Sam Gilliland, Distinguished Alumni 2003
Sam Gilliland is no stranger to innovation.
As part of the inaugural class of the Executive MBA Program at The University of Texas at Dallas, he seized the opportunity for a groundbreaking approach to education. His vision was equally astute when, in May 2002, he leaped at the opportunity to command the top spot at Travelocity, the trailblazing online travel service.
"I was interested in getting a graduate degree in business," says Mr. Gilliland, who earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas. "[I] had looked at numerous schools, debating full-time, part-time and weekend programs."
His attention turned to UTD, where he found what he considered an impressive approach and dedication to continuing education.
"The UTD faculty is committed to the success of its students," he says. "I never felt like the faculty lost sight of why they were there: to help us learn. And with the Executive MBA Program in particular, I found it to be a very accommodating set of professors, interested in providing insights on topics that mattered to us."
At the time he signed on for the program, Mr. Gilliland was chief marketing officer of Sabre Holdings Corp., which owns Travelocity. In that capacity, he developed corporate strategies and was responsible for developing enterprise-wide alignment with Sabre's business strategy, which included authorizing and managing product investments. He had been with the company since 1988, holding various leadership roles that created a strong knowledge base to draw upon for his studies at UTD.
Prior to joining Sabre, Mr. Gilliland had put his engineering degree to work at Lockheed Missiles and Space in Austin, where he developed hardware and software for land- and air-based defense systems. He believes that his experiences in The School of Management's EMBA Program were instrumental in shaping his business acumen, leading to the success he enjoys today.
"I came away with a whole new perspective on how I should approach challenges back at work," he says. "It's very, very hard, given the pace of business, to step back, but it's critical to your success."
And success has been the hallmark of Travelocity, even at a time when both the travel industry and Internet business are continuing a climb back from the 2001 slump. Today the company has more than 40 million members and operates Web sites in seven languages on four continents. It continues to refine and renovate its offerings, adding such features in the past year as cruise packages and the ability to book flight and hotel reservations simultaneously.
Armed with the tools he acquired through the EMBA Program, Mr. Gilliland believes he can not only meet any business crisis head-on, but he also can create a new solution that blossoms into opportunity. He is constantly incorporating the principles and skills that he took with him when he graduated from the program in 1994, and says that, as he encounters each new challenge of the business arena, he now knows where to find results-oriented answers.
"I have many books, many case studies and many notes that I refer to from time to time," he says. "It all has the UTD brand deeply imprinted on it - at least in my mind!"
-- Management Vol. 7 No. 1 Autumn 2003, by Paula Felps
