kabarsula Finalists revealed for Women in Travel Awards bandar SLOT INDONESIA

The finalists have been announced for the 2026 Women in Travel Awards, with women from across aviation, cruising, tour operations, retail and corporate travel, tourism boards and technology recognised across 17 categories.

The shortlist spans industry names including Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Flight Centre Travel Group, Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, Scenic Group, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and The Travel Corporation.

Several finalists are nominated in more than one category. Untamed Escapes general manager Kristy Malapa is a finalist in three – Executive Leader of the Year, Sustainable Practices Champion and Tour Operator/Wholesaler. MSC Cruises marketing and PR manager Michelle Warren is also in three, with nominations for Cruise, Marketer of the Year and PR of the Year.

Connected Travel managing director/CEO Marissa Papas is a finalist in both Entrepreneur of the Year and Executive Leader of the Year, as is HollyDay Travel director Holly Velardo.

Other double finalists

• Annelieke Huijgens, general manager operations, product and private touring at Bunnik Tours (Executive Leader of the Year, Tour Operator/Wholesaler)
• Wendy Anderson, CEO of Red Grape Social, and Vanessa Richards, co-founder and CEO of BYRDLI (both Entrepreneur of the Year and Travel Tech)
• Katherine O’Neill, director, global marketing and branded content at Scenic Group (Cruise, Marketer of the Year)
• Megan Henderson, global head of marketing at Flight Centre Travel Group (Executive Leader of the Year, Marketer of the Year)
• Angela Middleton, director of sales AU/NZ at Norwegian Cruise Line (Cruise, Mentor of the Year)
• Nicole O’Sullivan, director of Birds Eye View Consulting (Entrepreneur of the Year, Mentor of the Year)
• Kylee Kay, managing director of Linkd Tourism (Employer of the Year, Tourism Board Representative of the Year)
• Melanie Sherry, travel specialist at MTA Mobile Travel Agents (Travel Advisor of the Year, Unsung Hero)

The categories this year are Aviation, BDM of the Year, Cruise, Employer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive Leader of the Year, Marketer of the Year, Mentor of the Year, PR of the Year, Reservation Executive/Manager of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Sustainable Practices Champion, Tour Operator/Wholesaler, Tourism Board Representative of the Year, Travel Advisor of the Year, Travel Tech and Unsung Hero.

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at The Ivy, Sydney, on Wednesday 2 December.

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The full list of finalists

Aviation
Kathryn Brunnen – Virgin Australia Regional Airlines
Kylie Ezzy – Sunshine Coast Airport
Amanda Highfield – Malaysia Airlines
Jaclyn Snell – Qantas Airways
Felicia Wangkawinata – Garuda Indonesia
Daniela Yepez Patino – LATAM Airlines Group

BDM of the year
Renee Barry – Redion (formerly Europ Assistance)
Karen Dowling – Envoyage Group
Casey Edmonds – Redion (formerly Europ Assistance)
Raelene Lim – FCM Travel
Jade Mannix – Viva Holidays – Helloworld Travel Limited
Justine Martin – Gray Dawes Travel
Anji Montgomerie – Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Paula Moylan – Travellers Choice
Alexa Papoulias – Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group
Clare Read – Discovery Parks & Resorts (G’day Group)
Claire Simon – TTC Tour Brands
Jodi Watson – Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Cruise
Brodie Dobson – Royal Caribbean
Fran Gildon – Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Tenille Hunt – Quark Expeditions
Anastasia Kotanidis – The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Angela Middleton – Norwegian Cruise Line
Katherine O’Neill – Scenic Group
Bonnie Osborne – Princess Cruises
Jacqui Tufala – Crystal
Michelle Warren – MSC Cruises

Employer of the year
Helloworld Pursers Travel Group
Emporium Hotels
G Adventures
Linkd Tourism
Intrepid Travel
Globetrotting
The Travel Corporation

Entrepreneur of the year
Wendy Anderson – Red Grape Social
Aimee Armstrong – Altitude AI
Belle Goldie – The Cruise and Travel Store
Anna Liptak – Adventure Time Travel
Alexandra McGlashan – AM Tourism
Naomi Miles – Australian Age of Dinosaurs
Angela Murphy – Commercial Hospitality Excellence
Eileen Orrell – MTA Mobile Travel Agents of Australia
Nicole O’Sullivan – Birds Eye View Consulting
Marissa Papas – Connected Travel
Vanessa Richards – BYRDLI
Holly Velardo – HollyDay Travel

