Dr Carl Jones is Managing Director (Southeast Asia) at SAP Concur. He leads a multinational cross-functional team with sales, pre-sales, client success and cloud channel partnerships, ensuring alignment for strategic projects within SAP Concur.

An industry veteran, Jones has held various regional leadership roles in Asia Pacific countries, including Singapore and Thailand. He has 20 years of experience in Asia’s travel and payments industry.

Jones is a regular contributor of articles for e27 (you can read his thought leadership articles here).

In this candid interview, he talks about his personal and professional life.

How would you explain what you do to a five-year-old?

Imagine going to a park with your aunt, and she wants to have some ice cream with you, but she forgot her purse. So, you pay for the ice cream first with your pocket money and expect her to pay you back.

Similarly, I ensure employees get their money back when they go somewhere for work and pay for work-related things.

Note: SAP Concur helps companies manage travel, expense, and invoicing.

What has been the biggest highlight/challenge of your career so far?

My biggest challenge was managing the business through the pandemic and maintaining our business when travel almost completely stopped. It was tough seeing colleagues around the industry, particularly the travel industry, being heavily impacted. Thankfully, I stayed focused and kept my spirits up to motivate the people around us.