A former business travel executive has been appointed as Boris Johnson’s new minister for apprenticeships and skills.
In the latest government reshuffle, Gillian Keegan, who is Member of Parliament for Chichester, will become Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills.
She was elected to parliament in 2017, where she joined the Conservative Party as a local councillor.
Keegan’s previous roles in the travel industry include group vice-president of Amadeus IT Group from 2007 to 2009, while more recently she was executive vice-president and chief marketing officer of Travelport from 2011 to 2012.
She is a regular speaker at industry conferences, and in the past few months has talked at GBTA’s Strategic Meetings Symposium, where she said on social media: “It is always a pleasure to spend some time with folks from my previous business world and I’m happy I can still add some value.”
Karen McKenna, managing director of online learning platform Travilearn, told BBT that Keegan – who trained as an apprentice herself – could help inspire more students looking to join the travel industry.
“[Keegan’s] background demonstrates there are a number of apprenticeship routes into business travel,” she said. “Historically, the apprenticeship path into business travel is typically through the operational route at intermediate level. However, the industry needs to attract a more diverse set of skills to fill gaps in other areas of the business, such as commercial, technology and financial.
“Higher apprenticeships provide this opportunity where new hires can gain an NVQ Level 4, HND or a foundation degree. Keegan chose a Commercial Management Apprenticeship which included a degree sponsorship, and went on to hold senior management positions in two leading business travel brands, so she’s definitely a good role model for anyone looking to join the business travel sector.”
In May last year, Buying Business Travel held a roundtable to discuss industry’s role in boosting awareness of the sector among further education, and discussed the misconception around apprenticeship schemes on offer.