WINiT by GBTA Honors Leaders Who Are Driving Positive Change for Women in Business Travel

Ceremony recognizes women, men and companies working tirelessly to elevate and advance the mission of WINiT

Alexandria, Virginia (March 10, 2021) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the world’s largest business travel association and worldwide leader in education, research, networking, and advocacy for the industry – held its second WINiT Awards & Gala March 8, 2021, to honor business travel professionals who are reinventing, leaning in, and creating momentum felt by those beyond their community and field.

The event, held virtually with more than 400 attendees, recognized recipients of the following awards:

• Company Achievement Award: Fox World Travel
• Woman of Influence Award: Chrissy Taylor, President & CEO, Enterprise Holdings
• Best Mentor/Coach – Female: Beth Kinerk, Senior Vice President of sales, Avis Budget Group
• Best Mentor/Coach – Male: David Kong, President & CEO, Best Western Hotels & Resorts
• Rising Female Leader: Grace Knowlton, Associate of Global Travel & Expense, Blackstone
• Founders Award: Holly Warner, Global Consulting Director for Experience Management, American Express Global Business Travel
• Unsung Heroine Awards: Michelle (Mick) Lee, Managing Director and Global Head of General and Shared Services, BNY Mellon; and Dorothy Dowling, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts
• Outstanding Woman of the Year Award: Allison Ausband, Senior Vice President of
  In-Flight Service, Delta Air Lines
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Regine Sixt, Senior Executive Vice President, Sixt International

Also announced during the event was the list of the Top 50 Women in Travel, a distinguished group of women leaders selected from among hundreds nominated for their contributions to the travel industry across EMEA, APAC, LATAM, Canada and the U.S. The event featured moving tributes to industry legend Arne Sorensen, who passed away last month while serving as Marriott International’s CEO, and Jodi Allen, who passed away last December. Jodi served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Hertz and was a WINiT Strategic Advisory Board member.

“WINiT by GBTA is leading the charge for women’s equity in the business travel industry, and today’s event was a celebration of those who have shown their dedication to increasing visibility and advancement for women in our industry,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA. “Today’s event was particularly meaningful because it took place on International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” Neufang continued, “But our work is not done. The pandemic has hit women in the workforce especially hard. As our industry works to recover, we must keep WINiT’s mission of elevating and advancing women in business travel at the forefront.”

Founded in 2014, WINiT by GBTA is a network of women and men focused on driving positive change for the career mobility of women in travel-related industries. WINiT by GBTA provides the industry with a variety of unique career development opportunities including leadership and education, training and mentoring, and inspirational and networking events. For more information on WINiT by GBTA, click here.

CONTACT:
David Leibowitz (NORAM), 602-317-1414, david@leibowitzsolo.com
Nikki Stimson (EMEA), +44(0) 7764 618199, nstimson@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 delivers 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, visit www.gbta.org.