Karen Hutchings is co-founder and CEO of Pioneera. She established Cobb & Hutch consultancy in 2024 after more than 10 years as EY's global travel lead
EY＊s former head of travel, meetings and events Karen Hutchings has teamed up with Kessie Bratko, previously an SVP at BCD Travel, to launch a travel tech start-up that applies agentic AI to ＆nudge＊ travellers towards compliance.
Known as Pioneera, the platform analyses booking data in line with travel policy objectives 每 checking against carbon reduction goals or cost savings 每 to deliver personalised nudges to travellers via Teams, Slack or email.
※We have a case study of what it can do because we did it at EY,§ says Hutchings, who is co-founder and CEO of Pioneera. ※Where [Pioneera] is different is that we＊ve changed [the mechanics] from robotic process automation to agentic AI because of how technology has developed.§
Hutchings explains the platform is ※completely agnostic to agencies and online booking tools§ and uses a data download of a corporate travel programme to formulate prescriptive nudges.
※All we need is the data,§ says Hutchings, who is targeting mid-size and large corporates as customers. Backed by a venture studio and currently built as an MVP (minimum viable product), Pioneera currently has two pilot customers 每 one in the pharma industry and the other in the technology sector 每 with Hutchings eager to launch pilots across all industries.
She describes the platform as a ※safety net for policy management＃ because people don＊t read 25-page policies anymore§ and as a support system for under-resourced travel teams.
※We＊ve put an org chart together [of AI agents] that can support the human travel team. For example, one could be responsible for air, ground transport, hotels or sustainability＃ they have directives given to them that are very prescriptive,§ she explains. ※Where it becomes interesting is that [the AI agents] will continue to assess the data and make suggestions.§
Hutchings says this rapid data analysis, and the AI＊s ability to identify city pairs that can be pulled into the programme, are standout features.
※We had data analysts at EY who were doing that, but did they do it as good as they could? Absolutely not. There＊s too much data to go through, but it＊s easy for the AI agents,§ she says.
Additionally, Hutchings says the platform can help drive engagement around corporate deals with its targeted messaging, while dashboards track user behaviour.
※Travel teams negotiate brilliant offers with suppliers 每 whether it be status match, a free drink at the bar, or bonus points 每 but the biggest challenge always is how to communicate that out. Blanket communication is limited,§ she says.
Importantly, Hutchings insists Pioneera is not a reshopping tool 每 ※there are already many companies out there doing that very successfully§. Instead, she says the platform offers corporate travel teams ※more ammunition to deliver on their targets§ by driving behavioural change.
※Travel managers are tasked with savings, but [at a time where] air fares are going up and hotel rates are going up, where is that going to come from? Behaviour change,§ she says.
Pioneera offers three pricing models: a SaaS fee, a percentage of savings share, or cost per nudge. But Hutchings warns: ※If you turn off a nudge, bad habits come back. That＊s the reality.§