Christian Dahl named Human Resources Executive of the Year

BCD Travel recognized for talent management initiatives as Christian Dahl named Human Resources Executive of the Year at 2017 Stevie® Awards

ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2017 – BCD Travel’s multi-year, global initiative to put its people first with the design and implementation of a comprehensive talent management recruitment and retention program has won international recognition from the 2017 Stevie® Awards. The prestigious business awards named Christian Dahl, senior vice president of Strategic Talent Management & Global Human Resources for BCD Travel, the Human Resources Executive of the Year, in ceremonies Friday evening in New York City.

“I consider this Stevie award to be a recognition of our entire global talent management team that has succeeded in making BCD Travel a great place to work,” said Dahl.

Named after the Greek word for “crowned,” The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.

“Christian’s recognition is not only a great personal and professional achievement, but also reflects the progress BCD Travel has made in talent management under his leadership,” said BCD Travel President and CEO John Snyder. “Building a reputation as a great company to work for helps us attract and keep top talent. And the outstanding service our excellent employees provide wins us recognition from the most important group of all: our customers.”

In June, global defense contractor Raytheon awarded BCD Travel with a 2017 Supplier Excellence Program EPIC Award for outstanding performance, contributions and support to the defense contractor’s global corporate travel programs. The annual award honors companies who excel in customer service and operational support while helping Raytheon achieve its key goals and initiatives.

Dahl’s nomination for Human Resources Executive of the Year outlined the company’s successful development and implementation of BCD’s Confident Self initiative. Launched in 2014, the strategy drive BCD’s People goals across the organization globally.

“The Confident Self is based on an understanding that employees will thrive in an environment where they are empowered to succeed, and that will create success for them personally and for our company,” Dahl explained. Employees say the Confident Self initiative helps them understand what success looks like and how to achieve it—removing the mystery of how to get ahead.

Among Dahl’s accomplishments since he became BCD Travel’s top talent executive in 2011:

• Employee satisfaction rose more than eight percentage points between 2011 and 2016. The latest employee survey indicates 83.6 percent of employees are happy in their jobs.
• The number of employees receiving training rose 15 percent between 2014 and 2016. Last year, 12,129 employees received training—a significant accomplishment in a company of 13,000 people.
• Nearly a quarter of new hires in 2016 were referred to BCD by existing employees.
• Forbes has listed BCD Travel among the best U.S. employers for each of the past three years.
• FlexJobs ranks BCD among the 100 top companies for workplace flexibility and remote working opportunities. Creating an environment that enables better work-life balance has been a high priority for Dahl. About a third of the company’s global employees work from home.

BCD also has accelerated its talent-development efforts for the broader business travel sector. In 2012, the company partnered with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives to launch the Management Associate Program. MAP sends new graduates around the world to train for careers in the corporate travel industry. The year-long internship was recognized as a top trainee recruitment program at the 2017 European Excellence Awards in Berlin.

More than 50 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Human Resources Executive of the Year  finalists. The winners were announced at a gala ceremony Friday, Sept. 22 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Investors in People, a globally recognized workplace ratings firm, has awarded BCD Travel accreditation in people management. BCD Travel is the first travel management company to pursue and receive accreditation from Investors in People, a globally recognized workplace ratings firm. IIP ratings set the standard for what it takes to lead, support and manage people well for sustainable results. IIP accreditation goes beyond popular workplace polls by helping companies objectively demonstrate to employees and job candidates that their organization a great place to build a career.