Maritz Travel Company Taps Duffy

St. Louis-based Maritz Travel Company, one of the oldest and best-known brands in meetings and incentive travel, has a new CEO. Christine Duffy, a highly regarded corporate meetings expert whose 20-year career in the industry most recently saw her at the helm of pharma-heavy meetings management firm Maritz McGettigan, took the job in October. She'll continue working out of the McGettigan offices in Philadelphia until summer 2005, when she'll relocate her family closer to Maritz headquarters.

Duffy's appointment follows the departure of former CEO Jeff Reinberg and makes her one of the most visible female executives in the industry. Duffy has drawn acclaim for building McGettigan into a top corporate meetings outfit, and for her leadership at industry associations, including Meetings Professionals International, where she's chairwoman-elect.

Even though some of Maritz' meeting and incentive accounts are said to have left the fold when Maritz sold its corporate travel practice to rival Carlson Wagonlit Travel in March, the company still "manages nearly a billion dollars each year in corporate meetings and incentives," Duffy says. "There a lot of sectors we're involved in: Automotive, pharmaceutical, financial services, and technology are a few of the main ones." Which vertical markets are seeing the most meetings? "Heading into 2005, the pharmaceutical sector continues to run a high volume of meetings, even with all the regulations. The automotive industry is also strong. In those sectors, meetings and incentives are part of their core business. They're part of how the companies interact with customers and employees."