New Transformation Manager – Operations appointed to drive smarter, more seamless travel management experiences for Australian businesses
In August 2026, Spencer Corporate Travel welcomed travel management expert Nikky Simpson to the team in the role of Transformation Manager – Operations, with a focus on optimising customer experience through enhanced operational and technology performance.
We sat down with Spencer Corporate Travel’s General Manager Karen McGilvray and Nikky Simpson to explore the new role and what customers can expect.
Q: What is the role of the Transformation Manager?
Karen: We are delighted to welcome Nikky to the Spencer Corporate Travel team as Transformation Manager to lead operational improvements across our corporate travel division.
Nikky’s responsibilities will include the review of how work is completed, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuring our processes are clearly documented, consistently followed and supported by the right technology.
The role will work across Operations, Finance, Technology, Sales, Account Management and Supplier Relationships to make sure improvements are practical, connected and measurable for our clients.
Q: Why is Spencer Corporate Travel investing in this new role now?
Karen: Corporate travel is changing quickly. New technology, automation and evolving traveller expectations are creating opportunities to make travel management faster, easier and more cost-effective.
Real transformation, however, requires more than introducing a new system. It means examining the complete travel management process, from booking and ticketing through to invoicing, reconciliation, refunds and reporting.
By investing in a dedicated, highly experienced Transformation Manager role, we are taking a structured approach to improving these workflows while maintaining the personal service and experienced support our clients value.
Q: How will clients see the impact of this new investment?
Nikky: Some enhancements will be immediately visible to our clients, while others will strengthen the processes operating behind the scenes.
Over time, our customers can expect:
- Faster and more consistent service
- More seamless travel management workflows
- Better use of automation
- Stronger reporting and operational insights
- More time for our team to provide proactive, personalised support
Performance reporting will track process adherence, error trends, automation outcomes and efficiency improvements, helping us to measure the impact rather than relying on assumptions.
Q: How will this role help businesses control travel costs?
Nikky: Stronger processes can reduce the hidden costs created by errors, duplication, delays and manual administration. My role as Transformation Manager will help strengthen financial accuracy across:
- Invoicing and reconciliation
- Ticketing and refunds
- Supplier payments
- Quality control
- Process compliance
- Operational reporting
Better oversight can help identify missed savings opportunities, minimise program leakage and reduce unnecessary service handling. It also gives our clients more accurate information to support budgeting, procurement and future travel program decisions.
Q: What are the key focus areas of the role in the coming 12 months?
Karen: We will be prioritising the review of all technology solutions and how it is used to deliver consistent service experiences for our customers. At same time, we will be implementing new ways to automate repetitive work and remove obstacles from our consultant workflow to allow more time to focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience, and optimising our client reporting to deliver greater, more-actionable insights to enhance travel program performance and ROI.
Q: What role will automation play?
Nikky: Automation will be a major focus, particularly where repetitive manual work can be reduced or removed.
We will identify, design and implement automation initiatives that streamline workflows. Reducing manual effort can help our teams work more efficiently, improve accuracy and spend more time supporting our clients and travellers where human expertise adds the greatest value. And of course technology will not replace personal service, but it will give our people more time and better tools to deliver it.
Q. Will existing travel solutions and technology be reviewed?
Nikky: Yes. We will focus on optimising the use of Tramada, Sabre and related travel management systems.
This includes identifying gaps, improving workflows and ensuring our technology is being used to its full potential. Where new solutions or system improvements are introduced, we will ensure well-supported onboarding and adoption and measure the results.
The goal is not technology for technology’s sake. Every improvement must make travel management more accurate, efficient or seamless for our clients and their travellers.
Q. What does this say about Spencer Corporate Travel’s approach to corporate travel management?
Karen: This new role reflects our commitment to continuous improvement.
We are investing in the systems, processes and people required to make business travel easier to manage, more cost-effective and more reliable. Importantly, we are doing this while retaining the human expertise and personal service that sit at the heart of strong travel management.
This new role will help turn operational insights into meaningful action, delivering smarter processes and better travel experiences for every client we support.
About Nikky Simpson
Q: What experience do you bring to the role and to Spencer Corporate Travel?
Nikky: I’ve spent more than 20 years in the travel industry, including as a travel consultant and progressing into leadership positions.
Most recently, I spent eight years as Head of Operations with a global travel management company, where I was responsible for service delivery, operational performance, technology rollouts, team development and ensuring customers consistently received an exceptional experience.
Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about customer service, improving processes and helping people succeed. I enjoy finding practical solutions, creating consistency and making things easier for both customers and the teams supporting them. That’s what ultimately led me to a career focused on transformation and continuous improvement.
Q: What excited you most about the role at Spencer Corporate Travel, and why?
Nikky: Throughout my career, I’ve always believed that great customer outcomes start with great people and a strong culture. One of the things that stood out to me about Spencer Corporate Travel was the commitment to both clients and employees, and the opportunity to be part of a business that values those relationships.
Combined with the pace of change we’re seeing across the travel industry, it felt like an exciting opportunity to bring my experience into a role focused on transformation while helping the business continue to evolve and grow without losing the personalised service and relationships that make it truly special.
Q: What do you think are the biggest opportunities for Spencer Corporate Travel’s clients in the coming 12 months based on what’s happening in the travel industry?
Nikky: I think we’re seeing some really interesting changes across the travel industry at the moment. Traveller expectations continue to evolve, technology is improving, and we’re also seeing changes in how travel content is distributed through channels like NDC.
For our corporate customers, this creates opportunities to access more content, create better visibility and generate greater value from their travel programs. However, it can also make the travel landscape more complex to navigate.
That’s why I think the biggest opportunity is having the right balance between innovation and expert support. The travel companies that can embrace industry change while still keeping the traveller experience front and centre will be best placed to present value in their services.
Q: What area of the travel industry are you keeping a close eye on at the moment, and why?
Nikky: I’m fascinated by how the travel landscape continues to evolve at speed while still remaining such a people-centric industry.
There are always new technologies, products and ways of working emerging, but what interests me most is finding the right balance between innovation and personalised service. Businesses want efficiency and convenience, but they also value trusted relationships and expert support. I think travel management companies that can successfully combine those two things will continue to stand out.
