Gray Dawes Travel and Berg-Hansen join forces
The next step in strengthening global business travel propositionThis strategic partnership combines the expertise of two independent travel management companies, bringing enhanced local servicing across the Nordics and Gray Dawes’ international markets.
Gray Dawes Travel, the multi-award-winning independent global travel management company, has agreed to a strategic partnership with Berg-Hansen, Norway’s market-leading business travel and events company, strengthening the international servicing capabilities available to clients of both organisations.
The partnership will connect Berg-Hansen’s expertise across Norway, Sweden and Denmark with Gray Dawes Travel’s established operations across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, supplemented by its wider global partner network.
The agreement gives clients of both businesses access to trusted local expertise in key international markets
This combines the advantages of a service-led travel management company with the reach and resources needed to support increasingly global organisations.
For Gray Dawes, the partnership represents an important addition to its international proposition, extending its Nordic capabilities through a market leading business with a strong reputation for personal service, technology and local market knowledge.
Our partnership with Berg-Hansen
Founded in 1875, Berg-Hansen has built a reputation for business travel management in Norway. Combining proprietary technology and digital solutions with expert advice and personal service, the company supports clients across business travel, meetings and events, safety and security, payment and settlement, and reporting and analytics. Its ambition to establish a strong Nordic presence makes the partnership a natural fit for Gray Dawes’ international growth strategy.
Delivering a genuinely global travel management proposition means having the right people, expertise and service capabilities in the markets that matter to our clients. That cannot simply be achieved by putting a global label on a collection of local suppliers.
Berg-Hansen understands this. They have an established reputation, deep local knowledge and a service-led approach that aligns closely with our own. By combining their Nordic expertise with our own international operations and existing partner relationships, we can offer clients greater geographical reach while maintaining the quality of service they expect from Gray Dawes.
Dave Bishop
Chief Operating Officer, Gray Dawes Group
The corporate travel management sector is evolving rapidly. Consolidation is reshaping the competitive landscape, while clients continue to look for providers that can support their international ambitions without losing the personal relationships and accountability that make a real difference.
We believe there is a significant opportunity for strong, independent TMCs to work together in new and more effective ways. By combining our respective strengths, we can give clients access to broader international capability while retaining the local expertise, agility and customer-first culture that define our businesses
Suzanne Horner
CEO of Gray Dawes Group
A strong partnership built around shared values
The agreement reflects a shared belief that international growth does not have to come at the expense of personal service. Both organisations combine local expertise, technology and a relationship-led approach to travel management, helping clients navigate the complexities of business travel across countries.
Technology will also play an important role in the relationship. By sharing expertise and aligning their respective technology capabilities, the two organisations aim to provide a more consistent and connected experience for clients operating internationally.
The ambition is to make it easier for global customers to manage their travel programmes across multiple markets, with consistent processes, visibility and reporting, while retaining the flexibility to meet local requirements. The partnership will also strengthen the collective capabilities available to clients with government and public-sector travel requirements, building on the experience both organisations have in supporting this sector.
At Berg-Hansen, we believe good travel management is about understanding our clients, combining the right technology with expert advice, and being there when they need us.
Our partnership with Gray Dawes gives our clients access to an established international travel management company that shares our commitment to personal service and quality. At the same time, we can bring our local expertise and knowledge of the Nordic markets to Gray Dawes clients.
We see real value in working with an independent company that shares our outlook and ambitions. Together, we can offer a stronger solution for organisations that need both international reach and strong local support.
Petter Brodahl
Executive Vice President, Partner Relations at Berg-Hansen
Berg-Hansen is an excellent example of the kind of organisation with which we want to build long-term relationships. This agreement is an important step in strengthening our global proposition, and we believe there is considerable potential in bringing more like-minded businesses together around a shared commitment to service excellence.
For Gray Dawes, the principle behind this partnership goes beyond traditional international travel consortiums or referral arrangements. Where we identify a market in which our clients need us to be present, our ambition is to work with carefully selected partners who share our commitment to exceptional service, quality content and innovative technology.
Suzanne Horner
CEO of Gray Dawes Group
International companies need the best of both worlds: flexibility and strong local expertise, combined with best-in-market technology and a global platform for data and insights. This partnership brings those strengths together, enabling us to serve customers consistently across markets.
Gunnar Gunnarsen
Executive Vice President, Sales & Business Development at Berg-Hansen
For us, this is about building meaningful partnerships that deliver tangible value for clients, not simply adding another name to a list.
We also see an opportunity to bring together other TMCs that may be reassessing their international partnerships as a result of the ongoing consolidation in our industry. The acquisition of CWT by American Express Global Business Travel has prompted fresh conversations about the future of independent businesses and their place in the global marketplace. Through our own relationships across the Nordic travel industry, we look forward to introducing Gray Dawes to organisations that share our values ambition and focus on a high touch service. . There is real potential in creating stronger connections between TMCs. To service clients globally and achieve a best in market fit.
Dave Bishop
Chief Operating Officer, Gray Dawes Group
In Concusion
Beyond the immediate benefits of the agreement, the collaboration reflects a wider opportunity for independent travel management companies to work more closely together as the industry continues to consolidate.
Gray Dawes already works with an established network of international partners to extend its reach beyond its own operations and global footprint. Its relationship with Berg-Hansen reinforces the value of this approach and the potential to develop deeper connections between independent TMCs that share common standards, complementary expertise and a commitment to client service.
Final thoughts from Suzanne Horner
We want our clients to experience the same standards, consistency and personal attention wherever they travel, whether they are supported directly by a Gray Dawes team or by one of our trusted international partners. In this respect, we see Berg-Hansen as a genuine extension of our global service proposition – not by compromising either organisation's independence or identity, but by bringing together two complementary businesses with a shared philosophy and a common commitment to their customers.
The future of global travel management does not necessarily belong to the biggest organisations. We believe it belongs to those that can bring together the right expertise, technology and people to deliver the best outcomes for clients. There is an opportunity for independent TMCs to create something more powerful together than they could achieve individually. The key is finding the right partners, building relationships on shared values and ensuring that the client experience always comes first.
Berg-Hansen is an important addition to our international capabilities, and only strengthens our unique ALWAYS ON value proposition; being there for our client whenever and wherever they need us with our High Touch, High Tech, High Content solution. We are excited about what we can achieve together.
Suzanne Horner
CEO of Gray Dawes Group