As we now start to look forward to the rebound of corporate travel, PTC founder & CEO Andrew Menkes says the appointment of the industry veteran with "impressive credentials and a stellar reputation in the Australian market" will help boost the consultancy's position in the South Pacific geographic market.
Ms Fitzpatrick is certainly a recognised Australian thought leader for the business travel industry with more than 30 years of professional and consulting experience across a broad range of industries, but with specific focus on the business travel industry.
With a strong background in accounting and graduate certifications in marketing and finance, she has held roles previously at CAPA - Centre for Aviation, most recently working as head of sourcing and supply for ATPI in addition to developing and launching on behalf of the Flight Centre Group the specialist consulting brand 4D or FCM Solutions.
She also has gained exceptional experience as the business leader of TMS Travel Management Solutions, a specialist business travel consulting business with a broad range of clients from the Federal Government of Australia, ADB, State governments and public sector customers in the Asia Pacific Region.
PTC notes Ms Fitzpatrick's commitment to "assisting her clients to transform their business needs into actionable matters as well as an alignment of their people and business strategies" as a key strength. Similarly, noting her "enviable reputation" amongst travel industry as being a "thought leader in seeking new solutions by understanding not what is 'business is as usual' today but what are the challenges of tomorrow and how we all need to prepare and plan now!"
PTC already has a stellar line up of experts that are renowned leaders from various sectors of the business travel industry. Areas of expertise include: duty of care, corporate travel department certification, supplier negotiations, technology, data consolidation, business process reengineering, strategic meetings management, benchmarking and integration of expense management systems into corporate travel.
Ms Fitzpatrick describes her addition to this respected group as a "partnership that was long overdue". "After observing the travel industry for the outside for a while, I decided now was the right time to come back, so that I can help respond to the industry needs, she adds.
Australia will finally start to open its borders for its residents in the coming months provided more than five people in the state has been vaccinated, although it will still be longer before foreign arrivals are permitted. The country's border has been largely been closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, with only a limited number of Australians allowed to travel abroad.
The current rules require all returning Australians to be subject to a 14-day hotel quarantine at their own expense upon their return. Under the revised plan, Australians will be able to travel and return to a seven-day home quarantine rather than a hotel quarantine. The country also is working toward quarantine-free travel to certain destinations.