Calum is a multi-award-winning travel leader, currently the Managing Partner of BTC Global, a consultancy helping businesses optimise their travel programmes, specifically those without dedicated Travel Managers. With deep expertise in crisis management, policy design, and cost optimisation, Calum has spent years helping companies bring value to their travel programmes, most notably as the former Global Travel Manager for Endeavour Mining PLC.

Calum is a recognised and respected voice in the Corporate Travel Industry.

Calum is also currently the Chair of GBTA’s Transportation Committee Europe, a Visionary Board Member of GTE Executive, and active as both a moderator and a panellist across all travel based topics.

This week on Behind the Big Desk, Dani Ives is joined by young founder Justine Palefsky, CEO and co founder of Kindred, the global home swapping community giving members access to beautiful homes in more than 150 cities at a fraction of traditional travel costs. Justine shares how Kindred grew from idea to global community and why a new generation of entrepreneurs is putting human connection and trust back at the centre of travel

Abby is joined by co hosts Dan Hayward and Dani Ives to unpack what generational differences at work really look like from the big desk. Drawing on Dans conversation with recruitment expert Emma Gregory and Danis discussion with wellbeing specialist Aron Jamson, the three hosts share their own experiences of hiring, supporting and leading across age groups, and ask what needs to change if organisations are to work for every generation, not just some.

In this episode Emma joins Dan to share what she is really seeing across the generations in the recruitment market. From Gen Z to Gen X, she lifts the lid on what candidates want, where expectations clash and how employers are getting it wrong and right. If you want a clear view from someone in the middle of the talent conversation every day, this one is for you

Aron Jameson went from trainee to Head of Operations at ATPI, with experience across three major TMCs, then founded AJW to turn talk into action on workplace wellbeing. In this episode he and co host Dani Ives explore what leaders can do today, from simple rituals to NLP informed coaching, so wellbeing becomes something companies live, not just say. A sharp, practical listen for anyone responsible for people and performance.

The desk just got bigger. I am thrilled to welcome Daniel Hayward and Dani Ives as co-hosts, two sharp minds who bring different lenses and a shared love of getting things done. Together we are opening the season to a conversation that matters, how generations work side by side, where it rubs, where it shines, and how leaders can help mixed teams thrive.

Expect real stories, practical tools, and honest debate, pace versus patience, texts versus calls, data versus instinct. Some weeks you will hear the three of us together, other weeks one of us will sit down with a guest who has something useful to teach across ages. Our promise is simple, respectful discussion, clear takeaways, and a space where experience and fresh perspective meet.

Pull up a chair, invite a colleague from another generation, and let us find better ways of working together.

In this episode of Behind the Big Desk, Abby sits down with Claire Herbert, Sales Director at Flight Directors, for a refreshingly honest chat about leadership, personality, and the power of showing up as your true self. From owning the room to challenging perceptions with the question “Am I intimidating, or are you intimidated?”, Claire brings insight, energy, and plenty of personality to the table. Recorded over tea (after cocktails the night before), this episode is a celebration of women who lead without losing themselves in the process. A bold and brilliant way to wrap up the season – tune in now.

In this episode of Behind the Big Desk, we sit down with aviation enthusiast Dean Mitchell to trace his lifelong passion for flight, from childhood plane-spotting to his current role shaping airline operations and explore how his knack for genuine relationship building has fueled every career milestone. Dean shares real-world stories of partnerships that unlocked new opportunities and underscores why trust and collaboration are indispensable in aviation. We also dive into his unwavering commitment to accessible travel, examining the mobility, sensory, and cognitive barriers still facing passengers and spotlighting the innovative approach he’s leading to make air travel truly inclusive for everyone.