Oliver Wyman’s Bruno Despujol Joins WTTC Executive Committee

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An established partnership between the World Travel & Tourism Council and global management consultancy Oliver Wyman is moving to a higher leadership level. The appointment highlights WTTC’s ability to bring together airlines, hotel groups, cruise companies, technology platforms, investors and strategic advisors under one international tourism umbrella.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has strengthened its Executive Committee with the appointment of Bruno Despujol, Global Lead for Leisure & Hospitality at Oliver Wyman, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms.

Oliver Wyman is already a WTTC member and has worked closely with the organization for years. The appointment therefore represents a deepening of an established partnership rather than the arrival of a new corporate member.

The development is significant because WTTC brings together an unusually diverse collection of global tourism businesses, from airlines and hotel groups to cruise operators, technology platforms, investors and destination companies.

Oliver Wyman’s cross-industry expertise offers an additional strategic perspective at a time when tourism faces economic uncertainty, geopolitical disruption, artificial intelligence, changing consumer expectations and growing pressure to deliver sustainable growth.

Who Is Oliver Wyman, and Where Is It Based?

Headquartered in New York City, United States, Oliver Wyman is an international management consulting firm operating across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

Founded in 1984, the company developed into a major global consultancy and is part of the Marsh professional services group, historically known as Marsh McLennan.

Oliver Wyman operates across financial services, aviation, transportation, hospitality, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, technology and investment.

Its services include corporate strategy, operational restructuring, risk management, digital transformation, customer experience, revenue optimization and organizational development.

Unlike a hotel company or airline, Oliver Wyman does not primarily sell travel services to consumers. It advises the businesses that operate, finance, regulate and transform industries, including travel and tourism.

That distinction makes the consultancy particularly relevant to WTTC.

Oliver Wyman Joins the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council

Oliver Wyman’s Clients, Achievements and Challenges

Oliver Wyman advises major international corporations, financial institutions, investors, transportation companies, hospitality operators and public-sector organizations.

Its travel-related client base spans airlines, airports, hotel companies, travel platforms, cruise businesses, rail operators, car rental companies and tourism investors.

Many consulting relationships are confidential, meaning individual companies cannot automatically be identified as Oliver Wyman clients simply because they belong to WTTC.

However, the consultancy has an established public record of research and industry collaboration.

One example is its aviation research conducted with the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), examining the global aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul market.

Oliver Wyman’s annual Global Fleet and MRO Market Forecast has become an established industry reference for understanding airline fleet growth, maintenance requirements, aircraft availability and long-term investment needs.

Its 2026 forecast projects that the global commercial aircraft fleet will grow from approximately 30,000 aircraft in 2026 to around 41,000 by 2036.

This work demonstrates one of Oliver Wyman’s strengths: translating complex industry information into research that businesses and policymakers can use when planning investments and operational strategies.

The firm’s success is also reflected in its international consulting network, with thousands of professionals working across major global business centers.

Yet the industries it advises face substantial challenges.

In aviation, aircraft delivery delays, supply-chain disruption, shortages of skilled technicians and rising maintenance costs continue to complicate airline operations.

In hospitality, owners and operators face pressure from labor costs, technology investment, changing booking behavior and the need to maintain profitability without compromising guest experience.

Consulting firms themselves must also demonstrate measurable value, particularly when clients are reducing costs and questioning expensive external advisory contracts.

For Oliver Wyman, success increasingly depends on helping clients convert strategic recommendations into practical operational and financial improvements.

WTTC’s Remarkable Diversity Makes Oliver Wyman an Excellent Match

The World Travel & Tourism Council is distinctive because it brings together senior executives from businesses operating across almost every segment of the global visitor economy.

Its membership includes international hotel groups such as Hilton, Accor, IHG and Minor Hotels, alongside cruise operators including Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

Travel technology and distribution companies such as Amadeus and Expedia Group represent another important dimension, while platforms including Airbnb and Uber demonstrate how digital business models have transformed accommodation and transportation.

