Jay Morris

While the Covid pandemic wreaked havoc on much of the business travel industry, it was also the catalyst for new ventures. Among the success stories is travel management company Chapman & Carter, founded by Jay Morris and David Strange, which is likely to break into BTN Europe¡¯s ranking of the largest 50 TMCs in the UK this year. The company¡¯s journey, from a speculative chat between colleagues to turning over an expected ?20 million in 2025, has been far from straightforward.

Disenchanted with travel in the early days of the pandemic, Morris was ready to quit the industry. He had worked at Flight Centre before moving to EFR Travel in 2017, where he met industry veteran David Strange and built a portfolio of clients ¨C one of which was to be instrumental in the pair's future.

¡°Before Covid I was riding the wave ¨C travel was booming, I was doing really well ¨C but the pandemic really knocked the wind out of everybody's sails. Travel had beaten me,¡± says Morris.

David Strange

Sensing his next move might be to exit the industry, one of his closest clients approached him about becoming their inhouse travel manager. ¡°Relationships form between consultants and clients ¨C they¡¯re probably some of the strongest bonds there are in business,¡± says Morris.

Nevertheless, he declined the opportunity, prompting the company to float a different idea ¨C to invest in a new travel management business led by Morris.

Having already had casual conversations with Strange about a joint business venture, it was a ¡°no brainer¡± to put together a business plan and pitch it to the potential investor, motorsports company M-Sport. ¡°We¡¯d already talked about launching a new TMC in spite of the circumstances [during the pandemic],¡± says Strange, who had overseen comprehensive growth at EFR over the course of five years as corporate director, and previously worked for Flight Centre and its Corporate Traveller brand.

In mid-2021, the pair spent almost two hours pitching their business plan to M-Sport founder and former rally driver Malcolm Wilson at his Lake District headquarters. ¡°He barely looked at us during the meeting,¡± Strange recalls. ¡°We thought we¡¯d blown it.¡± But at the end of the presentation, Wilson revealed ¡°that he¡¯d already decided to back us ¨C he just wanted to make us sweat a bit!¡±

¡°I think it¡¯s a pretty rare story that a client has helped fund the business,¡± adds Morris. He and Strange own 35 per cent of the company each, with M-Sport holding the remaining 30 per cent.

Following its unlikely foundation, there were still obstacles to clear. Setting up a business with ¡®travel¡¯ in its name during the pandemic presented challenges ¨C banks and payment processors turned them away. ¡°Nobody wanted to touch us at the time because we were in travel,¡± says Strange.

But the pair¡¯s perseverance eventually paid off and the company began operations, piggybacking off a global TMC for its tech stack and ticket fulfilment. ¡°There¡¯s a resilience about us, so nothing feels too difficult now,¡± says Strange.

Despite the rocky start, the new business owners knew their niche. ¡°We¡¯re a boutique agency with a high-touch model,¡± says Morris. ¡°We don¡¯t want to push clients online ¨C we want to talk to them, understand them, and give them the best service possible.¡±

Strange highlights their clients¡¯ online adoption rate ¨C only 15-17 per cent of transactions are self-booked, which could rise to 25 or 30 per cent as the business grows. ¡°Most of our clients come to us because they¡¯re tired of being forced on to a platform by a big TMC. They want the human touch back,¡± says Strange. ¡°We have a great tech stack which really helps in pitches [to potential clients], but we would never sacrifice service for the sake of growth.¡±

Morris picks up the point: ¡°The tech is near the bottom of our priorities. We are high-touch and we hire experienced consultants. It's the high-end stuff that we try and go after but if you don't have all the tools and all the bells and whistles, some people won't even let you in the room.¡±

He continues: ¡°A lot of clients are saying they want to be valued again. They tell us: ¡®We want to be an important part of your business. We don't just want to be another number and we don't want to go online.¡¯ And that's where the bigger agencies are falling down.¡±

Four years in, the company now has some 150 clients, many of which arrived via word-of-mouth recommendations. Strange describes 60 or so of those customers as active, with 15 to 20 of them accounting for most of the company¡¯s revenue. The majority are in the UK, but there are several in the US and Middle East.

Despite the emphasis on personal service, Chapman & Carter is scaling quickly. After starting with ?3 million in sales in its first year, the company reached ?13.3 million last year and is projecting around ?20 million for 2025.

The TMC¡¯s growth is reflected in its staff count too ¨C up from four in 2021 to around 17 today, with more hires planned. One of those employees, Ashlin Pugh, has joined the Next Generation board of the Business Travel Association (BTA), which Chapman & Carter's founders view as a platform to learn, lobby and increase awareness of the company.

¡°We¡¯re still relatively new and we need to get our name out there. Most of the business we¡¯ve won to date is referrals. You have to pick your battles when you¡¯re a new business,¡± says Morris.

Nevertheless, the pair are ambitious. ¡°We¡¯re aiming to hit ?50 million by 2027 and, ultimately, ?100 million ¨C and that¡¯s without acquisitions,¡± says Strange.

For all the momentum, Chapman & Carter¡¯s ambitions remain rooted in simplicity. ¡°We¡¯re not looking to get rich quick or flip the company,¡± says Morris. ¡°We just want a good life, a good business, and to be proud of what we do.¡±