GBTA Foundation Names 2026 WINiT Top 50

Honor recognizes women in business travel and meetings

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October 6, 2026

The GBTA Foundation, an arm of GBTA, has named its 2026 WINiT Top 50, which recognizes leaders who are corporate champions elevating and celebrating women as well as those who are rising talent in the business travel and meetings sector.

WINiT is a GBTA Foundation program dedicated to advancing equity and opportunity for women across the business travel industry through leadership development, mentoring connections and networking. WINiT has expanded recently to a 1,200-member global community, with 40% of the 2026 Top 50 nominations coming from outside the US.

This year’s honorees represent 36 companies, 16 countries and five continents, reflecting, according to an announcement, the global diversity and reach of WINiT.

Bev Heinritz, director, foundation programs at the GBTA Foundation, said, “The 2026 WINiT Top 50 reflects the extraordinary breadth of talent, leadership and allyship shaping business travel around the world.” These honorees, she said, “are not only achieving excellence in their own careers; they are opening doors, creating opportunities and inspiring the next generation of leaders across our industry.”

Heinritz added that each of this year’s Top 50 will receive 50,000 AAdvantage miles, made possible by American Airlines, “as a token of appreciation for their efforts to build a more inclusive future in the business travel industry,” according to an announcement.

The 2026 WINiT Top 50 honorees and their companies are listed below alphabetically by last name across the five award categories — including the new “Allies in Action” category — along with the criteria for each:

Women innovating the way we travel — honoring 13 visionaries who inspire others to join in their efforts to demonstrate revolutionary thinking and creativity in improving the business travel experience:

Sarah Boyd, Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)
Danielle Cavnor, Blockskye
Alice Dunn, EY
Valeria Hein, Sabre
Kerri Homann, Rheinmetall Defence Australia
Toni Lo Sasso, Direct Travel
Anna Marshall, House of Travel and Orbit World Travel
Sarah Kuberry Martino, Direct Travel
Stephanie Millichap, United Airlines
Tahnee Perry, Temoji Consulting
Sue Peterson, Amadeus Cytric
Melanie Primevert, FCM Travel
Samantha Van Leeuwen, PwC
Global leaders with global impact — eight changemakers who are redefining leadership in business travel by creating momentum, inspiring others and making a lasting impact:

Olena Bezrukava, Flypoint
Ana Paula Hernandez, BCD Travel
Suzanne Horner, Gray Dawes Travel
Natasha Mann, Future Energy Global
Ana Pedersen, Corporate Travel Management
Clara Puertas, Sabre
Souhilla Taarabit, Al-Futtaim
Koko Tang, Colorful Earth
Rising female leaders — 12 early-career, high-performing professionals who represent the future of the industry and are poised for continued success:

Yanisse Belarbi, IDEAL Meetings
Chelsea Carrasquillo, Southwest Airlines
Kristin Coss, American Airlines
Courtney Gay, Enterprise Mobility
Karli Kincaid, Delta Air Lines
Nikki McLauchlin, Enterprise Mobility
Shelby Riley, Delta Air Lines
Megan Scarbath, American Express Global Business Travel
Deepshikha Sehgal, Sabre
Bernadeta Śmiałek, Sabre
Nicola Teal, Orbit World Travel
Kyra van Egmond, Shell
FollowHer: legends in the industry — 14 exemplary leaders in the business travel industry who are committed to advancing women by inspiring change:

Danielle Bilbao, Accor
Gaëlle Bristiel, Amadeus
Claire Cuschieri, SilverDoor
Ronda Dean, F5, Inc
Robin Handley, Direct Travel
Nancy King, Aramark
Tracy Loiacono, Corporate Traveler
Cicley Lopez, Southwest Airlines
Beth Marino, Fox World Travel, Inc.
Kimberly Parker, Southwest Airlines
Natalee Perkins, Sixt
Anja Turner-Schulz, BCD Travel
Christine Sikes, Direct Travel
Eileen Wingrove, American Express Global Business Travel
Allies in action: champions of change — Male leaders who consistently use their position and platform to drive meaningful progress for women and contribute to a more inclusive future for the global business travel industry: