Alexandria, VA – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)—the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced the Top 40 Women in Travel. These outstanding women leaders were selected due to their contributions to the travel industry.

The WINiT Advisory Board will be hosting its inaugural WINiT Gala in New York City on November 7, 2019. In addition to the Gala, we will be holding the first WINiT Gala 2019 Awards. The goal of the inaugural WINiT Awards is to recognize the women, men and companies, who together are driving positive change for the career mobility of women in the travel-related industries.

"GBTA is honored to celebrate such an impressive group of women leaders and others at the first annual GBTA WINiT Gala on November 7" said Scott Solombrino, GBTA executive director and COO. "All those to be honored have worked tirelessly to get where they are, crossing barriers that are both clear and invisible. Our industry is better off thanks to their strength, work ethic, and determination."

WINiT Gala 2019 will be an exclusive social event recognizing excellence in leadership in advancing women in travel-related industries. The Gala will feature the inaugural WINiT Awards acknowledging individuals and companies who have gone above and beyond in driving career mobility and gender parity. To attend or purchase a table, please click here.

The Top 40 Women in Travel are:

Argie Agrapides, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
Ashley Allott, Head of Sales, Americas, Egencia
Nancy Atkinson, Chief Travel Officer, TripActions
Maurita Baker, Vice President and Managing Director, North America, Travelport
Kathy Bedell, Senior Vice President, BCD Travel
Karen Bond, Travel Manager, HNTB
Elizabeth Carisone, CEO, GroundLink
Gabrielle Carr, Managing Director USA, TAG
Jennifer Charlton, Vice President, Global Supplier Relations EMEA, American Express Global Business Travel
Elise Eberwein, Executive Vice President--People and Communications, American Airlines
Wendy Ferrill, Vice President—Global Sales, BWH Group
Aileen Furlong, Managing Director, Specialty Sales, United Airlines
Kate Gebo, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Labor Relations, United Airlines
Mary Ellen George, Head of North America, Tramada Systems
Lisa Hoehn, Senior Vice President—Global Account Management, ALTOUR
Megan Howard, Director of Sales, Short's Travel Management
Juliet Howie, Director of Sales for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Oakwood
Patricia Huska, Chief People Officer, American Express Global Business Travel
Beth Kinerk, Senior Vice President of Sales, Avis Budget Group
Valerie Layman, Chief Product and Services Officer, Yapta
Charlene Leiss, President, Corporate Brands, Flight Centre Travel Group USA
Melissa Maher, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Innovation, Expedia Group
Rosemary Maloney, Senior Manager Global Travel, Tapestry
Karen McGilvray, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Pacific Region, Corporate Travel Management
Alecia McGuire, Area Sales Manager, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
Traci Mercer, Senior Vice President, Global Lodging, Ground & Sea, Sabre
Donna Miller, Vice President, Global Customer Operations, Egencia
Kathy Morgan, Vice President, NDC Solutions, Sabre
Amy Padgett, Director of Supplier Strategy and Marketing, SAP Concur
Krista Pappas, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Lola.com
Vicki Parris, Director of Operations, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, FCM Travel Solutions
Christina Reichelt, Assistant Director, Global Network Management and Development, World Travel Inc.
Kristen Shovlin, Vice President, Sales Operations and Development, Delta Air Lines
Alison Taylor, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Distribution, American Airlines
Amy Theissen, Manager, Global Travel, AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group)
Veronica Torres, Experience Director, Visit Dallas
Jennifer White, Director, Destination Marketing Canada, Hilton Worldwide
Emma Wilson, Vice President of Marketing, Sabre
Valerie Ann Wilson, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Valerie Wilson Travel
Lily Wilson, Director of Events, Access Boston

About WINiT

WINiT is a network of over 3,000 women and men focused on delivering career development services, resources and programs to women in travel-related industries. WINiT is an educational organization that, through generous support, provides Members with a variety of unique opportunities including leadership and industry training, mentoring, recruiting, career search services, as well as educational, inspirational, and networking events. For more information, visit www.winitforwomen.org. Stay connected on LinkedIn and Facebook. Follow WINiT on Twitter at @WINiTorg and Instagram at @winit4allwomen.

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 gbta.org.

Meghan Henning
+1 571 309 3961
GBTA