Corporate Travel Management was cutting it fine. Earnings season was in full swing, and most company accounts are filed on the sharemarket some time before management presentations begin – perhaps an hour or so. It allows analysts to digest the numbers before executives start spruiking results.

But as the minutes ticked down to 9.30am in February, no figures were available for the scheduled earnings call of Brisbane-based Corporate Travel, a $3.6 billion venture that arranges business trips for clients.