it interesting, I was in my early twenties and thought, “Is this the best career I’m going to have?” I was not ready to stop growing and developing.

Around the same time, a company called Thomson Vacations (the American company of Thomson Holidays out of the UK) had just opened up and started flying charters to Mexico. I speak Spanish fluently, so I decided that I wanted to travel and have someone to pay me to do it!

Thomson Vacations sent me to Mexico, where I started as a resort representative that brought 10,000 people a month to Cancun. Eventually, I became their operations manager working with the airlines, hoteliers, and people who bought vacation packages. I got to live in Cancún, Ixtapa, Acapulco, and Puerto Vallerta.

I was there for almost three years, and while I was there, a friend of mine said that Maritz Travel Company was hiring, and they were looking for someone to serve as a travel director. I went to Maritz, traveling worldwide about 20 days a month. Eventually, I became one of their program managers, putting together incentive programs for corporations. I loved the meetings side of the business.

Then I moved to Arizona and became a meeting planner for the Intel Corporation, and I loved that job. Intel eventually decided to outsource its meetings to Rosenbluth International. Rosenbluth said that I should consider becoming an operations manager. I have to come clean; I didn’t even know how to spell Sabre, let alone how to be an ops manager! We had a 52-person call center supporting Intel, so I learned everything about corporate travel and fell in love with it. I appreciated the work that goes into it, and I found it fascinating.

My boss, however, said that I belong in sales and account management, which I did and rose to the level of director of business development with Rosenbluth. An opportunity presented itself with BTI Americas to run operations on the west coast. I left Rosenbluth to join BTI Americas, which eventually became BCD. While at BCD, I became the SVP GM for the Pacific region, and grew the region from $100M to >$500M. In 2006, BCD acquired the corporate assets of TQ3, and I assumed the chief market officer role for EMEA & India. This involved an expat assignment in the Netherlands. I spent three and half years in Amsterdam and Brussels, and then while they made acquisitions in Asia, I spent three years in Singapore. After seven years overseas, it was time to come home. I came back to the United States to pursue other opportunities. I fell in love with the mid-market and went to World Travel Inc. out of Philadelphia and Ovation out of New York. In 2019, CTM came knocking on my door, and I am never looking back. I am never going anywhere else – this is the best of everything.

Of all the countries you have lived in as an expat, what is your favorite country?

Mexico. To me, Mexico is “mi corazón” (which translates to “my heart”). The people, the beach, the lifestyle, the food, the music, and the people’s warmth. People in Mexico know how to embrace true joy, which I love.

What has kept you in the ever-changing travel industry?

The change. I am a person that is very comfortable with change. I am the oldest of five children, and my dad had a career that was moving very fast, so we moved around a lot when I was a kid, and I was always the new kid in a new school. I had to learn how to adapt that way.

I also like adding value to anything that we do – I credit my studies and love of economics. I find that I have been able to do that in the travel industry. Like 9/11 and the tech crash, I like to take anything that has affected us and find it both personally and professionally challenging to figure out a way to add value.

I love technology. Technology adds value, so I have made it a personal mission to learn and adapt. I find tech adding value very appealing and interesting. I’m always on YouTube learning new things.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say this, the people in the travel industry are the most fun, most interesting, and most engaging. Travel people, we get it. We get each other. It’s a good place to be.

You were recently awarded Top 50 Women in Travel by WINiT by GBTA. What was the first reaction when you found out that you won, and what does this prestige award mean to you?

Those who know me well know that I am not comfortable with a lot of recognition. However, I can’t deny that it was like, “wow, this is pretty cool.” I have to accept that I have over 30 years in this industry and that it is a recognition of the contributions I’ve made.

At this stage in my career, I feel very passionate about mentoring. I have had the fortune/misfortune of a few hard lessons. I like to think I learned from them and cherish helping others. Mentoring has to be an important part of what I do within this stage in my career, especially for other women. Our industry is dominated by women. I feel the award just said to me that there is some recognition in that, and it inspires me to do that much more.

I felt honored, humbled, and, more importantly, inspired to do more as a result. And in that area, it would be mentoring.

How did you mentor and keep your team motivated during COVID-19?

As a leader, especially in a time of great anxiety, I think it’s important to acknowledge that anxiety and acknowledge that you are right there with them. If people sense fear and overwhelmingness, it could be paralyzing. I try to recognize, identify, and help them out of it.

When you face something as monumental as COVID, the best thing to do is to take it down to bite-sized pieces into something very practical. I try to help those I work with to take the big pieces, identify what they can do in the next hour or day, and measure progress that way. An essential part of my job is to bring my team a different perspective. I try to get to that different perspective to have them find the solution themselves.

The last thing that I try very hard to do is keep in mind that it is okay to make mistakes, have second thoughts, or do things differently. I have been in this industry for 30+ years, and there has not been one mistake that has ever been made in this industry that cannot be fixed.

