GBTA Foundation’s 2025 WINiT Summit & Gala Celebrate the Power of Possibility and Leaders Advancing Gender Equity in Business Travel

Events explore strategies to drive leadership progress across sector and recognize standout achievements

The GBTA Foundation, the cause-led arm of the Global Business Travel Association, hosted its 2025 WINiT Summit, Awards & Gala yesterday at Civic Hall in New York City. Now in its 11th year, GBTA WINiT ("Women in Travel"), a program dedicated to helping women thrive in their travel industry careers, continues to evolve as a catalyst for change - offering mentorship, training, research and awareness to dismantle advancement barriers.

Under the theme "The Power of Possibility," this year's Summit brought together over 170 professionals, leaders and allies from across the business travel industry to celebrate progress, share insights and accelerate momentum toward gender equity.

"'The Power of Possibility' isn't just a theme - it's a call to action," said Delphine Millot, Managing Director for the GBTA Foundation. "This year's WINiT Summit and Gala is proof of what's possible when people and organizations commit to equity and work together to turn intention into measurable progress."

A Day of Learning, Inspiration and Connection

The day-long WINiT Summit featured thought-provoking discussions and interactive sessions focused on leadership, mentorship and strategies to foster greater inclusion and opportunity. Speakers and panelists explored how collaboration, intentional investment and equitable workplace cultures can drive real change in the global travel community.

The agenda included special guest Anna Falth, Head of Women's Empowerment Principles Secretariat at UN Women, who participated in a fireside chat on Main Stage with Bev Heinritz, Director, Foundation Programs at the GBTA Foundation, to discuss how organizations can accelerate progress toward gender equality. The discussion also included the WINiT Path to Parity, an initiative launched at last year's Summit with the goal of achieving gender equity in the business travel industry over the next 10 years, which aligns with the UN Women's global movement.

Heinritz also unveiled new research conducted by the GBTA Foundation and made possible by WINiT partner, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), exploring the state of women's advancement in business travel. The report - which is available here on the GBTA Foundation's website and in the GBTA Member Hub − underscores the need for more leadership development programs and inclusive policies to close persistent gender gaps in the industry.

Celebrating Leadership and Impact

The WINiT Gala and Awards Ceremony capped off the day's events, where more than 220 attendees gathered to honor individuals and companies making a lasting impact on advancing women in business travel and recognize outstanding leadership, advocacy and contributions to gender equity.

"Breaking barriers in the business travel industry is just the beginning," said Heinritz. "The impact of WINiT extends far beyond our field - it has the potential to inspire meaningful change in workplaces everywhere and help shape a more inclusive, representative future for all."

The GBTA WINiT Award winners for 2025 are:

Pinnacle Awards

• Outstanding Woman of the Year | Lauri Reishus, ARC

• Most Innovative Trailblazer | Michele Shepard, Emburse

Leadership Award

• Lifetime Achievement Award | Tammy Routh, Marriott International

Individual and Company Awards 

• Outstanding Female Mentor | Trish Earles, American Express

• Outstanding Male Mentor | James Pio, Southwest Airlines

• Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award | Keyra Lynn Johnson, Delta Air Lines

• Creating a Company Culture for Women to Advance and Succeed | Serko

• WatchHER: Future of the Workforce | Parker Durand, Student at Villanova University

Top 50 Women In Travel

• GBTA WINiT announced the Top 50 winners earlier this month, which can be found here.

Photos from the 2025 WINiT Summit and the WINiT Gala will be posted on GBTA's Flickr page in the coming days.