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American Express Global Business Travel is adjusting its leadership structure after being acquired by Long Lake Management in a $6.3 billion deal, which closed in late September. Per the deal, Amex GBT is now a privately held company that will pair its travel management platform with Long Lake's AI expertise to define the future of business travel.
The new leadership structure seeks to bridge the gap between the two companies. Paul Abbott, who has served as Amex GBT's CEO for the past seven years, is moving to a new role as an operating partner with Long Lake. Effectively immediately, Andrew Crawley has been promoted from Amex GBT's president to CEO.
Crawley has been with the company for six years and has led its commercial functions, global operations and technology. Before joining Amex GBT, he served as chairman and CEO of IAG Loyalty, CEO of IAG Cargo and CCO of British Airways.
"I am incredibly excited and honored to lead Amex GBT as we enter this exciting new chapter," said Crawley. “Amex GBT has the best customers, partners and people in the industry. With the support of Long Lake and its applied AI expertise, we will define the future of managed travel, delivering on the promise of high-tech and high-touch solutions.”
Embracing AI
Long Lake Management is a relatively new private-holdings company. It was founded in 2023, and Amex GBT is its 40th acquisition. According to Long Lake's website, the company partners with businesses and leaders to “diffuse AI at scale.”
Its research and engineering team includes former workers from OpenAI, Palantir,Google and more. Long Lake plans to use its self-learning AI platform, Nexus, to improve Amex GBT by making travel easier to book, simpler to manage and better supported throughout the entire process.
"For over a century, Amex GBT has earned the trust of the world's most important companies, governments and institutions, by showing up for millions of travelers in mission-critical moments," said Alex Taubman, cofounder and CEO of Long Lake. “It is an honor for Long Lake to have the opportunity to partner with Amex GBT to double down on its world-class customer excellence, and to invest heavily to advance the frontier of AI deployment in the travel experience.”