The WINiT Summit is a dedicated half-day event half-day event to bring together professionals of all levels for the sole purpose of positively changing the careers and lives of women in travel-related industries.
Registration & Buffet Lunch: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM EST
Registration: $299.00 USD for all attendees.
Agenda*
11:30a – 1:00p
Registration & Networking Buffet Lunch
1:00p – 1:05p
Summit Opening & Welcome Remarks
1:05p – 1:35p
Opening Keynote Address: Bold Women are Good Business
Curb your imposter syndrome. Stop looking for a “seat at the table”. No more waiting to be empowered. Women aren’t broken. It’s time to address the systems that are designed to fix women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.
Anna Blue, President AHLA Foundation
Anna Blue brings more than two decades of social impact leadership to her role as President of the AHLA Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. A seasoned executor, Anna’s career has centered on advancing deep-rooted systemic change in urban education, gender equity, and human safety. In her executive leadership roles Anna has built transformational impact and cause-marketing partnerships with global brands, generated significant revenue growth, and mobilized communities to drive action. Anna has been a featured speaker on some of the largest global stages, sharing her expertise on leadership, social justice, and equitable advancement in the workplace.
1:40p – 2:05p
The Path to Leadership: Career Pivots, Potholes & Priorities Panel
Join this panel discussion as they share their personal journeys toward leadership.
Moderator:
Patricia Huska, Chief People Officer, American Express GBT
Patricia Huska is the Chief People Officer (CPO) for American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) responsible for leading the Company’s Human Resources function. In this role, Huska leads a people-focused strategy designed to attract and retain talent, while furthering GBT’s focus on being the employer of choice in the global travel industry. She is responsible for all human capital related functions that support over 18,000 colleagues across GBT’s global enterprise.
Prior to becoming CPO, Huska was previously Vice President of Global Human Resources for GBT, responsible for the development and execution of strategies aimed at attracting talent, while retaining and engaging the existing employee base. She also has significant merger and acquisition experience. She played a key role in the planning and creation of the Amex GBT joint venture as well as spearheading the HR integration of multiple acquisitions.
An accomplished human resources leader with over 25 years at American Express and GBT, Huska has a broad HR background including employee relations, recruitment, change management, and organizational effectiveness. Throughout her career, she has led the creation of many corporate initiatives including leadership development, employee engagement and culture, DE&I programs, and workforce flexibility initiatives.
Huska is a strong advocate of Diversity and Inclusion is on the Strategic Advisory Board of WINIT by GBTA and has been recognized in the Top 40 Women in Travel.
Huska has a master’s degree in Management from Lesley University and a bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Panelists:
Bindu Bhatia, Global Head Customer Lifecycle Optimization at CWT
Alice Walsh, VP of Sales and Marketing at Ambridge Hospitality
2:05p – 2:20p
Allyship Spotlight
Panelists:
Kelly Kuhn, Special Advisor, CWT
Johnny Schultheiss, Vice President Global Sales at Enterprise Holdings
2:20p – 2:50p
Networking + Refreshment Break
2:50p – 3:20p
General Session: Bold + Balance
Being bold requires balance. The right combination of boldness and balance starts with understanding your purpose. It’s the foundation to why you do what you do and how you show up best for yourself and others. In this session Katie will guide you on the behaviors needed to boldly live out your purpose.
Katie Virtue, Principal, Supplier Consulting, Festive Road
Katie is a Principal of Supplier Consulting at FESTIVE ROAD, the consultancy on a mission to #createbetter travel and meetings management. FESTIVE ROAD sits at the center of the travel ecosystem, supporting corporations to achieve purposeful travel and meeting programs that align with their stakeholders and company objectives, and supporting industry suppliers to create the right engagement with the right audience in the right way.
Katie is a purpose driven leader focused on inspiring people and programs to grow. She applies learnings from her 30 years of competitive ice hockey to provide playbooks, strategies and personal development approaches and is a frequent speaker on growth by #findingspace and on different business travel topics. She is a GBTA Ladders mentor and a member of the GBTA Technology Committee. She has a goal to run the world and complete a half marathon on every continent. When not traveling or running, you can find her coaching her sons.
3:25p – 3:45p
Bold Women in the Community: Explore how women are driving positive change in their communities and beyond.
