Maryline Goldman’s Post

❌ 🙅♂️ This company is not the right place for you❗ There is little things in life that I perceive as more cringy than glofrifying your employer as holy heaven. Probably as inauthentic as people bragging on Linkedin that working from that random Indonesian Island bar is super duper productive and benefits the bottom line - what BS. Anyone telling me otherwise has only their own benefit in mind (Convince me otherwise) Why is it inauthentic? Because your employer will never ever be 100% aligned with what you want. Some people value stuff such as: ❌ coffee tonic from the barista in the office (What is that anyways?) ❌ ping pong table in the office ❌ [Insert any other unnecessary gimmick] (Sorry, we don't have this at TravelPerk) And you know what? This is fine, maybe this is not the right place for you. And are these gimmicks really that important? Is it a realistic and fair expectation towards your employer to hit that 100%? At the end of the day, these gimmicks are just precentiles on the scale that do not have any significant impact on how aligned you are to your employer. However, if you value to: ✅ Have a sense of belonging to something bigger ✅ Feel connected with your colleagues from all over the globe and work towards excellence ✅ Helping people to connect in real life Then TravelPerk might be a very relevant place to work for you. Granted, in my young career, I did not have too many employers yet, but the feeling of belonging always had the biggest impact on the alignment with my employer - and safe to say, TravelPerk does know of to make you feel part of something. This #TKGetTogetherWeek where all of of our colleagues from around the globe flew in to our HQ in ☀ Barcelona has been great! Amazing speakers such as Yasmine El Alj Bratt & Inés Ures sharing with us their biggest mistakes and challenges on their journey to excellence, great workshops on all kind of topics to get that 1% better everyday during our #SalesMarketingConnect.

🔌🌍 Today is Global Day of Unplugging, a day dedicated to stepping back from our digital devices and prioritizing face-to-face interactions. At TravelPerk, our mission to connect people in-real-life (IRL) isn't just a statement - it's the heart of our culture. Here are a few ways we bring our people together for meaningful moments of learning, connection and collaboration, and how you can too! 🚀Annual Kick-Off: At the start of the year, we bring our people together over our vision and focus for the year. 📣End of Weeks (EoWs): Every Friday, we come together for our weekly All Hands meetings in local hubs. These gatherings are key to our open communication culture. 🏁End of Quarters (EoQs): These get-togethers led by the Leadership team keep us aligned with the broader company vision, goals and performance at the end of each quarter, ensuring everyone feels connected and informed. 🏞️Team Off-sites: Our teams enjoy annual offsite events designed for learning, collaboration, bonding and, of course, a lot of fun. 🤝Team Buildings: With a dedicated budget, we empower teams to get together in-real-life several times a year for activities of their choice. 🌍 Hub events: Our culture champions, a.k.a hub ambassadors, organize local events to foster community spirit. Last year alone, we had 30+ hub events! 🎉Company seasonal events: We hold two incredible events a year, our Summer and Xmas party. And we’re talking… legendary. 💙Community-led initiatives: Whether it's yoga, breath work or sports, we provide space for like-minded individuals to come together and organize events based on their passions. 🤲Volunteering: As part of our 'be a good person' value, we offer GivingPerk - 16 hours of volunteering each year - as a way to give back to our communities. Behind all of this, we have a dedicated Community team committed to creating meaningful moments together with our people. Want to be part of our mission of connecting people in-real-life? Check our open positions here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ewpUaTVz

What a rebound from the pandemic: from €0 to €150M ARR in 3 years… I wrote an article with my 8 learnings from our interview with Jean-Christophe Taunay-Bucalo, CRO at TravelPerk. Here is a summary: (1) A Solid Foundation is Key Having a financial runway (1,5 years) allowed TravelPerk to weather the storm and make informed decisions during the pandemic. (2) Lead from the top down The leadership team's commitment and sacrifice set the tone for the company's resilience and determination. For example: the leadership took a pay cut of 50%, to show their commitment to the project (3) The strongest team wins By avoiding layoffs and retaining their workforce, TravelPerk ensured they had the right team to face the upcoming challenges. Nevertheless, they offered 2 months severance to everyone that wanted to leave (15% took this offer). A remarkable move, but it ensured that everyone that stayed was 100% committed to the company. (4) Redefine the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Adapting to new market conditions meant redefining their target audience and sales strategy. They analysed the travel market & identified the 5 sectors that were still traveling. Next, they focused all their effort on those markets. (5) Consistently Pursue New Objectives Another interesting move: they did a reset of their metrics & acted like the company started all over again. This kept the team motivated and let them focus fully on the acquisition of new clients. (6) Don’t Skip Steps When Expanding to New Markets When expanding to a market, the leadership team has to be in-market before opening it. Next, get 5-10 sales to explore the market & gather feedback. Finally, optimise the product for the market. Once all these steps have been successful, you can scale in the market. (7) Everything comes back to product JC said it very well in the interview: “Ultimately, a SaaS company’s existence hinges on solving B2B problems with its software, placing the product at the core of everything they do, which is something a lot of startups & scaleups get wrong.” (8) Dare to go all-in Once the market reopened, TravelPerk was ready to scale. Their prior decision to keep the team intact paid dividends, because they were ready to conquer the market. Also, they did some strategic acquisitions to scale to other markets and improve their product. TravelPerk's journey proves that with resilience, strong leadership, and adaptability, even the most challenging setbacks can lead to extraordinary success. Kudos to JC & the TravelPerk team, I’m sure this is not the end of their growth 🚀 Here you can find my full article: https://lnkd.in/grVi7GbM  

