Welcome to This Way Forward, the podcast where C-suite leaders unpack the bold strategic bets that changed everything. In this episode, Charlie Newark-French sits down with Elia Wallen, Founder & CEO of Engine, a modern travel management platform disrupting how SMBs handle lodging, flights, and car rentals. Together, they explore the high-stakes decision Elia made in 2019: walking away from his role as CEO of a highly successful, profitable company to lead a small, unproven internal project—just months before a global pandemic.The bold strategic betWhile most leaders would cling to the safety of a market-leading business, Elia did the opposite.He bet that the massive Total Addressable Market (TAM) of the broader travel industry outweighed the security of his dominant position in corporate housing. He made the difficult call to hand over the leadership of his established, bootstrapped company to a deputy so he could focus 100% of his attention on Engine.The timing could not have been more challenging. With travel revenue dropping to nearly zero globally shortly after the move, the bet was immediately put to the test. By pivoting the strategy to support essential healthcare logistics, Engine didn't just survive—it tripled in size while the rest of the industry stalled.In this episode

• The Founder's Dilemma: Why Elia left a profitable, market-leading business to lead a high-risk startup.
• Focus vs. Opportunity: Navigating the "popular belief" that starting a second business deflects critical resources.
• The COVID Pivot: How Engine tripled its business during the pandemic by housing essential workers and recovery patients.
• Trusting the Context: Why leaders should prioritize their own internal data over the opinions of outside advisors.
• Fintech as the Next Frontier: Why Engine is now doubling down on integrated spend management with EngineX.

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