What’s Next — Thompsons Travel CEO Sharon Leong on how corporate travel is changing
In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Sharon Leong discusses how the corporate travel industry is evolving.
Leong is the Chief Executive Officer of Thompsons Travel and has played a key role in growing the company since she assumed the role in 2018.
She boasts almost two decades of experience in the travel and aviation industries and began her career at Cathay Pacific Airways, where she worked for over a decade after joining.
Leong would then join Thompsons Travel in 2009, where she leveraged the experience and expertise in corporate sales, strategic account management, and building high-value client partnerships to steadily rise through leadership roles.
Now, as the CEO, Leong has strengthened Thompsons Travel’s position as a trusted partner to South Africa’s leading corporations with smart, future-ready corporate travel solutions optimised to improve and simplify the travelling experience.
The interview
In this What’s Next interview, Leong discusses how the priorities of business travellers are changing in 2026 and how Thompsons Travel is ensuring its corporate clients’ employees are well taken care of.
Leong outlines how Thompsons Travel’s systems and app help corporate clients streamline their bookings and travel experience, before highlighting the security measures they take to ensure their clients are always safe and supported.
She also touches on the impact of AI and whether she believes it can replace travel agents.
Leong then discusses how Africa is attracting more business travellers and shares which cities she sees as merging top corporate destinations, noting how Cape Town retains its position as a favourite spot for corporate trips.
She concludes the interview by sharing her advice to companies planning corporate travel programmes.
Watch the interview with Sharon Leong below.
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