I have had the best job in the world for the past 6 years : Chief Revenue Officer of one the fastest SaaS company in history with an incredible culture at TravelPerk. We built this company from 0-$20M in 3 years, then we lost our entire Revenue during Covid and rebuild it from 0-$160M within 2.5 years (while being incredibly cash efficient). We built the best team ever : We were obsessed with making TravelPerk a stepping stone for the career of our team members. My obsession with infinite learning has marked a generation of Travelperker and I have already seen that the alumni have brought the same concept to other companies. We never surrender to complacency or despair. When money was growing on trees at the height of the VC bubble, we kept our head cool and disciplined. When the world collapsed under our feet during Covid, we also kept our head cool and disciplined. Why will I give up this dream job? Firstly, I have the pleasure to hand over this wonderful team to someone who is going to bring the Revenue team to even greater heights Yasmine El Alj Bratt. Secondly I will step in as the Chief Operating Officer at TravelPerk to continue this amazing journey in this very special company. As we scale Travelperk, there was a need for someone to coordinate all internal efforts across different functions. PS: I will soon publish my lessons as the CRO of Travelperk. Stay tuned!

How can travel tech companies capitalise on a $13.4 billion market growth opportunity? In an industry that’s always transforming, it’s thinking outside the box that will help market leaders stand out from the rest. We’ve seen it happen already: ✈️ The likes of Expedia Group and Booking.com simplified the entire booking process. 🏠 Airbnb expanded tourism to even the most remote locations in the world. As the industry restores its workforce after Covid-19, travel tech companies can continue to revolutionise the customer experience by prioritising diversity in their leadership teams. But they’ll need more than just statements of intents if they plan to lead the way. Discover more with our latest blog, link in the comments below 👇 #CodeFirstGirls #DiversityInTech #WomenInTech #Upskill #Transform #TravelTech #Travel

Given I can't even write an NDC post that doesn't butt up against LinkedIn's length limit, I don't know how I'm gonna manage this one. But I'll give it a shot. AmTrav is being acquired by TravelPerk! In our announcements, you'll see the obligatory statements that this is going to be awesome for our customers and our team. But everyone always says that. How can I convince you that, in this case, it really will be true? You can read the long version about that here: https://lnkd.in/gp-qYrmm Or you can hear 4 quick(er) points: 1. The AmTrav brand, the AmTrav team, and the AmTrav booking tool are staying intact. For our customers who love AmTrav and love their AmTrav Relationship Manager and support team, you can keep loving AmTrav without having to do anything differently. 2. The industry is changing. I have said publicly many times that I think in 5 years any company who provides travel management services and expects to be viable will have to (1) own their own tech stack; (2) have the wherewithal to build bespoke connections to lots of different suppliers; and (3) have the scale, buying power, and geographic reach to offer the best inventory and prices to customers, whatever region they are in and whatever currency they want to pay in. Within the U.S. market, AmTrav has been punching way above its weight class and has been ahead of the game with respect to #1 and #2. But prior to today, we didn't have a clear path to #3. 3. TravelPerk is awesome! This deal took a long time to come together (we started talking in 2021). It was obvious early on that we we had similar missions, similar cultures, and similar thirsts for innovation. But what really swayed us was the TravelPerk people -- their passion, their energy, their creativity, and their decency. It starts at the top with Avi Meir, but is apparent throughout the whole organization. This is group that I am excited to work with and excited for my colleagues to work with. 4. Which brings me to my final point: I am not going anywhere, and neither is Craig. It may not be the highest calling possible, but I'm obsessed with the fact that too many aspects of traveling for business are way too cumbersome and painful and there is still so much that can be improved. For me, this isn't an exit, its a halftime. (Minus the halftime break). The mission remains the same, but we now have a lot more firepower behind us. I'm flattered that a company who I admire as much as TravelPerk saw enough in AmTrav to make this happen. And I am grateful to so many awesome colleagues who have worked for AmTrav past and present to make us what we are today. We're under no illusions: our customers don't care who owns us, they just care that we continue to deliver a better and better experience. We won't take our eye off that ball.

