L to R – Olufemi Adefope, Chairman, BTM; Bola Adefope, Executive Director BTM; Lola Adefope, Managing Director, BTM; Francisco Nunez, Vice President & Global Head of CWT Global Partners Network and Raphael Pasdeloup, Senior Vice President & Global Head of CWT Energy, Resources & Marine during the BTM unveiling of CWT in Lagos..
Business Travel Management Limited, BTM, is set to take the management and travel needs of individuals and corporate organizations to the next level with the use of Hi-tech solutions for seamless travels.
To this end, BTM has formed an alliance with CWT (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel), the business-to-business-for-employees (B2B4E) travel management platform.
At a news conference in Lagos to announce the partnership, the Managing Director, BTM, Lola Adefope said the partnership would be the turning point in the travel management services in Nigeria and Africa as a whole specifically in the corporate service industry.
“BTM is a company as well as a passion project, it is the vehicle that we have used to gather like-minded people around us and will continue to do in order to make a difference in the aviation and travel services industry”.
“BTM is a corporate travel services company; we predominantly focus on providing excellent corporate travel services to our customers. We have a mission statement and it has been and will be moving forward and will continue to be no matter in what direction the company grows”, she added.
“Our mission statement goes thus: To consistently provide value added corporate travel services that are perceived and received by our customers as excellent”.
According to her, “That is our reason for waking up in the morning, coming to work and doing what we do because we want to make a difference in the service industry and we want to show what efficient and excellent customer travel management services actually look like, it is our honour to have offered this for over 30 years in Nigeria”.
On the partnership with CWT, Lola Adesope stated that their focus was delivering the best solutions to their clients no matter where they were in the world, adding that one of the key solutions they found lacking in the industry and Africa was the ability to deliver travel technology which CWT will provide.
“Business Travel Management Limited is proud to Partner with CWT. There have been some very exciting changes within the global company that we are looking forward to being a part of. Our company has operated in the Managed Travel space for almost forty Years as a TMC (Travel Management Company). This is what we do best, efficient service delivery, innovative ideas and cutting-edge travel technology”.
“Over the years, we have entered another stage in the transitional and evolution of travel management and BTM is extremely proud to be welcome into the CWT fold as a partner in Nigeria, we are looking forward to many years of solid partnership”.
Lola emphasized that they were looking forward to the expertise that the global brand was going to bring to the company in Nigeria as well as the efficiencies and opportunities that they would allow them partake in as BTM open up Africa and solidify the relationships in Africa through the CWT partners.
Also speaking at the event, the Vice President, Global Head of CWT Global partners’ network, Franscico Nunez, said it was a pleasure for them to partner a company like BTM that had passion to do business like them.
“Nigeria has a rich cultural and economic heritage, especially in natural resources, and corporate travel is a key facilitator of industry here. With BTM, we would like to build on our long-standing reputation for successful travel delivery in the country, and want our brand to be as synonymous with corporate travel as Zuma Rock is with Nigeria”..
Senior Vice President CWT, Energy and Marine, Rapheal Pasdeloup said, “Nigeria is an important market for oil a very big energy market and with this partnership, we will be able to expand and render services, serve global companies as well as local companies and make sure we cater both for the needs of corporate traveler to the people going to conferences, going to business meetings, going to other offices and also for workers, people going to the sites that is one aspect we are going to work on in the next few months. We are going to give that expertise, build that range of services and make sure it is successful. What we share with BTM is the passion, passion for business”.
Company Founder and Chairman of Business Travel Management Limited, Olufemi Adefope in his vote of thanks expressed appreciation for the support and encouragement of his family, friends and colleagues to carry on in the business, stressing that to further achieve success partnership was key and the right technology solution was important.
“The evolution of the travel industry is inevitable. With technology underpinning everyday life it is obvious that corporate travellers are going to want the same efficiencies in their Travel Programme that they get in their everyday life. Partnering with CWT in Nigeria allows our company to bring new travel technology and ideas to the table. This partnership allows Business Travel Management Limited to remain at the forefront of Travel Technology in the region”.
The brand launch is sponsored by BTM partners; Africa World Airlines, Air Cote d’Ivoire, Amadeus, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Lufthansa, Radisson Blu, RwandAir Limited, South African Airways & Virgin Atlantic.
Partnership Benefits/Goals
Benefits derived from representing the CWT brand in Nigeria include BTM’s ability to now deliver a global standard of service, travel technology and efficiencies, locally. The company continues to be the pacesetter for Travel technology in the region.
BTM will now have the ability to provide enhanced customer advice and services without compromising on ethics. We will continue to operate in a developing market and improving industry standards with the support of a Globally Dominant Partner with sustainable business methodology.
Amongst the long-term goals of the partnership between BTM and CWT is for Business Travel Management Ltd to encourage Corporate Brands in Nigeria to improve the efficiency of their travel programme and experience truly professional, open and honest travel services.
About BTM
Business Travel Management Limited, (BTM) Predecessor travel Management Company started in 1979. In 1998 it joined a global travel group which evolved in 2006 to specialize in corporate travel and pushed the envelope for Managed Travel in the region.
Business Travel Management Limited (BTM) has earned a reputation as a ‘one stop shop’ for everything travel related. Our core focus and strength being the provision of excellent corporate travel services to our clients, for over 20 years of being in existence. BTM has been an ISO certified company since 2008.
The Management team consists of the most experienced travel professionals, especially as BTM is a member of the GHI Assets Group of companies (airline representatives and travel management specialists). The travel business is now in its third generation with staff strength of close to 200. BTM has operations in Nigeria and Angola.