Airport operators, tourism investors, travel agencies, destination businesses and other international companies contribute additional perspectives.

These companies share an interest in a healthy global tourism economy, but their commercial objectives are not always identical.

Airlines seek efficient airports, competitive operating costs and profitable routes.

Hotels want stronger demand, better distribution economics and sustainable occupancy.

Cruise companies depend on port infrastructure, destination cooperation and favorable operating conditions.

Online travel platforms compete for customer relationships, bookings and access to valuable travel data.

Tourism destinations must balance economic growth with infrastructure capacity, environmental protection and community interests.

Oliver Wyman’s strength lies in understanding how these different business models interact and where their interests overlap.

This makes the consultancy an especially appropriate participant in WTTC’s Executive Committee.

Rather than representing a single travel segment, Oliver Wyman can contribute strategic analysis that considers the wider economic and operational consequences of industry decisions.

Gloria Guevara Welcomes a Stronger Partnership

WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara welcomed Oliver Wyman’s enhanced role in the organization’s leadership.

“We are delighted to welcome Oliver Wyman to WTTC’s Executive Committee. As a trusted advisor to some of the world’s leading Travel & Tourism businesses, the firm brings a wealth of expertise and strategic insight that will strengthen our global dialogue,” Guevara said.

She highlighted Oliver Wyman’s understanding of hospitality, traveler behavior, business transformation and emerging trends as valuable assets in building a more resilient and sustainable tourism industry.

Bruno Despujol emphasized the longstanding relationship between the consultancy and WTTC.

“Having worked closely with WTTC for many years, I am honoured to join its Executive Committee alongside such distinguished industry leaders,” Despujol said.

“Travel and Tourism is navigating a period of profound change, bringing both challenges and opportunities. I look forward to contributing Oliver Wyman’s strategic perspective and industry expertise to help shape a more resilient, innovative, and sustainable future for the sector.”

Despujol brings extensive experience advising businesses across leisure, hospitality and transportation, making his appointment relevant to several of WTTC’s core industry constituencies.

WTTC Is Becoming More Than a Collection of Tourism Corporations

The appointment also reflects a broader development within WTTC.

Traditionally recognized as a leading representative of the global travel and tourism private sector, WTTC increasingly operates at the intersection of business strategy, economic research, investment and international policy discussions.

Its relationships with governments, destinations and international organizations give the council opportunities to influence debates on tourism competitiveness, employment, sustainability, infrastructure and cross-border travel.

The inclusion of professional advisory firms such as Oliver Wyman strengthens the organization’s access to analytical expertise alongside the commercial experience of its corporate members.

This combination could help WTTC formulate more comprehensive recommendations on issues such as artificial intelligence, workforce development, aviation capacity, investment and tourism resilience.

However, it also raises a legitimate question about representation.

Large multinational corporations possess resources and influence that smaller tourism enterprises generally cannot match.

As WTTC expands its engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises, the challenge will be ensuring that industry recommendations reflect the needs of independent hotels, tour operators, local businesses and emerging destinations, not only the priorities of global corporations.

Oliver Wyman’s consulting expertise could be particularly useful in identifying solutions that work across different business sizes and markets.

Why This Appointment Matters

For Oliver Wyman, deeper participation in WTTC creates an opportunity to contribute to strategic discussions involving some of the world’s most influential tourism decision-makers.

For WTTC, Despujol’s appointment adds experience in business transformation, aviation, hospitality and cross-sector economic analysis.

For the wider tourism industry, the potential benefit lies in better coordination between businesses whose operations are increasingly interconnected.

The appointment is therefore more meaningful than a routine addition to an executive committee.

It demonstrates how WTTC is combining commercial leadership with specialist advisory expertise as the organization addresses an increasingly complex global tourism environment.

Oliver Wyman was already part of WTTC. With Bruno Despujol joining its Executive Committee, that established relationship now gains a more direct role in shaping the council’s strategic discussions.

The ultimate measure of success will be whether that expertise helps translate the interests of WTTC’s diverse membership into practical benefits for the wider travel and tourism economy.