2016 MAP participants (left to right): Barbara Allgaeuer, Megan Gougeon and Theresa Dang.
In an ongoing partnership with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, BCD Travel has named three recent college graduates to its annual talent training initiative, the Management Associate Program.
2016 MAP participants are Barbara Allgaeuer of Munich, Germany; Theresa Dang of Toronto, Canada; and Megan Gougeon of Ottawa, Canada. The three will spend the next eight weeks studying how business travel works in the United States, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, China, India, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
MAP, which began in 2012, helps fill BCD’s talent pipeline with next-generation professionals. But its benefits reach beyond one company. The program is as a talent development model for the business travel industry, which is undergoing rapid and remarkable change because of technological innovation, increased traveler engagement and influence, consolidation and more. Attracting new talent with fresh ideas is one of the best ways for the industry to meet these challenges. But the first step is to ensure recent college graduates have business travel on their career radar.
“The business travel industry may not seem an obvious choice to young people unfamiliar with it. But the industry continues to offer tremendous opportunities for challenging, rewarding and deeply satisfying careers,” said Christian Dahl, BCD Travel senior vice president of Strategic Talent Management & Global Human Resources. MAP highlights what the business travel industry can offer new professionals—beyond competitive pay and benefits—such as “direct exposure to globalization, ongoing professional development and the chance to earn promotions,” he said.
Dang described being selected for the MAP program as a “dream come true” for someone launching a career. “I’m grateful for the opportunity that BCD Travel has given me to broaden my knowledge, expand my skills, and gain experience in the industry,” she said. “I am so excited about joining the program and building a foundation for a long career in the travel industry.”
