INSIGHTS
16 years of travel know-how with Tim
With 16 years in the travel industry, most of them at FCM, Tim has become a trusted go-to for his clients. He didn’t plan on this career, but his love of travel led him to FCM, where he’s now Assistant Head of Account Management.
Along the way, he’s won the Global Top FCM Account Manager, 2024, award and achieved an impressive net promoter score (36 points above the FCM standard, to be exact). But for Tim, it’s about more than numbers. It’s about helping every client get maximum value from their travel program.
"Yes you read that right, a whopping 76. Google "what is a good NPS score" and our friends at google will tell you 50 is amazing, 76 is off the charts." I feel like we really need to highlight that it's a great NPS for those who aren't aware.
Strategic account management
Tim’s role isn’t about booking flights and hotels. It’s about looking at the bigger picture. He works closely with travel managers, bookers, and arrangers to keep travel programs smooth and consistent.
“I’m here to deliver insights, strategy, and value. One day, I’ll be neck-deep in spreadsheets, and the next, I’ll be meeting with executives to make sure they’re getting the most out of FCM’s products and services. I also love chatting with bookers and travellers because understanding everyone’s pain points helps us build a travel program that works for the entire team.”
Through regular check-ins, tailored reporting, and collaborative strategy sessions, Tim offers clients actionable insights on program performance, cost savings ideas, and service improvements.
Clients stacked within clients
Each client is unique, and Tim adapts to deliver reliable service no matter who or what. One client, with over 200 member organisations, stands out as one of the more complex. They rely on Tim’s expertise to ensure every member enjoys the same value and service.
“It sounds like a lot, but it’s about showing up consistently for all organisations within this larger structure. Each organisation has different needs and budgets, but the team and I work to make sure they all experience consistent service, no matter who they are or where they’re heading.
Leveraging relationships for students
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down, Tim stepped up to help students from 29 cities across 12 countries return to Australia. Calling on years of experience and leveraging existing relationships with government departments, universities, and airlines, he and the team coordinated 13 charter flights for over 1,100 students.
“This project stretched me professionally, but it was a career highlight. We dealt with constantly changing goalposts, travel restrictions, border closures, resourcing issues, visa requirements, flight cancellations, and complex domestic and international logistics.
But after months of planning, it was incredibly rewarding to welcome those students to Australia, knowing we, as a team, had helped them overcome significant obstacles just to get back to studying.
We were also able to leverage our global team which was really nice. Tapping into our FCM counterparts overseas to meet with students at their departing airports to make sure everything went smoothly.”
Small changes, big wins
It’s not always about massive projects. Tim thrives on finding small, impactful improvements.
“One client needed help managing approvals for international trips, so we rolled out FCM Pre-Trip Approve to simplify their process. Another underwent a merger, and we streamlined bookings for hundreds of travellers. Even during an organisational restructure, we kept their travel program steady by managing cancellations and controlling spending.”
Riding the wave with customers
Tim believes in open communication and honesty at every step of the journey.
“Things don’t always go perfectly, but transparency and working toward solutions keeps relationships strong.
We build relationships with clients from day one, through the request for proposal (RFP) process, onboarding, and beyond. My goal is to become my clients’ trusted advisor, available to offer guidance and help them see the value in their travel program. It’s all about listening, showing up, being honest, and delivering results.”