Apart from an 18-month stint, Charlie Sultan’s career has always been in travel and he feels hugely grateful for the opportunities the industry has presented and for the people he’s met along the way.

“There’s something about the people in this industry that make it so enjoyable. I think maybe it’s because at its core this is a hospitality industry and it attracts people who want to be hospitable. There are very few industries where you go to a conference and everyone is hugging and kissing each other!” he says.

“While people move around the industry, the majority stay with it, so you’re interacting with people on different sides of the table but who have a common background, and therefore a shared understanding. Ultimately, we’re all here to solve challenges.”

Sultan’s 28-year career has been split between American Airlines and SAP Concur, where he is now President of Concur Travel, working with suppliers, corporate customers, the media, industry consultants and TMCs, heading up the travel product marketing on a global scale.

“That’s what I love – meeting with our customers, partners and industry personalities. Every year with Concur there seems to be something new going on but things seem to be moving at a much faster clip right now. The speed of innovation in business travel is accelerating, and the sector just keeps evolving so rapidly, especially now with the developments in AI and the greater need for automation. Expectations continue to rise every year and it’s really pushed us all to figure out how to be more innovative and how to move faster.”

With huge investment required to keep up with the fast pace of change, Sultan feels blessed to be at SAP Concur, which has pledged to spend more than a billion dollars on AI technology.

“We are a leader in the space and at the forefront of innovation,” he says. “AI doesn’t work without good data and I believe that we have the most robust data set out there – the data that’s in Concur and the data that’s in SAP. I believe our AI agents will be able to give the most value back to customers.”

Sultan is excited about the new strategic alliance with American Express GBT and the launch of a new solution, Complete, a “revolutionary” new travel and expense platform.

“It unites SAP Concur’s technology and expertise with Amex GBT’s knowledge and its unmatched marketplace. It brings rich data from both sides and mutual AI capabilities, software and servicing and means customers can do everything from one screen,” he explains.

“Expectations continue to rise every year and it’s really pushed us all to figure out how to be more innovative and how to move faster”

While the new alliance will bring clear benefits to Amex GBT and Concur’s joint clients, Sultan insists it will also have a positive impact on the wider industry.

“I would imagine there will be a rub-off effect where people see we are innovating at a faster clip with GBT and will also want to move faster. And so, whereas historically they may have just waited to see what was going to happen, this forces everyone to start innovating more quickly.”

He also insists the alliance won’t distract from development of Concur Travel.

“We have the newest booking tool in the market and we’ve spent a lot of time and money getting that into place. We’re going to continue to innovate on that platform, but now on top of that we have a partner who will work jointly with us to innovate. Our commitment to the vast network of other TMCs remains the same.”

“I think we’re very well placed to meet the challenges of the travel industry going forward”

Being a well-established legacy player puts Concur in a better position than many of the new tech travel players, he argues.

“We understand the space. We’ve been talking to travel managers, procurement and CFOs for years, for decades, and we understand what they need. We’ve been investing a tonne of time in the infrastructure and data protection so we don’t have to start from the ground up on that. It gives us an advantage. I think we’re very well placed to meet the challenges of the travel industry going forward.”

One of the key challenges for travel managers, he believes, is that their remit keeps getting wider. “But AI technology will help to free them up. You simply can’t take on all these additional tasks that your company is asking you to do. You’d be working 24 hours a day. The SAP business suite, combined with Concur Travel, will give enhanced visibility and data-driven insights to help across both travel and expense and increase productivity throughout.”

While Sultan acknowledges that the booking process was less complex back in his early days, he believes the sector is “in a better spot” now.

“It was simpler because you didn’t know anything yourself. You had to pick up the phone and call someone and say ‘hey, how do I get from Heathrow to New York?’,” he explains. “Whereas now, you can see all the options. You can see what the seat looks like. You can see what the meal is going to be. You can see what the cabin’s going to look like. You have airlines and hotels and rail providers and tech tools and everyone else trying to figure out how to better meet the needs of the travellers and of the organisations, and that’s what adds the complexity. But it’s good complexity because it’s giving you more choice and more control over what you are doing.”

Quickfire questions

Are you a techie person?

I don’t think techie people would say that I’m a techie person. I’d say I know just enough to get excited and to be dangerous. I do like dabbling. I’ve dabbled with ChatGPT but I’m not a guy who’s going to programme his own app or anything like that. At least not yet!

Do you enjoy travelling?

I travel frequently and I still enjoy it, for the most part. Of course, when I’m away I miss being at home with the family, but I also enjoy meeting people face to face. I still marvel at the fact that an aeroplane can get up in the sky. I enjoy looking out the windows. I’m probably odd in that I actually enjoy staying in hotel rooms. I enjoy travelling by rail in Europe and I wish we had a more robust system here in the US where we could do that more.

Has the way you travel changed?

Yes, definitely. I’ve reduced my trips for sustainability purposes and I’m trying to make my trips last longer and be more purposeful. When my kids were younger, I did a lot of day trips because I wanted to get back home and see them, but now that the kids are older, I don’t feel as guilty, so I might maybe combine a few trips and stay out a little bit longer.

Can you see your children also working in travel?

They have the travel bug, they love to travel, but I’m not sure they’d work in travel. My son is getting a mechanical engineering masters degree. My daughter is at university doing a science and statistics degree. And then my youngest has just over two years to go before she goes to university. So, if anyone is hiring engineers or data scientists, let me know!

Who would you like to sit next to on a long haul flight – dead, alive or fictional – and what would you talk about?

