30 Years, 30 Questions: Part 2 - People Power

An interview with Maria Chevalier

Great companies aren’t built by technology alone—they’re built through relationships. Maria Chevalier shares what she believes about teams, partnerships, and the people who make it all possible.

TEAM: WHERE PASSION MEETS TALENT

Q: What qualities do you most value in teammates?

• Integrity. 

• Passion

• Fearless

• Kindness. 

• Curious

Always lead and manage with integrity—no sale, no result, is worth compromising that. Be fearless. 

Passionate for their role, opportunities, company and industry.

Be fearless!   Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.  

And never lose sight of the impact you have on others along the way. Lead with thoughtfulness and kindness.

Always be learning .. be curious.

Q: How do you define a high-performing team?

It’s more than KPIs. You can have a team exceeding every metric and still not have a high-performing team. Real performance is when you are as invested in your peers’ success as you are in your own—and in the success of the company. When you see a way you can help someone and you just do it.

The best leader I ever worked for was incredibly selfless. That’s part of it too—to be selfless and help wherever help is needed.

Q: What makes people do their best work?

Two things. First, they’re in a role that plays to their superpowers. If every day you’re working to your weaknesses, you feel like you’re failing—even when you’re not. Put people where they’re strong.

Second, they’re surrounded by people who have the same passion for what they do. The best job is where passion meets talent. I love music—but you do not want to hear me sing. It is not pretty. So passion alone isn’t enough. When passion and talent come together, in a job you love, at a company you believe in, with a team that’s equally fired up—that’s when the magic occurs.

Q: How do you want employees to describe Grasp as a place to work?

That we achieve the impossible together.

I want them to have those drop-the-mic moments. To walk away and say: look at what we do together. Look at the power we have collectively, end to end. I want people to go home at dinner and say, “You know what we did today? They said it was impossible. We did it anyway.”

That’s the culture—one that does what others say can’t be done.

Q: What advice would you give someone early in their career entering travel technology today?

The same advice I give anyone: never stop learning. I have a genuine thirst for knowledge—I’m happiest when I’m learning something new. Read constantly. Stay curious about your industry and your craft.

Build a beautiful network. I’ve learned as much from my network as from any job I’ve had.   But also be there to help your network in any way you can.

And take risks. Do not think you’re locked into one track. Reinvent yourself as many times as you want. You have beautiful transferable skills—use them. Pivot. Pivot again. It’s never too late.

PARTNERS: THE POWER OF SHARED SUCCESS

Q: What makes a partnership truly valuable?

It’s where you blur the lines—where you are both fully invested in the same goals. I remember in the days when we met more in person, my best meetings were the ones where I’d walk in and nobody was sitting ‘supplier side’ versus ‘customer side.’ People were intertwined. Even something as simple as where you sit at a table is a reflection of the depth of collaboration.

Q: What kinds of partners does Grasp work with today and what kinds of partners might you work in the future?

One of the things that makes Grasp unique is the breadth of the ecosystem we support today. We work with travel management companies, corporations, financial services organizations, payment providers, card networks, suppliers, technology platforms, and data-driven travel organizations across the industry.

At our core, we’re a data company. So wherever there’s complex travel, payment, or operational data that needs to be integrated, normalized, governed, or activated—that’s where we can create value.

So I think the future opens the door to even broader partnerships: more financial institutions, more global platforms, more AI and technology innovators, and more organizations outside traditional managed travel that are trying to solve complex data challenges.

Q: What role will partnerships play in Grasp’s next chapter of growth?

A very important one. The ecosystem we operate in is not a simple one. Those relationships—as they have in the past—will be critical. They’ll help us move faster, operate more effectively, and deliver more value to the customers we serve together.

Q: What do the best partners consistently do well?

Transparency and trust. 

And the willingness to allow you access to key stakeholders and leadership —to trust you enough to bring you as a partner to these important and critical relationships showing your value to them. That kind of access only comes when you’ve genuinely earned trust. The best partners give you that.

Q: Where do you see more collaboration needed across the travel industry?

Across the board. As the complexities in our industry continue to increase, it gets more difficult—but it’s more important than ever. The answer isn’t to retreat. It’s to take the time, build the relationships, and do the work of true collaboration.

→ Want to see where Grasp is headed next?