About the Award

The 2027 APAC Travel Buyer of the Year Award recognises a corporate travel buyer or manager who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and innovation in corporate travel management during 2026. 

Now in its third year this award is presented by The BTN Group, organiser of the Business Travel Awards Europe and Business Travel News’ Travel Manager of the Year and Best Practitioner Awards. 

The winner will be announced on Thursday, 22 April 2027, at the conclusion of Business Travel Show Asia Pacific, taking place on 21–22 April 2027 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. 

Entry is free. Self-nominations and nominations from industry peers, consultants and supplier partners are welcome. 

DOWNLOAD THE 2027 SUBMISSION QUESTIONS (opens in a new tab)

Who can enter?

The award is open to corporate travel buyers and managers who: 

  • Are based in Asia Pacific (APAC); and/or 

  • Oversee a global travel or meetings programme that includes responsibility for APAC. 

  • Entries must describe the nominee’s achievements during the 2026 calendar year.

Awards timeline

  • Submissions open: 16 November 2026 

  • Stage one entries close: 12 February 2027 

  • Finalists announced: Week commencing 8 March 2027 

  • Winner announced: 22 April 2027 at Business Travel Show Asia Pacific 

How to enter: our two-stage entry process

Stage one: Written submission 

Download the 2027 APAC Travel Buyer of the Year submission questions (PDF) and prepare your responses about the nominee’s achievements during 2026. 

Email the completed submission as a PDF to Jen Bankard, Executive Director, Conference Content & Strategy, The BTN Group, at jbankard@thebtngroup.com by 12 February 2027. 

  • Observe the word limits. You do not need to use the full word count for every answer. You should, however, provide enough detail and context for judges to assess the achievements described. 

  • Submit one entry per nominee. If others wish to support the nomination, letters of support may be included as optional supplementary documents. 

Stage two: Finalist interviews 

The BTN editorial and content team will interview finalists and their key supplier partners to determine the winner. 

Finalists will also participate in a panel session on 22 April 2027, the second day of Business Travel Show Asia Pacific.

APAC Travel Buyer of the Year 2026

Last year, our 3 finalists were interviewed on stage in Singapore, sharing the thinking behind their results with the APAC corporate travel community. Tarun Kumar took the title for modernizing SAP’s travel programmes in China and India by integrating online booking, expense reporting. Next year, it could be you on that stage.

Tarun Kumar wins Asia Pacific Travel Buyer of the Year  

“When it comes to travel, it's all about collaboration and I always see my collaborators as business partners, because if they are not there with you on the designing table, and they are just supposed to obey your asks, they may not deliver the group’s capabilities? So, from my perspective, engage them early. They should be the part of solutioning and designing to become accountable and take responsibility to deliver the result.” 

Last year's finalists

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Speaker profile image for Fei Wang

Fei Wang

Category Manager Travel & Expense, APAC, Philips
Speaker profile image for Kathryn Retumban

Kathryn Retumban

Senior Lead, Global Hotel Program, Emerson
Speaker profile image for Tarun Kumar

Tarun Kumar

Regional Director Travel and Expense Program (APAC), SAP-SE

Watch them onstage - Innovators in action

How the award is judged

An independent panel of senior corporate travel buyers and independent travel management consultants review and score stage one entries against BTN’s judging criteria and scoring rubric. 

The BTN Group selects judges from across APAC, representing different industries and travel programme sizes. Judges do not assess entries where they have a conflict of interest. 

The highest-scoring entries advance to the finalist stage. The BTN editorial and content team then interviews the finalists and their key supplier partners to determine the winner. 

FAQs

Email your completed submission, including any supporting documentation, as a PDF to jbankard@thebtngroup.com by 12 February 2027. 

Download the 2027 APAC Travel Buyer of the Year submission questions. Your responses should address the nominee’s achievements during the 2026 calendar year and stay within the stated word limits. 

No. Entry to the APAC Travel Buyer of the Year Award is free. 

Yes. Nominations from industry peers, consultants and supplier partners are welcome, as are self-nominations. Only one entry per nominee will be accepted. Letters of support may be included as optional supplementary documents.

Finalists and their key supplier partners will be interviewed by the BTN editorial and content team. Finalists must attend Business Travel Show Asia Pacific in Singapore and will participate in a panel session at the show on Thursday 22 April 2027. 

The winner will be announced on 22 April 2027, at the conclusion of Business Travel Show Asia Pacific.