In Conversation with….

Eloise Ferrara-Neched, Procurement Manager, Royal Mail Group, and Winner of ITM’s 2022 Travel Buyer of the Year Award

1. What did it mean to you, to win ITM Travel Buyer of the Year?

It really was such an honour and such a surprise to win. I was surrounded by so many travel professionals who had been in the industry for years and here I was a newcomer receiving such an accolade. I felt very proud of what I had achieved, but I didn’t do it alone. My success stems from the great relationship I have developed with the team at Agiito who have been beside me every step of my journey.

2. Has winning the award helped raise your profile? And if so, how?

Definitely. I was welcomed so warmly by everyone in the ITM team, not just on the night but ever since then and it really was the start of a spectacular year for me.  Not only have I received a staff recognition award within Royal Mail Group because of the success of the travel programme. winning the ITM award has given me a platform to get more involved in the wider business travel industry. I meant what I said in the submission about wanting to give back to the industry. I have been a panel member both in person and virtually at various industry advisory boards and forums; given interviews and joined a variety of industry working groups.

I am currently looking at how I can get involved in promoting Inclusion, Equality, Diversity and Social Responsibility. I believe the travel and hospitality industry is unique in that it has a lot of potential to do a lot of good, provide a lot of opportunities for hard-to-reach groups and of course, lead the way in protecting our planet.

3. What would you say to anyone considering nominating for the Travel Buyer of the Year award?

Take a leap of faith, believe in yourself and absolutely give it a go. This has been my first year in travel, but it just goes to show that you don’t have to be a travel buyer at a global company or have decades of travel experience to be nominated or to win an award. There are many different ways that a nominee can demonstrate the value that they are bringing to their organisation or the industry. For me though, success is a team thing, not an individual thing, so what I would say is to think about how you want to work with your suppliers, build your relationships and work together. My approach was always going to be a partnership with Agiito because that is the way I work, and I was as invested in their success as I was in mine.

4. What are you most looking forward to at the ITM energise conference?

That’s a hard choice for a Libra! Getting together of course, and particularly all the networking opportunities. It will be great to see everyone again and the programme is jam packed with great speakers and sessions. Last year’s conference in Birmingham was pretty special for me and I hope that my success last year has opened the door to new entrants with a range of different experiences and ideas. I can’t wait to see who wins Travel Buyer this year and to hear about their programme.

5. How would you sum up the last 12 months?

These last 12 months really have been the best year. The best decision I made was to take on the travel category at Royal Mail Group. I love it, I think about it and my programme all the time and my fantastic suppliers. Despite the crazy year with all the challenges it has been wonderful, and I just want to give back as much as I can.

Listen to Eloise talk about winning her award here