Introduction

Before founding Hartmann Advisory, Matt Endycott led an enterprise-wide transformation of the insurance strategy at one of the world’s largest travel distribution groups.

The group operates a complex, multi-brand travel distribution network spanning multiple international markets across Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe. Insurance was a meaningful contributor to group revenue, yet its potential was constrained by how it was structured and governed rather than by market demand.

This is the kind of structural challenge Hartmann Advisory was founded to solve.

Enterprise Context

Prior to transformation, the group’s insurance portfolio was managed regionally, resulting in inconsistent performance and underutilised commercial potential. While insurance contributed materially to revenue, it lacked global strategic alignment, standardised governance, cross-regional benchmarking, and executive visibility as a key profit lever.

• Global strategic alignment was missing
• Governance varied between regions
• Benchmarking and replication of best practice did not occur
• Multiple insurers operated across regions where regulatory environments and licensing requirements were nuanced and highly complex

Incremental improvement was not sufficient. It required a full enterprise transformation 

The Transformation Mandate

• Increase insurance attachment across key markets
• Standardise governance and reporting structures
• Strengthen insurer commercial frameworks
• Align regional execution with global objectives
• Elevate insurance to board-level visibility as a revenue driver

This mandate required cross-functional leadership and engagement across commercial, finance, operations, technology and executive teams in multiple jurisdictions. Matt led the program centrally from the group’s home market, directing teams across its international regions.

Strategic Diagnosis

• Performance variability:  Attachment performance differed across regions with no shared benchmarks or systematic replication of success.
• Fragmented governance:  A limited cadence of structured reviews reduced accountability and visibility, compounded by multiple insurers operating across different markets and channels.
• Misaligned commercial incentives:  Insurer frameworks varied and were not consistently linked to performance or consultant engagement.
• Limited enterprise integration:  Insurance was treated as ancillary revenue rather than a strategic growth pillar.

Performance was constrained by structure, not by market conditions.

Transformation Architecture

A globally aligned architecture was implemented across five pillars:

Global strategic alignment

• Unified insurance value proposition
• Enterprise-level performance benchmarks
• Cross-regional reporting transparency

Governance and accountability

• Structured monthly business reviews
• Executive-level quarterly business reviews
• Clear accountable owners across regions
• Escalation and performance governance protocols

Commercial optimisation

• Restructured insurer commercial frameworks
• Performance-linked incentive models
• Defined revenue growth targets

Consultant adoption and enablement

• Standardised sales positioning
• Simplified product architecture
• Insurance embedded into the leadership performance cadence
• Improved training and field accountability

Cross-market replication

• Best-practice playbooks transferred between regions
• Structured knowledge sharing across markets
• Reduced duplication and improved scalability

Execution Complexity

The transformation was implemented across multiple brands, diverse regulatory environments, varied commission structures, post-pandemic recovery volatility and executive leadership transitions. Success required executive diplomacy, commercial rigour and disciplined enterprise orchestration.

Impact

The programme delivered a structural elevation in how insurance was run and valued across the group:

• Measurable uplift in insurance attachment across key markets
• A global performance reporting cadence established
• Increased insurer accountability and transparency
• Stronger executive alignment across regions
• Insurance repositioned as a strategic enterprise revenue driver

Strategic Outcome

Insurance transitioned from a fragmented regional program to a globally governed commercial engine with measurable accountability. The programme delivered:

• Revenue predictability
• Enhanced commercial leverage
• Executive visibility
• Scalable global frameworks

Insurance is now a board-relevant growth lever within the group.

Conclusion: Lessons Learned

Enterprise transformation in complex travel ecosystems demands strategic clarity, robust governance architecture, deep commercial negotiation, disciplined cross-market replication and executive influence. This is exactly the experience Matt Endycott built in the engine rooms of the largest organisations in the global travel industry, and it is the foundation of Hartmann Advisory. The firm was founded to convert structural underperformance into scalable enterprise growth frameworks.