Hogg Robinson Group
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| Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) | |
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1845 |
| Headquarters |  Basingstoke, UK |
| Key people | John Coombe, Chairman David Radcliffe, Chief Executive Officer |
| Industry | Corporate Services |
| Website | www.hrgworldwide.com |
Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) is an international company with more than 160 years of experience, offering corporate services including Expense Management, Sports, Consulting, Events & Meetings Management and Corporate Travel Management [1].
The organisation was founded in 1845 by brothers-in-law Francis Hogg, a young wine merchant, and Augustus Robinson, an insurance broker, and no relation to Philip William Bradbury Robinson. The partnership developed mercantile and insurance interests from offices in Birchin Lane in the City of London and quickly flourished. Today Hogg Robinson Group is an award-winning international corporate services company, [2] whose interests include wholly-owned or majority controlled corporate travel operations in 24 key driver markets throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Their ownership is supported by a strong network of managed partners in a further 72 countries around the world, most of which, like Hogg Robinson Group's owned companies, formerly traded as BTI.
[edit] Hogg Robinson Group History
- 1845 Hogg Robinson is formed by Francis Hogg, a young wine merchant and his brother-in-law, Augustus Robinson, an insurance broker and trader.
- 1945 Makes its first foray into business travel, providing travel services for its insurance clients.
- 1963 Floats on the London Stock Exchange.
- 1972 Buys the travel and transport operations of Grays International Group and grows to become a sizeable force in the leisure and business travel markets.
- 1983 Wakefield Fortune acquired, doubling the size of the business.
- 1986 Acquired the retail travel business of Exchange Travel (some 50 shops).
- 1990 Hogg Robinson becomes the founder partner and shareholder of Business Travel International (BTI), which was formally unveiled in a ceremony at the Berlin Wall in March of that year.
- 1993 The leisure travel business, comprising over 200 high street retail outlets, is sold to Airtours in order to enable Hogg Robinson to focus on corporate related businesses
- 1994 To enhance its financial services division, the company acquires Skillbase, Claybrook Computing Ltd and the UK financial services business of the Bain Hogg Group.
- 1995 Hogg Robinson makes its first international acquisition with the purchase of Bennett Travel Group AB in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden - now trading collectively as HRG Nordic (formerly BTI Nordic).
- 1996 Acquisition of Powerwaves, the corporate events management company.
- 1997 David Radcliffe appointed Chief Executive of Hogg Robinson plc. The Company is restructured into a corporate and employee services company specialising in outsourcing and consulting products for UK and international companies.
- Hogg Robinson acquires Kuoni’s business travel interests in France - now trading as HRG France (formerly BTI France).
- Hogg Robinson buys Paymaster (1836) Limited, providers of pensions administration and payroll services from the UK Government, in a joint venture with EDS. Hogg Robinson subsequently acquires 100% in 1998.
- 1998 Hogg Robinson acquires Destination Services Russia (DSR) - now trading as HRG Russia (formerly BTI Russia).
- Continuing its programme of development, Hogg Robinson acquires Kuoni’s Italian travel operation - now trading as HRG Italy (formerly BTI Italia).
- 1999 Acquires HRG Australia (formerly BTI Australia).
- 2000 Acquires Rider Travel in Canada – which, together with Hogg Robinson’s operations in the USA, is now trading as HRG North America. [3]
- Hogg Robinson undergoes a Management Buy-Out (MBO) by the Hogg Robinson management team which is backed by venture capitalist company Permira.
- 2001 Acquires the leading Singaporean travel management organisation, ASL - now trading as HRG Singapore (formerly BTI Singapore).
- 2002 Hogg Robinson is recognised by The Sunday Times as being one of the top three privately owned companies in the UK. It receives this accolade again in 2003.
- 2003 Hogg Robinson enters into agreements with Jin Jiang International and Westminster Travel to form majority equity joint ventures covering mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
- 2004 Acquires the business travel interests of Kuoni to expand the business into Austria, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein and Switzerland – all of which now trade as HRG. [4]
- Hogg Robinson is name as Britain’s fourth largest private company – the third time the company has been ranked in the top five of the prestigious Sunday Times Top Track 100 survey.
- 2005 Hogg Robinson’s declared strategy is to focus on corporate services related to the business travel sector. In line with this, and its desire to further develop and its service offering to clients, the company invests in automated expense management experts Spendvision.
- Sale of Benefits and Consultancy Services (BCS) division, comprising Paymaster, Claybrook and Entegria, to Duke Street Capital. [5]
- Hogg Robinson acquires US based Sea Gate Travel Group to expand its portfolio of corporate travel services. This operation in the USA, together with the company’s interests in Canada is now trading as HRG North America.
- 2006 Hogg Robinson Group re-lists on the London Stock Exchange in October 2006 [6]
- In August, Hogg Robinson Group acquires corporate travel operations in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, further strengthening its Eastern European expertise
- The Company also acquires Partnership Travel Consulting in the USA and Ian Flint & Associates in the UK, strengthening Hogg Robinson Group’s consulting expertise
- Hogg Robinson Group acquires US travel management company Robustelli, merging its interests with those of Sea Gate and the company’s existing Canadian operation to trade as HRG North America
- The Hogg Robinson worldwide network, covering 96 countries, re-brands to trade as HRG (Hogg Robinson Group)
- Hogg Robinson announces that it is to pursue an independent strategy, allowing the company to focus on its position as an international rounded corporate services company.
[edit] References
- ^ Hogg Robinson Group Company Profile
- ^ Buying Business Travel Awards 2007 Business Travel Management Company (Turnover above £50M)
- ^ Evening Standard (London), May 22, 1998
- ^ Story in Times Online
- ^ PensionsManagement.com
- ^ BBC News Story