I would rather people take a risk, make a decision, and go forward. I help my team come to that conclusion, and I always let them know that I have their back. And I do. I have survived and got to the point that I am in because people have had my back. Even when I have made stupid mistakes, I have learned that you recover from mistakes and keep going forward.

Who has been a mentor in your career that you have learned to adapt to your leadership style?

Well, I am grateful for having outstanding bosses in my life, both men and women. If I look back at a mentor, I had a woman client, an SVP in a defense industry company. She was the only woman at that level. She took me under her wing.

I appreciated her because she was a mentor to me as an executive and a woman executive in a male-dominated industry. One of the best things she ever taught me was that sometimes throughout my career, I will be underestimated.

Sometimes that is a good thing – especially when negotiating. It has happened to me, especially in other cultures, where there were not many women in charge, and it has been to my advantage. That meant a lot to me, and I am forever grateful. We have stayed in touch with a 30+ year relationship.

If you could go back and tell your 30-something-year-old self, what would it be?

Probably, chill a little bit more. It is all going to be all right in the end. If it is not all right, it is not the end, so keep going. Seizing every opportunity as a learning opportunity and work with really smart people.

The only other thing would to be more vulnerable – it is okay to be vulnerable.

What about CTM stands out to you?

What attracted me to CTM is that we take a very innovative, tech-founded, and simplistic approach to travel. CTM is very much about what our pillars say, and I saw that they were the future of where corporate travel was going. Not only did I want to be a part of it, but I also knew I could make a difference and influence it. When I joined the company, CTM didn’t yet have American C-level executives with the market experience I had, so I knew I could make a difference.

CTM is also a public company. Going back to my economic roots, I believe in transparency and business principles of adding value. There should always be ROI. Having access to that information to work with clients from a business perspective was very appealing.

What would be your CTM culture “elevator pitch”?

CTM is a forward-thinking, innovative company that looks at travel not as a transaction but as an experience. By experience, I mean by the traveler, corporation, and our employees.

• Traveler: We want to make sure that they have the information they need at the right time, place, and channel to make business decisions about travel. We want the service to be outstanding and personalized.
• Corporations/Clients: We track spend, program compliance, and wellness. We bring the best content at the lowest cost for their purpose of travel.
• Employees: We continuously invest in service delivery, travel technology, and our employees. CTM employees are the foundation of all we do for our clients. I have been around long enough to hear about the demise of TMCs – that was in the 90s, and we are still here. We add value for corporations and want to ensure that our employees have the information, training, and tools they need to continue to do that. We will continue to invest in them.

What is one thing that the travel industry has benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Touchless technology. I think that the industry has learned a lot about how to keep travelers safe.

The other thing we have learned is that the purpose of travel will evolve. When we come out of COVID, there will be a balance between a call over Zoom versus people meeting in person.

Information about security and safety, and how important that is to individuals, is another benefit. Travel information is constantly changing. What CTM is doing with GeoRisk (getting timely information out to travelers and corporations about what is happening globally) is critical. Having that level of real-time information has been positive. We recognized that we need to get information delivered so people can make decisions for themselves.

I think we will still see some more change, and the full effects of COVID have yet to be realized.

What is your first leisure trip going to be?

Visit my family.

My husband and I are also planning a big fun trip next year, spending extended time in Sicily, Italy. We are going to eat a lot of food!

Was there a relationship, project, or conversation that stands out in your mind as being a critical turning point in your career?

A turning point in my career was my first expat assignment in Mexico and my other expat opportunities in Asia and Europe. When you live in another country, you learn a few things. You learn to test your assumptions and that there are different ways to accomplish the same goal. Your way isn’t the only way.

Those assignments in my career have made me more open-minded, made me test my assumptions, and validate. I am very grateful.

As a road warrior, what is one thing you always did before, during, or after traveling?

I always have a suitcase packed. I have double sets of everything – an extra set of toiletries, etc. I tend to wear black-colored clothing when I travel. If you spill coffee, it doesn’t show!

One quirky thing I always do when traveling is wear slacks on an airplane. I have this nightmare of having to slide down the blow-up slide, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be wearing a skirt!

I also always carry an extra pair of socks in my carry-on for long flights, especially.

What advice would you give to women leaders in today’s world?

Don’t deny yourself as being a woman, and don’t sell yourself short. Know your worth, value, and what you contribute to the bottom line. Embrace your femininity.

How do you like to spend your free time when you are not working?

I grew up on a beach, skied, and had a sailboat for 15 years, so I like being outdoors. That is why I love living in Colorado, where I can hike.

I am a voracious reader; I like non-fiction. I have also been known to binge-watch a good show.

I get a kick out of YouTube or TikTok. I like to watch the content because I am so impressed by people’s creativity that isn’t in TV or movies. How they express themselves through these social media channels makes me feel good about humankind. It also makes me laugh and smile.