"JVV," the Dutch visionary with a rebel heart
You may know that BCD is the only privately held global travel management company. You may know that our founder is a Dutchman named John Fentener van Vlissingen. But you may not know that “JVV,” as he is known affectionately by thousands of BCD employees, was a bit of a family rebel!
The Entrepreneur:
50 years of shaping the future
To honor JVV’s 50th business jubilee (1975-2025), BCD Meetings & Events’ Films team shot more than 150 hours of footage and interviewed dozens of people across four continents to create “The Entrepreneur.”
JVV’s turning point: Build, not inherit
The story begins in 1896, when JVV’s grandfather, Frits Fentener van Vlissingen, founded a tiny coal-trading company in Utrecht. By the 1950s, that company had grown into a multinational business with interests in transport, retail, oil and food, and tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.
But when it was time for JVV to follow his older brother into the family business, he knew: I don’t want to take what’s already been built. I want to build something of my own.
One typewriter, two chairs and a vision
A memo that mapped the future
In 1987, JVV wrote a visionary message to his staff explaining how business travel – helping people and companies travel smart and achieve more – represented a path to the future. He called it a memo, but it really was a brief, powerful business plan that outlined three objectives.
JVV's three-point business plan
Carve out a place in the service industry, which JVV loved
Take advantage of consolidation opportunities in the fractured U.S. business travel market, where 33,000 agencies operated independently
Leverage technology to quickly emerge as a business travel leader
From one agency to global powerhouse
- We're not satisfied with the status quo.
- We're not afraid to take chances and seize opportunities.
- We're always building for the future – for our clients, for our people and for our communities.
In business,
a finish doesn't exist.