Balancing crisis comms with BAU at Expedia Group

Speaking at the simplysummit 2020, Tor Goldfield, Director of Internal Communications, demonstrated their intrepid spirit and agility in the face of adversity, as she gave us some insights into how they have effectively balanced BAU communications with the demands of a global pandemic and a travel sector in turmoil.  

Tor leads a global team of six people who, as part of a much larger global IC team, support the supply division of some 6000 employees,responsible for managing the relationships with all the partners, be they airlines, accommodation providers, activities providers or car hire businesses. 

“It’s been a uniquely challenging year!” said Tor. “But it’s been one of growth and refinement too”, she adds.

2020 was already set up to be a busy year for Tor and her colleagues. With the departure of the CEO and CFO at the end of 2019, the Chairman and acting CEO decided on a restructuring of the business, a major cost-cutting and simplification exercise resulting in a 12% headcount reduction. It was going to be a year of considerable change.

And then Covid-19 hit. “If we thought we were busy before, we really knew what busy was then!” Tor added.  

The travel industry was hit hard and fast. In the rest of this story, Tor shares with us how she and the team carefully navigated challenges such as: 

• Employee well-being
• Visible leadership
• Keeping company culture alive