Murray Warner – Director, Business Development Asia Pacific, Concur
1. What does your role involve and how long have you been in your current position?
While I have been with Concur since 1999, I have been in my current role as director, Business Development, Asia Pacific for seven years. I am responsible for building meaningful partnerships that create additional value for customers of Concur’s travel and expense management systems in Asia Pacific.
2. How did you start out in your career? Were you always destined to work in the travel industry?
I started my career at a technology start-up in Silicon Valley. When Concur acquired that company and added a travel aspect, I took my first steps into the travel industry. I now work with Concur’s travel partners, including suppliers and travel agencies, to keep driving value for our customers.
3. Did you complete formal qualifications, and do you think they are important?
I completed a marketing degree in the US, but found my time spent at university had more of an impact on me than the qualifications themselves. The people I met at university came from all around the globe and gave me a broader perspective and insight into the different ways people approach situations. This is something I’ve taken with me into the workforce and my life.
4. What do you love about your job?
One of the most exciting aspects of my job in Australia as a market is that it’s small enough that we can road-test new ideas in market. In the US, for example, it is harder to see the opportunity, then just go ahead and develop a strategy and implement it due to the size and scale of the country. As a country, Australia is highly adoptive of technology and change relative to many other markets. The great thing about Australia is that we have the chance to spot these opportunities and implement them, then pass on these ideas to bigger markets. It means we drive the innovation of the global team.
5. What were some of the greatest challenges you’ve had in your career?
We have opened up new markets from scratch as we grew as a company in the Asia Pacific. That meant I needed to learn the nuances of lots of different cultures to understand how to deliver the best services possible to customers and grow the business. The challenge when entering a new country is to quickly understand the service expectations, and how customers perceive value.
6. What factors were central to your success?
I have been fortunate to join a company with a flexible, supportive, and non-hierarchical culture at Concur. The organisational culture has meant that if I’ve seen an opportunity, I’ve had the support of the company behind me, and they’ve been there too when I’ve made mistakes. This ‘in it together’ mentality has helped myself and the team to learn quickly and grow.
7. Did you have a mentor, and if so, how did you find them?
Barry Padgett, president of the SAP Business One, SAP Anywhere and SAP Business ByDesign, has been a mentor to me since we began working together at Concur. Barry taught me to be professional and humble when interacting with others, and that it is okay to make mistakes. Through his mentorship he has shown me that being hardworking, loyal, and to work together as a team is critical to good business. At the end of the day, it’s not the product you sell, it’s how you do it, and so being accountable and transparent is key to success.
8. What are the keys to good business?
In every situation it is important to think about what the customer wants and if they are getting the most value possible. Never lose sight of the customer’s perspective.
9. What advice would you give to others in the industry who would like to follow in your footsteps?
I’ve been lucky to have had a lot of variety in my career by doing a range of different roles at Concur and in a lot of different countries. This has pushed me out of my comfort zone many times and has helped me to learn quickly. I would recommend that people in the travel industry seek out variation in their careers to gain broader experiences outside of the same industry. I also think it’s important to consider how technology can shape your business. Technology is constantly changing the travel industry and can help open up businesses to new opportunities.
