IT’S no surprise to find Shauna Burns at the helm of an ambitious company which aspirations include achieving an accelerated business turnover of £50 million in the next four years.
Hailing from Portglenone, she is from a family of entrepreneurs, so there never was any doubt she would end up in business too.
Shauna’s journey to becoming managing director of bespoke travel management company Beyond Business Travel, specialists in servicing and tailoring the needs of a company’s travel requirements, has been one filled with extensive and fun experiences.
A qualified chartered accountant, her early career was spent with KPMG, working locally and internationally, before making the move to Dutch bank, ABN AMRO, where she spent a year on the share dealing floor.
Recalling her time in this role, Shauna claims it was a fabulous and fun experience.
“It was a very fast paced environment, and my time in this arena taught me many things from taking calculated risks to always communicating with and looking after the client,” she said.
Following this, Shauna spent 10 years with the Ulster Bank, working in their corporate banking team, which gave her the toolkit for working with the award-winning Beyond Business Travel, although the move was a cultural change.
“It was quite a difference moving from corporate banking to an owner-led SME, but one I embraced and have thrived in,” Shauna said.
“In the last four years, working closely with chief executive Edel Doherty and our excellent team of people, we have doubled our turnover to £16 million and we have also opened offices in Dublin and Cork - no mean feat given the augmented growth.
“The growth has been very much customer led, but the world is changing, and we have to be responsive to this change, reacting quicker, and leading from the front.
“In addition to our people, I'm most proud of the state-of-the-art technology we have introduced including an online booking and traveller tracking tool. I like to think that we are an innovative and proactive travel management company.”
Shauna added: “One of the most common issues we find when talking to prospective clients is that they have no idea what they spend on travel due to fragmented data. We provide customers with real time information on what they’re spending and who is spending. We also provide information on suppliers, frequent travellers, destinations travelled to and more.
“We understand the importance of providing data to allow our clients to control costs, negotiate better deals and get better value by changing their behaviour around travel management. Having the ability to show our clients their return on investment is important.
“We recently added a new range of reports, including environmental that allows companies to track their Co2 emissions, which has received excellent feedback and works well in annual reports.
“We are privileged to work with some great companies across various sectors including the film sector, having played an instrumental part with the likes of Game of Thrones and Line of Duty, but also fintech, pharma, manufacturing, food and IT.”
Asked about the challenges she faces, Shauna says: “I have three beautiful children, and like most mothers, sometimes the biggest challenge can be getting their tea on the table and taking them to their various activities.
“At Beyond Business Travel, it’s ensuring we are at the top of our game, showing clients the added value by taking the complexity out of their travel plans and ensuring they remain on track at all times.”
