WHY IT RATES: The industry veteran brings more than three decades of invaluable experience to her new role, including 11 years with Direct Travel.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor
Direct Travel, Inc., a market leader in global corporate travel management, today announced the promotion of Christine Sikes to chief operating officer (COO). In her new role, Sikes will be responsible for execution of service, delivering efficiency at scale, and helping to drive profitable growth through company transformation initiatives. As a mission driven leader, she will lead core operational functions with a mandate to simplify, scale and lead.
"Christine has been instrumental in advancing our ability to deliver exceptional experiences for customers while driving consistency, quality, and innovation across our operations," said Christal Bemont, chief executive officer of Direct Travel. "Her strategic mindset, deep operational expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence make her the perfect leader to help us scale globally and bring our vision of 'The Perfect Trip' to life."
Sikes brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in the travel industry to her role as COO. She has spent the last 11 years at Direct Travel, most recently serving as executive vice president, customer experience, where she led the company's efforts to elevate service delivery, enhance operational efficiency, and prepare the organization for scalable growth. Prior to joining Direct Travel, she held positions at CWT as vice president, program management overseeing client relationships for the U.S. Military and Government and as vice president, operations, U.S. East.
"It's a privilege to step into the role of COO at such a pivotal moment for Direct Travel," said Sikes. "We have an incredible team redefining what exceptional client service means, and I'm eager to continue building on that momentum—strengthening our operations, empowering our people, and driving measurable impact for customers worldwide."
Sikes was most recently named to the GBTA Foundation's 2025 WINiT Top 50 list for her global leadership, collaboration, and commitment to advancing meaningful change across the travel community. These recent achievements come on the heels of Direct Travel's acquisition of ATPI and the launch of Avenir: Travel Edition, underscoring its continued momentum and focus on redefining the future of corporate travel.
SOURCE: Direct Travel press release.
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