The Managing Director of FCM Travels, Adejoju Sikuade, has narrated the remarkable journey that led to securing of the Shell Nigeria travel account in 2024 by the company.
Sikuade, in an interaction with aviation journalists, recently in her office, said that this significant win, described as a turning point for FCM, underscored the company’s technological innovation and tailored solutions in business travel management.
She explained that FCM Travels faced a major setback when Shell Nigeria initially excluded it from a global travel contract between 2022 and 2023.
She stated that despite being a part of the global win for Shell, Nigeria’s exclusion was a huge surprise for the FCM team, given the company’s active participation as a trusted travel brand.
According to her, this challenge prompted the company to deeply analyse Shell Nigeria’s reservations and develop a strategy to overcome them.
Through extensive research, the FCM team, she stressed, discovered that Shell Nigeria remained loyal to their existing provider due to familiarity and satisfaction with the current services.
Recognising this, FCM took the opportunity to demonstrate the value of innovation, leveraging its technological expertise and client-focused approach to make a compelling case.
Sikuade, explained that FCM highlighted how their tech-driven solutions could transform Shell’s business travel experience while ensuring efficiency and enjoyment.
She said: “We demonstrated what makes FCM stand out—our technological integration and innovative solutions. Business travel is often seen as rigid, but we showed Shell that travel can be seamless and enjoyable when managed with cutting-edge technology.”
FCM delivered a bold pitch that emphasised its core strengths, including advanced technological tools, operational flexibility, and seamless travel management solutions, she added.
Sikuade, further explained how the company encouraged Shell to explore these innovative solutions and consider the advantages of switching to FCM.
She emphasised that the strategy proved successful, and Shell Nigeria transferred its travel management contract to FCM in October 2024.
Sikuade noted that the new partnership not only signaled a major milestone for FCM, but also spurred remarkable growth across its operations.
The scale of Shell’s travel programme required FCM to expand geographically, with significant manpower investments in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Abuja, she added.
“Shell’s extensive operations required us to expand into key regions like Port Harcourt, Warri, and Abuja. We significantly increased our manpower to support this growth, enabling us to effectively manage Nigeria’s largest travel program.”
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