TTS  "Tech Village" Inteviews TTS 2022 - Mark Hammond NetZero Group

Travel Tech Show 2022: We are the Tech Village

Up next, we have Mark Hammond, Founder at carbon reduction and offsetting solution specialists, Net Zero Group.

Adding Net Zero Group to our tech village seemed like just the perfect fit. In a world with sustainability and duty of care will play leading roles as we continue through recovery; we are proud to provide Mark and his team a collaborative platform to talk all things sustainability with the TMCs and corporates in attendance.

They understand the issues around carbon reduction and the tracking of such, which is why we have formed a strategic alliance in the hope we can provide a seamless, accurate approach to carbon data retrieval whilst providing varying offsetting solutions.

Please welcome, Mark Hammond, Founder at Net Zero Group.

Could you introduce yourself, outline your career to date and the position you hold currently?

Mark Hammond: “Hi, I’m Mark Hammond, Founder and Managing Director of Net Zero Group. The business was formed in 2019 and prior to that I held several sales and commercial roles within the automotive sector working for Motors.co.uk, Manheim and Cox Automotive.”

How has 2022 been for Net Zero Group?

MH: “Exciting! We’ve continued to evolve our Carbon Footprint software, NetScope and based on the increasing number of travel clients we’ve created a standalone product called TravelScope.

“TravelScope enables travel management companies and individual businesses to measure the environmental impact of their business travel decisions and fundamentally take informed decisions to reduce and compensate for their unavoidable emissions.”

Now that the industry seems to be heading in a more positive direction, how does it feel to be exhibiting at the TTS 2022 for your maiden show?

MH: “It feels great to be attending the Travel Tech Show and like everyone we are excited about the industry opening up in a more sustainable and appreciative manner in general.

“We are seeing travel clients specifically focusing on sustainability as way or re-launching post pandemic to promote travel whilst acknowledging head on the environmental challenges.”

 What are the expectations for the TTS this year?

MH: “To meet and engage with businesses of all shapes and sizes to either support an existing sustainability strategy or develop a new one utilising our Eco-Tech solutions to maximise engagement and climate impact.”

What are your thoughts to our collaborative stand and why was it important for Net Zero Group to be part of our ‘tech village’?

MH: “We know the travel industry thrives on collaboration and falls directly in-line with our values here at Net Zero Group.

“Joining other category leaders who place the same value on collaboration just made sense.

“But also, as we start taking our first steps into the business travel space, we realise this platform would indeed provide a huge opportunity to form long-lasting industry relationships with which we can develop our footing in this space.”

What role will technology, and more broadly sustainability, play in the recovery of the business travel industry? And specifically, what value to you hope that Net Zero Group will bring to TMCs moving forward?

MH: “Technology and sustainability will play a critical role in the recovery of the industry.

“In fact, Net Zero Group is an Eco-Tech business formed on the basis of blending technology and sustainability enabling carbon emissions can be measured, reduced and offset cost effectively and crucially at scale.

“The business travel industry is acutely aware of both employee and consumer sentiment to the Climate Emergency and coming out of the pandemic, this sentiment seems heightened

Businesses are responding and winning market share by their reaction to this consumer demand to manage businesses in a sustainable manner.”

What value do you place on collaboration?

MH: “Great value. Collaboration is key across all sectors not least sustainability.

“We have several key strategic partners, such as Travelogix, that excel in their area of specialty and only through collaboration with subject matter experts can we collectively tackle the global climate crisis.”

Lastly, as we’re half-way through 2022 already, what are the plans for Net Zero Group in the short terms, and of course for the second half of the year?

MH: “The product roadmap for H2 is focused around evolving the NetScope product to include the final Scope 3 emission categories such as waste and sold products to enable partners to progress the Carbon Footprint of their value chain.

“Specifically, from a TravelScope perspective we have some exciting product developments in terms of both utilisng progressive data sources and comparison tools to facilitate pre-emptive decisions to reduce business travel emissions.”

For more details on how you can change the way you track and offset your carbon footprint, join Net Zero Group on Stand L40 to learn more.

Interview 1 Tech Village Series: Read the interview with Steffen Faradi and Chris Lewis.

Interview 2 Tech Village Series: Read the interview with Jack Dow.

Interview 3 Tech Village Series: Read the interview with Daniel Price

Interview 4 Tech Village Series: Read the interview with Kai-Gordon Weiland