I’m struggling a bit with this one because when I get on a plane that’s my quiet time. I just put my headset on and that’s it. That being said, I’m definitely a travel geek and so I do enjoy debating topics like, for example, the state of the industry distribution strategy, so I would like to talk to people that are very knowledgable in that space – people like Jeff Klee (CEO Amtrak), Cory Garner (CEO Garner), Steve Singh (MD Madrone Venture Group) or Caroline Strachan (CEO Festive Road). I think those would all be very interesting discussions.

Are you a good packer?

I take a carry-on bag. I never check in baggage, and I think I’m a pretty good packer. It’s easy for me since I’m not on the cutting edge of fashion! I have two sets of toiletries – one at home and one always in the suitcase. I love the non-iron shirts from Brooks Brothers or Charles Tyrwhitt, so I can just unpack them as soon as I get to the hotel and not spend a lot of time pressing my clothes.

Any packing tips?

I have a few tips: Always carry a converter with you and not necessarily for international travel. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve plugged my UK converter on a United Airlines flight because the US plugs are just so loose from so many people using them.

Always take an extra USB plug in case you forget your charger, so you can just plug it into the back of the TV set in the hotel room. And finally, find a belt that doesn’t have too much metal so you don’t have to take it off every time you go through an airport detector.

Do you have any pet hates about travelling?

Yes, and they’re probably the same ones most people have. Bad Wi-Fi, or inefficiencies in a process where you can actually see how the problem could be resolved easier, especially if it causes delays. Of course, I use TripIt from Concur so if there are delays I get notified before most people do and I’m able to modify my plans a lot faster.

Aisle or window seat?

Window if it’s short haul but for long haul I like to have access to the aisle so I can get up and walk around and stretch my legs, especially as the body gets older!

Favourite box set series?

There are so many good ones. I like Narcos and The Spy. I loved Ted Lasso. That just made me laugh for a long, long time.

What’s your biggest achievement?

I would probably say that one would be on the personal side. I’ve been married over 25 years – I met my wife at American Airlines – and we have raised three kids that appear to be pretty good humans. I can’t take much of the credit. With me travelling so much, I think it’s probably more so my wife who gets the credit there, but I’ll take partial credit.

What’s your proudest moment?

Lots of family ones, but at work, there’s been some pretty large negotiations in my life, whether it was getting GDS agreements done,  or launching cobranded credit cards.

But I’d say what makes me proudest is really seeing the people who have worked on my teams over the years get promoted to significant roles and to lead large organisations. I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of people, that are far smarter than I am, and to see them succeed and advance and lead groups and organisations is awesome – Greg Schulze, early in his career at American Airlines, Jim Butler, Jill Surdek, also from American Airlines, to name just a few. And they’ve all gone on to do amazing things.

Who has had the biggest influence in your life and career and why?

My father died when I was eight years old, which basically left my mother to raise my brothers and me. She often worked two jobs just to make sure that we had the basics. And her mother actually passed away giving birth to her.

And you know, she just pressed on and did what needed to be done and never really complained about her lot in life. And so as obstacles or bad things happen, I just learned from her that you just press on. My mother retired at 85 but she quickly got bored. She’s just turned 86, and she’s gone back to work. She’s an administrative assistant at the University of Miami and she asked if she could go back and then took her back. She’s amazing.

Who was your best boss and why?

Aren’t we all just obligated to say our current boss?! But assuming that’s a given, I’ve had lots of great ones. I’ll give you a few and maybe they all share similar characteristics. Maya Leibman, David Cush, Kurt Stache, Kenji Hashimoto, Derek Decross, and then at Concur I’ve had the pleasure of working for Mike Koetting and indirectly for Steve Singh.

I think what they all shared in common was that they were very smart, but they didn’t tell me how to do the job. They listened. They gave me the freedom to pursue different initiatives. They supported me when I needed it and occasionally redirected me or stopped me when it was time to do so.

And it’s funny, I remember one time with David Cush, where I walked in his office on some issue and I said ‘I don’t know why we don’t do X at this company’ and he said ‘yeah, I agree. Go get it done’. And I think that was just sort of the philosophy of a lot of those people. Like, hey, if you see a problem, go fix it. And if you need me, come and get me. But otherwise, just go do it.

So would you describe yourself as a good boss?

I hope so. I tell people that I’m a lazy boss. I like to hire smart people. I like to work together with them at the beginning to set the strategy, the vision, the desired outcome. And then I let them go. So, again, I’m here if they need me to run interference or help move something along or give them guidance. But otherwise I leave them alone. What that means is that they get more exposure, more decision-making abilities, less oversight.

I’m also pretty direct, and I don’t sugarcoat things and so at least people know it may not always be great. But the people know where they stand. And so I think if you’re self-motivated, if you have initiative and drive, then I’d like to believe I’m a good boss. But if you need lots of guidance and someone to tell you exactly how to do every single step along the way, you may not think that I’m a good boss.

What’s your most annoying habit?

Well, I think different people would have a long list, but I think for me I tend to ask a lot of questions in rapid succession and sometimes I don’t even wait for the last answer before I move on to the next question. It drives my wife crazy.

How would you like to be remembered?

I’d love to be remembered as someone who helped people develop themselves and further themselves, and someone who shared his knowledge with others.

Charlie Sultan is President of Concur Travel. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of SAP Concur and prior to that role he spent eight years heading up the supplier and content strategy for Concur Travel. Sultan brings a deep background in travel and distribution from his 15 years at American Airlines where he held leadership roles in revenue management, financial planning, corporate and distribution strategy, loyalty marketing and more.