New Women New Yorkers – Propelling Immigrant Women to Greater Heights
Fireside Chat:
Delphine Millot, SVP and Managing Director, GBTA Foundation
Arielle Kandel, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, New Women New Yorkers
Arielle Kandel is the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Germany to the U.S. Her father later immigrated to France, where he met her mother, and Arielle was born and raised in Paris.
Arielle holds a Master’s Degree in Law with a specialization in Humanitarian Action and International Law from the University of Aix-Marseille III, in France. Prior to immigrating to the U.S., Arielle worked at several nonprofit organizations and think tanks in India and Israel with asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants, and on issues related to diaspora and transnationalism.
Arielle founded New Women New Yorkers in 2014 as the first nonprofit organization in New York City dedicated to empowering immigrant women from all backgrounds. As a daughter and granddaughter of immigrants and refugees, and as an immigrant herself, Arielle believes in the vast potential that every immigrant woman can contribute to our city, regardless of her country or origin or educational level.
Arielle is a 2015 Agents of Change of the Centre for Social Innovation in Chelsea, a 2016 Fellow of PresenTense NYC, a 2018-2019 Fellow of Coro’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program, and a member of the 2022 Workforce Policy Strategy Council of the NYC Employment & Training Coalition.
3:50p – 4:00p
Closing Remarks
Location
New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
The room block at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is SOLD OUT.
You may contact the Reservations Department at (718) 246-7000 or check online for availability at the prevailing rate.
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
For your convenience, the following properties are near the host venue:
Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel
228 Duffield Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 718-855-1900
Aloft New York Brooklyn
216 Duffield Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 718-256-3833
Hilton Brooklyn New York
140 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel: 718-834-8800
Hampton Inn Brooklyn/Downtown
125 Flatbush Avenue Extension
Brooklyn, NY 1120111201 Tel: 718-875-8800
The Tillary Hotel
85 Flatbush Ave Extension
Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel: 718-329-9537
NU Hotel Brooklyn
85 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel:718-852-8585
Hotel room, tax, incidentals, airfare and other expenses are the responsibility of the attendee.
Thank you to our GBTA WINiT Summit 2023 sponsors!
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Interested in sponsoring the 2023 GBTA WINiT program? Or do you have questions about certain opportunities? Please fill out the form below, and a member of the sponsorship team will respond shortly.
Don’t miss this opportunity to increase your brand awareness, generate leads and network with more than 250 movers and shakers in the corporate travel industry. The attendees of this event are buyers and suppliers who are both veterans and those new to the travel industry.
Ready now or want to talk to a team member about additional sponsorship opportunities? Please contact Mailene Cline at mcline@gbta.org for more information.
Interested in sponsoring the 2023 GBTA WINiT program? Or do you have questions about certain opportunities? Please fill out the form below, and a member of the sponsorship team will respond shortly.
Venue & Hotel
New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
333 Adams St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Note:
The Main Entrance is on the street level.
Main lobby and meeting space is on the 2nd Floor of the hotel.
Valet Parking is available, rates:
Hourly: $21
Daily: $60
Location of Events:
Registration & Networking Buffet Lunch:
Thursday, October 26: 11:30am – 2:30pm
Second Floor – Salon D Foyer (Registration) & Promenade (Luncheon)
WINiT Summit: Salon A – D – 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Dress Code:
Summit: Business Casual.
Please note the meeting room may be cool so a light jacket is recommended.
Mobile App
Download the free Conference app and access the full agenda, speakers, sponsors, and attendee list ahead of time! The app will allow you to create your own agenda of selected sessions, interact with other attendees, and much more!
Download on the Apple App Store
Download on the Google Play Store
You can also access the full agenda the day of the Summit on the Attendee Hub.
Average Temperature:
The average temperature in New York City in late October for a typical day range from a high of 66°F (19°C) to a low of 50°F (10°C).
Airport Transportation
Transportation to and from the hotel will be the responsibility of the registrant. Taxis and Ride sharing services are available to/from all airports servicing John F. Kennedy International (JFK) – 19 miles; LaGuardia (LGA)- 10.4 miles; and Newark Liberty (EWR)-14.8 miles.
Additional Transportation
The Jay Street/Metro Tech Subway Station (A/C/F Lines) is a 2-minute walk from the hotel.
The Borough Hall Subway Station (2/3 Lines) is a 5-minute walk from the hotel.
For more information, visit the MTA Route Planner site.
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