Omega World Travel this month made good on plans to join the GlobalStar network and leave the Radius organization. Omega executive vice president Goran Gligorovic on Tuesday said that the reasons were multifold.
Omega was an original member of the organization that predated Radius, and "after all these years, it was a difficult decision to move, but the main reason is that Radius changed in the ways they operate and we grew in different ways," said Gligorovic. "We looked at several other networks and GlobalStar seemed to be the closest match when it comes to the entrepreneurial spirit of Omega as a company and the direction we're going, specifically for midmarket clients with a multinational portfolio."
He said Radius and GlobalStar operate differently, with the former centralizing more functions than the latter. GlobalStar also has a bigger presence in Latin America, a growth region for Omega, and its member in Hong Kong had a prior, successful partnership with Omega, Gligorovic said.
"We do have a few large clients but our midmarket clients typically need less than 10 to 15 countries globally," Gligorovic explained. "So it's not really the corporations with offices in 100-plus countries, but still we have moved from that domestic-only market."
Now that Omega is a GlobalStar member, it will take time for Omega clients to drop their ties to Omega's former Radius partners, if they so choose. "There's no switch," said Gligorovic. It's the client's decision, added a GlobalStar official.
Omega now is familiarizing its employees with the GlobalStar's programs and procedures.