Global CMO Annabel Ausmus guest lectures in Marketing

Annabel Ausmus has been managing marketing campaigns and strategies in the travel industry for over 15 years. Whether it’s corporate travel or leisure, events or wholesale travel, Annabel has turned her hand to it.

As the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Corporate Travel Management (CTM), Annabel is responsible for the development and delivery of the group’s global brand and communications strategy across all business lines. Annabel has worked across CTM’s global growth strategy, a highly successful IPO and subsequent listing on the ASX, and the acquisition and rebranding of a number of international companies.

Partnering with AIB to share her insights for the benefit of our students’ practical learning journeys, Annabel will be guest lecturing in specialist marketing subjects Integrated Marketing Communication and Business-to-Business Marketing.

Annabel is no stranger to travelling herself. She grew up in the United Kingdom, graduating with an Honours degree in Journalism. She travelled extensively, funding her adventures by working in the travel industry as a consultant, writer and taking on various side roles.

“Eventually I became exposed to the marketing side of the travel industry and it just seemed to be a perfect fit – providing a blend of my creative and design skills with my passion for communications. I haven’t looked back since.”

She moved to Australia in the early 2000s, taking a job as the head of a marketing department for backpacker travel company YHA. She stayed there for six years before joining Corporate Travel Management in 2010.

“CTM was at the beginning of a very exciting growth chapter,” Annabel recalls. “They were just about to go through a major rebrand and make their first international acquisition in New Zealand. I had never worked in the corporate travel sector before but I knew that this company was going places and had big aspirations.” Her instinct paid off: CTM has continued to grow to the point where, in 2016, it established a global marketing department and Annabel took on the role of Global Chief Marketing Officer.

The global head office is in Brisbane, but CTM has offices in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Asia and Europe, and provides travel solutions in more than 70 countries. Annabel works with the global executive team to develop the group’s global marketing strategy and works in collaboration with her regional marketing teams to bring that strategy to life.

“It’s very important for us as a global company to segment our communications and marketing strategy geographically. We know that there are very different communication needs and consumption trends across our different global audiences based on cultural needs, consumer habits, technology trends, and brand infiltration and recognition in market. But we also provide specialised travel management solutions across a range of industry segments. In the North American market, our audiences engage with web content consistently and effectively but it must be short and concise pieces. In the European market, there is still a lot more desire and drive for printed magazine material and white papers,” explains Annabel. Market segmentation, therefore, is crucial to an effective marketing strategy.

While there are variances, digital marketing is increasingly important. “It’s not an option to not be competitive in the digital space,” Annabel says. “It provides us with the broadest reach, excellent targeting and cost-effective returns. Research tells us that last year, 56% of people on social media were engaging with B2B brands every day, between one and three times a day. Almost every business is on social media and we have to be there in order for our brand to be visible.”

Annabel’s marketing strategies are immensely valuable and applicable to every industry. “Even if you’re an Australian company with an Australia product and competing for local market share, you really need to understand that you’re actually competing on a global stage with people who are providing solutions offshore. We’re all playing in a global marketplace, which brings many opportunities and challenges,” she explains.

We’re sure her experience in the industry will be of great interest to our students, and look forward to sharing more from Annabel through our Industry Guest Lecturer program.