GBTA Honors Outstanding Members

Denver, CO (July 21, 2016) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry, awarded many distinguished members during GBTA Convention 2016 in Denver.

• GBTA ICON Award– Steve Singh, Executive Board Member, SAP SE Head of the Business Networks and Applications, CEO, Concur
• Direct Member of the Year Award –Jim Wilkins, Senior Director of Corporate Travel Services for the Turner Broadcasting System.
• Allied Member of the Year – Bob Somers Senior Vice President – Global Sales Delta Air Lines

“Volunteers are the heart of GBTA,” said Christle Johnson, GBTA president. “Our success is driven in large part by these outstanding individuals whose passion and commitment has helped make GBTA the strong and vital association it is today. These people have gone above and beyond and I am proud to recognize them.”

Steve Singh was the recipient of the prestigious GBTA ICON Award. This honor has only been given to seven other recipients in history. GBTA icons are those individuals who display particular vision and innovation, not only in their professional lives but also in their service for the organization and the Foundation.

Jim Wilkins is this year’s recipient of the GBTA Direct Member of the Year Award. This award recognizes a buyer member who demonstrates unwavering dedication and considerable success in advancing both GBTA and the travel management profession. Wilkins is an accomplished veteran in the travel industry. He was a chapter President and served on the GBTA Bylaw Coalition, where he was instrumental in refining and strengthening the organization’s governing rules and principles. His work in creating the new Indirect Member category will benefit GBTA for years to come. He currently serves on our GBTA Foundation Board of Trustees.

Bob Somers is this year’s recipient of the GBTA Allied Member of the Year Award. This award recognizes an allied member whose dedication, enthusiasm and hard work have generated significant benefits for our Association and for the business travel industry. He recently served on the Foundation’s Industry Advisory Council, which acts as the Foundation’s “think tank” to identify new ideas and projects for the betterment of our industry. He was instrumental in shaping high-impact research topics and key education sessions. He is widely known as a thought leader in the industry, one who is committed to driving positive change.

They are true leaders in the business travel industry. They have the ability not only to think boldly and creatively about new approaches, but also to implement their vision in a meaningful and impactful manner. At the same time, they believe in the importance of furthering the broader business travel industry and contributing their time and energy to making that happen.

In addition to its annual Direct Member and Allied Member of the Year awards and the prestigious ICON award, GBTA also awarded 18 members with the Chapter Presidents’ Council Business Travel Professional Service Award. The Business Travel Professional Service Award is presented each year to Chapter members who have made significant contributions to GBTA, their local Chapter and the business travel industry. The award was extended this year to include regions from around the world. The following were honored at the GBTA Global Leaders dinner in Denver:

U.S honorees: Samantha Beat, Mary Kathleen Cole, Valentina Hanson, Claire Langford, Ellen Meyer, Heather Pastrick, DJ Prohaska, Gregory Sweeney, Cyndy Thompson, Wallis Williams.

Canada honorees: Ian Race, Shelly Lewchuck

Latin America honorees: Roman Hernandez, Javier Rosas Best

Europe honorees: Ronan Morice, Cathrine Lundberg

China honorees: Hamish Wang, Becky Cao

CONTACT:
Colleen Lerro Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org