Kathy Bedell named head of BCD Travel Affiliates_2015 01 20

Former travel agency owner, Kathy Bedell, to lead BCD Travel Affiliates

Program offers affiliate agencies global scale, personal attention and responsive assistance

UTRECHT, Netherlands,  Jan. 20, 2015 – BCD Travel announced today that Senior Vice President Kathy Bedell has been appointed to lead the company’s Affiliates program.

The BCD Travel Affiliates program has a long track record of providing its partner agencies with outstanding programs, a global network, personal attention and responsive assistance.

A former travel agency owner, Bedell led the growth of her Ohio-based business from an annual turnover of $3 million to $300 million before BCD Travel acquired the business in January 1998. One of the earliest adopters of modern meetings technologies and the on-site travel service concept, Bedell has a history of tapping technology and innovation to help businesses succeed. In her 16 years with BCD Travel, she’s led many of the company’s most important accounts and played a critical role in its growth.

The organizational change lets Latin America President Barbara Blue, who previously headed the Affiliates program, direct more of her time and energy to the company’s fastest-growing region and its leading economy, Brazil.

“Throughout 30 years in travel management, Kathy’s helped clients find solutions to every imaginable challenge in building and maintaining effective air, hotel, ground transportation and meetings programs,” said Mike Janssen, BCD Travel Global COO and Americas Region president. “Barbara will now build on her great success in growing BCD Travel’s business in Latin America — expanding our network of partners; supporting regional sales, account management and technology; and helping to win bids in South American, including expansions of some of our biggest global multinational clients.”

In addition to Bedell’s leadership, BCD Travel Affiliates also will benefit from the experience of North America President Craig Bailey, who assumed leadership of the North America region in September.