End of year message from the CEO

When I sat down to write to you all at this time last year, I had nothing but a great sense of pride for the achievements Riskline accomplished in 2019, and optimism for what lay ahead in 2020; the new industries we would break into, the stronger partnerships we would form, the new members that would join our global team, and all the many new travellers we would be helping with our travel risk intelligence.

And then the unthinkable happened.

As we started this year none of us could have imagined what 2020 would have in store. While everyone has been affected by the pandemic in one way or another, COVID-19 greatly impacted the business travel industry and all sectors connected with it.

Since 2007, Riskline has cared for travellers, keeping everyone involved in the travel process prepared and informed about possible itinerary disruptions or life-threatening situations. I’m not a superstitious person, but even I took pause on what the pandemic could fatefully mean for our 13th year in business.

The pandemic has been a catalyst for change, so we seized the opportunity. We refocused our plans, rolled up our sleeves and got to work. This year we offered multiple new intelligence solutions focused on the COVID-19 pandemic including a dedicated microsite to keep everyone informed and prepared for the difficult decisions ahead.

As our intelligence output and audience grew, so did our global team – hiring more new staff members in one year than we ever had before.

Now sitting in over 15 countries and across 11 different time zones, the Riskline team worked diligently in 2020, bringing our travel risk solutions to new markets, including the insurance industry.

Thanks to technology I remained connected to our partner network. While we couldn’t be together in person, we were still able to work on new products together and strengthen our relationships. Despite this being a year of hardships, I will take away some positivity of how it brought many of us closer together.

Now that we’ve reached the last month of a year none of us will soon forget, I once again remain proud of what we set out to accomplish, just not in the way I had imagined we would at the start of the year.

We’re all looking forward to seeing 2020 behind us, but COVID-19 and its impact will still be with us in 2021. However there is light on the horizon, and as I write this, vaccination campaigns have begun in Europe and North America.

Ever the optimist, I’m still excited about the future of travel and the new products we are developing and ready to be released in Q1 2021, and I remain committed to our mission of caring for travellers and helping everyone to get their travel plans back on track.

I wish you and your families a safe and healthy new year,

Kennet Nordlien