American Airlines : Chief Customer Officer Alison Taylor Appointed to GBTA Board of Directors

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's largest business travel association, has appointed Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer for American Airlines, to its Board of Directors. Taylor will serve the remainder of the vacant Allied Leadership Council Vice President position until July 2021.

'Alison is a respected and strategic voice in our industry, and we're fortunate to have her join the GBTA's leadership team,' said Bhart Sarin, President of GBTA. 'We look forward to her global perspective gained from decades living and working in several countries around the world.'

In her new role, Taylor will help represent GBTA's Allied Members by acting as a voice for the Allied community within GBTA and collaborating to address common issues facing the travel industry. This new appointment follows GBTA's recent acquisition of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE). Taylor previously served on the ACTE Board of Directors.

'The travel industry has changed so much over the last few months, and I cherish the chance to be part of the recovery and GBTA's evolution,' said Taylor. 'Together with my fellow GBTA leaders, we will advocate for the needs of the travel community, ranging from buyers to business travelers to strengthen our industry for the years ahead.'

As Chief Customer Officer, Taylor works to create a welcoming environment for the airline's customers on every step of their journey. She is responsible for the American Airlines Vacations, Customer Experience and Reservations, Global Sales and Distribution, and Marketing and Digital Customer Experience teams.

She has served in many leadership roles in two of the world's top travel organizations. Before joining American in September 2016, she led the Sales team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide as Senior Vice President of Global Sales, based in New York. Her prior roles at Starwood include Senior Vice President of Sales and Revenue Management and Vice President of Sales, Revenue Management and Digital Marketing. She has lived and worked in eight countries, including more than 20 years in Asia.

In 2015 and 2016, Successful Meetings magazine named her one of the most influential people in the meetings industry, and in 2017 leading travel publication Business Travel News named her as one of their Top 25 most influential people in business travel. Under her leadership, the American Airlines team accepted seven awards in 2017 from Global Traveler, including Airline of the Year. In 2019, she was named Outstanding Woman of the Year and recognized among the Top 25 Women in Travel by WINiT by the Global Business Travel Association.

She grew up in Australia and later lived in London. She returned to Australia to attend Victoria University in Melbourne, earning a Business degree.