As we close the 2009 calendar year, we sat down with Concur's chairman and CEO Steve Singh to discuss three questions reflecting on 2009 and looking forward to 2010.

Q: As CEO of Concur, what was your proudest moment/accomplishment/milestone in 2009?

A: The sum of what we accomplished together in 2009 was humbling. But it was not by luck. Over the past 10 years we have built a strong business and delivered the best products in our industry while always keeping the needs of our customers at the center of our company. The strength of who we are as individuals and as a team – along with our relentless desire to improve – carried us in 2009. Even in the face of the worst economic contraction since the Depression, as unemployment doubled over 14 months and travel spend dropped more than 30 percent on a global basis, we saw revenue increase 15 percent and earnings grow 33 percent. That speaks to the scale of our market opportunity and the caliber of our people.

Q: What can we look forward to from Concur in 2010; what technology advancements/innovations will we see?

A: There are three things that I am the most excited about for 2010. First, you’ll see Concur meaningfully enter the small business space, or what we call the emerging business market. Why is that important? The emerging business market represents roughly 1/3 of the US work force and roughly 40 percent of the global workforce. It is a colossal market opportunity. It is also immensely difficult to find the right distribution model, deployment model and service model, not to mention revenue model. As you would expect, we are patient investors but I have to admit that there is a small part of me that thinks we can see real success in the short term. Second, it should be clear to all of us that smart-phone platforms like the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android & BlackBerry will have a long-term and pervasive impact on our industry. I am impressed with Concur Mobile but can’t help but think about the next 2 or 3 generations of Concur Mobile and how they will help change our industry. Finally, we have an opportunity to take our partnership with American Express to a level that we have not been able to achieve with any other partner. There is no better partner opportunity for us in the world than American Express. If we can execute on this partnership opportunity we will eclipse our goal of 20,000 customers by 2012. Are there other things that I am excited about in 2010? Absolutely. But we are not ready to talk about those things yet. What I can say is that we are in the fortunate position to be able to invest in our future to a degree that would make any company envious. We have an incredible opportunity to chart the course in the corporate travel industry. That is what we intend to do.

Q: What is your outlook for the business travel industry in 2010?

A: 2010 will be a continuation of the tough corporate travel environment we saw in 2009. If history is a guide, then it will take 2 to 3 years for corporate travel spend to return to the levels that it was at prior to the recession. We have just finished the first year. However with adversity comes opportunity for those that have the capacity and desire to invest. We think there is a multi-billion dollar opportunity in driving efficiency into the corporate travel supply chain. For Concur, the outlook is to both continue to execute at a high level and invest against the tremendous opportunities that lay before us.