As we wrap up day 2 of the Ambassador Summit 🌟, I'm inspired to share the transformative insights and experiences that have positioned these sessions as a pivotal moment in our journey towards enhanced collaboration 🤝 as ambassadors of Booking.com. This year’s summit allowed us to deeply explore what it means to be truly customer-centric, delving into the intricacies of decision-making 🔄, commitment 💪, and the art of conducting effective meetings 🗣️. Our interactive sessions shed light on various decision-making models, emphasizing the paramount importance of well-being 🧘 within our professional sphere. A standout moment was the discussion on collaboration. It became evident: collaboration transcends being merely a strategy; it is essential for forging lasting impact 🔑. Additionally, the importance of volunteering and allyship was beautifully illustrated by our VP of Talent, Matt Moore through a poignant personal narrative ❤️, highlighting the powerful role empathy and action play in our lives. The summit affirmed the significance of adopting a learner mindset 🌱 and the continuous quest for growth 🚀, compelling us to live out the values of ambassadors in every aspect of our work and interactions. A key takeaway was the collective realization that together, we are not just nurturing a mindset; we are actively shaping the future of Booking.com. #bookingcomteam #mybookingjourney #bookingcomjourney #bookingyeah
#bookingcom #agoda #priceline #kayak #opentable #fareharbor #bookingholdings 
#careers #jobs #hiring 

#amsterdam #netherlands 
#leadership #innovation #management #digitalmarketing #technology #creativity #future #futurism #marketing #socialmedia #dakotta #employerbrand #employerbranding #talentmarketing #technology

Guys, this is some crazy story. In March 2020, within a week, TravelPerk went from 20M ARR to zero… Governments were announcing lockdowns. Next thing you know, people stopped travelling and gone was TravelPerk’s business. I had the chance to interview TravelPerk’s CRO, Jean-Christophe Taunay-Bucalo, to hear him out about this. Watch below video to hear how they emerged even stronger from the crisis 👇 Fyi - in just 3 years after the announcement of lockdowns, they were doing €150M ARR!! TL;DR 🔹 their strategic bet was that, in the long term, business would go back to normal. therefore they decided to not fire anyone 🔹 to survive, they had to fight. The leadership figured not everyone would want that, so they gave people a way out. Anyone could leave, with a 2-month severance and a good recommendation. No hard feelings. 🔹 they couldn’t go back to the customers they had before, so they had to reinvent themselves: who do we sell to? what GTM motions are we going to focus on? etc. 🔹 Since that meant starting from scratch. They made it super clear internally: all metrics were put back to zero in March 2020. 🔹 JC admits he had moments of immense doubts, but he made sure that this would never get transpired to his team. He was upbeat, he believed in it and was going for it Listen to the full episode here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eE3TXDbB Thanks JC for your time & for sharing so openly; this truly is a crazy story! #salesleadership #unicorn #crisis

How did TravelPerk navigate the pandemic's challenges and grow afterward? Looking back, securing funds before the pandemic was crucial, but the real secret to our success has been - and always is - valuing our team. "We have company values - the first is a seven-star experience to customers and team. How can I claim a seven-star experience if we lay staff off? I didn’t want to fire people” says Avi Meir. Trevor Clawson, Forbes' contributor, interviewed Avi Meir to discuss our unique approach and the growth we've seen. While many tech companies had to downsize, we took a different path. Our commitment to our employees has proven that investing in people can lead to sustainable growth. Read the full piece below 👇

📍 Anyone at the Phocuswright TravelTech Show today/tomorrow at London Excel? If so, come say hi and talk about how your travel tech company can leverage innovative tools to create efficient, connected, and supportive workplaces. Big kudos to Simone Basso CTPO at WeRoad, Zeljana Babic CEO at Xenios Academy, and Rohit Talwar CEO at Fast Future, for an incredible talk on 'Building New Travel Workplaces With Technology'. Empowering employees to take charge of their development allows companies to increase high potential ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ and positively impact the bottom line. Key takeaways: 🔧𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: use the right tech to scale initiatives and make cross-collaboration easier. 💪 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: understand the key role communities and knowledge-sharing play in creating a thriving company culture 🤗 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 = 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: foster a culture of continuous learning. It'll lead to happier, more dedicated employees. #TTSHOW #TravelTechShow #EmployeeLearning #WorkplaceInnovation #TravelIndustry #TechInTravel #ContinuousImprovement #phocuswright