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At ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ, our customers are the north star that fuels our innovation. That is why we are proud to share that for the sixth year in a row and eighth time in ten years, ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ has been named the ¡®Most Admired Travel Technology Company¡¯ in the business travel industry by The Beat¡¯s Readers¡¯ Choice Awards. We share this win with you¨Cour customers.

Awarded yesterday at The Beat Live conference in Dallas, Texas, the awards were based on a poll conducted?that asked readers of?The Beat?to choose the company in each?of the six supplier segments (Airline, Hotel, Car Rental, Travel Management Company, Travel Technology Company, Payment System) they "most?admire for its policies,?management style and service for business clients."

Technology is advancing faster than ever, which makes our work more exciting than ever. We are using advanced technologies like predictive analytics and machine learning to tackle industry challenges in new ways and deliver more value to our customers. A few of our favorite advancements from the last year include:?

• Using artificial intelligence (AI) and bots to enhance the traveler experience: Through our developments in AI, we are streamlining the T&E process and reaching employees where they already are. For example, in January, we announced the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ bot for Slack to help employees tackle select travel and expense tasks directly within Slack. We are also innovating towards enabling ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Travel users to shop and book by chatting with a bot on Skype, Slack and others. Additionally, customers can now submit expenses right from their Outlook inbox with the add-in.
• Ensuring the safety of business travelers: Amid heightened global and geopolitical uncertainties, we launched , the first integrated travel risk management solution drawing from the industry¡¯s most comprehensive data set. Based on travel and expense data, itineraries booked direct captured through TripLink and TripIt, supplier e-receipts?and more, businesses can proactively locate and communicate with employees during times of crisis and uncertainty. Additionally, powered by our partners at HX Global, companies can also provide traveling employees 24/7 monitoring, communications and assistance.

These advancements are helping our customers save time, more effectively manage spend?and protect their employees. By listening to our base of 45 million customers, we are inspired to continue innovating, and are excited to see where they lead us next.

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Mike Koetting, EVP of Supplier and TMC Services, attended the awards ceremony and accepted the award on ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ¡¯s behalf.?

Tim MacDonald? leads the company¡¯s T&E Cloud initiatives such as fostering an ecosystem of partners to create value for clients, their employees and the travel suppliers who support them as well as developing ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ's data science capability and product offering. Mr. MacDonald¡¯s travel industry experience prior to ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ includes senior vice president & general manager of Expedia US, chairman and president of luxury travel provider Classic Vacations and vice president of product management at Hotwire.