Executive leader of the year
Kristen Angus – VisitBritain
Ana Sofia Ayala – Voyages Tourism Australia
Kate Baker – UTracks
Karen Deveson – Collette
Nikki Glading – The Luxury Travel Collection
Megan Henderson – Flight Centre Travel Group
Annelieke Huijgens – Bunnik Tours
Kristy Malapa – Untamed Escapes
Gemma McCourt – Mandala Hotels & Resorts
Marissa Papas – Connected Travel
Genevieve Taubman Campbell – The Mint Partners
Holly Velardo – HollyDay Travel

Marketer of the year
Amanda Bruno – Wendy Wu Tours
Adelle Clements – G Adventures
Tara Clifford – Norwegian Cruise Line
Shannon Davis – HX Expeditions
Emma Fehon – Explore Worldwide
Megan Henderson – Flight Centre Travel Group
Alison O’Loughlin – AAT Kings
Katherine O’Neill – Scenic Group
Carley Russell – World360 Rewards by Flight Centre Travel Group
Angela Smith – AmaWaterways
Michelle Warren – MSC Cruises
Skye Wilkins – Flight Centre Travel Group

Mentor of the year
Sophia Cogan – Luxury Escapes
Renee Cullis – Mandala Hotels & Resorts
Kellie Easterbrook – Pursers Travel Group
Jody Grossfeldt – AAT Kings Group
Sue McEvoy – FCM Travel
Angela Middleton – Norwegian Cruise Line
Tracey Murphy – Redion (formerly Europ Assistance)
Nicole O’Sullivan – Birds Eye View Consulting
Eleisha Penney – Mandala Hotels & Resorts
Penny Spencer – Spencer Travel Holdings Pty Ltd
Rachael Stanley – G Adventures
Helen Thorrington – Emporium Hotels

PR of the year
Anna Bathgate – Voyages Tourism Australia
Amanda Bolger – Luxury Escapes
Jodi Clark – TFE Hotels
Madeline Georgiadis – Aurora Expeditions
Colleen Giblin – GTI Tourism
Lyndsey Gordon – PEPR Agency
Christina Koullas – Linkd Tourism
Ong-on Piyaritthipong – Tourism Authority of Thailand
Anna Riedel – The Walshe Group
Lynne Scrivens – Carnival Cruise Line
Michelle Warren – MSC Cruises

Reservation executive/manager of the year
Labhaoise Cowzer – Inside Australia Travel
Jessica Gleeson – The Travel Corporation
Morgan Graves – HX Expeditions
Kate Hood – Topdeck Travel & Back-Roads Touring
Terri Lensink – Wendy Wu Tours
Kim Meale – Emporium Hotels
Bridget Pawley – AmaWaterways
Serisha Ramdhani – Tauck
Cushla Tull – ANZCRO

Rising star of the year
Natasha Bounyaphol – Intrepid Travel
Ella Clunes – Explore Worldwide
Georgia Cook – G Adventures
Charlotte DeVaughn – Room-Res
Chlorissa Devries – Travellers Choice
Alice Hills – Journey Beyond
Rachael Kotvojs – Flight Centre
Maddison Mandile – Holland America Line & Seabourn
Rosie Osborn – Connected Travel
Jade Sharp – Connected Travel
Bethany Ward – MSC Cruises
Tegan Whitfield – Eight Communications

Sustainable practices champion
Sara Agah Franti – Soulshine Bali
Suzi Borgelt – Flight Centre Travel Group
Michelle Degenhardt – Flight Centre Travel Group
Kerby Hasler – Sanford International Travel
Kristy Malapa – Untamed Escapes
Rachael McGarry – Travel Associates

Tour operator/wholesaler
Cara Anderson – Wendy Wu Tours
Karma Clark – ANZCRO
Marisa Galante – Collette
Mohini Gupta – Travel at 60
Annelieke Huijgens – Bunnik Tours
Anoushka Kudav – Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group
Kristy Malapa – Untamed Escapes
Georgia Nankivell – G Adventures
Ashleigh O’Reilly – Infinity Holidays
Justine Waddington – Waddington
Rachel Williams – Viva Expeditions Ltd
Melinda Wouda – TTC

Tourism board representative of the year
Suzy Bohan – Tourism and Events Moreton Bay
Fazila Farhad – Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce
Melyne Hovasapian – South African Tourism
Kylee Kay – Linkd Tourism
Anne Lee – GTI
Lexie Miliatis – Brand USA

Travel advisor of the year (retail or corporate)
Sarah Beggs – Connected Travel
Karen Doyle – The Fabulous Travel Consultants
Romaine Ferdinands – Jet Travel and Cruise
Sarah Hackett – Sanford International Travel
Jo Kennedy – Kennedy and Turner Travel Associates
Kristy Moore – Travel Moore
Kate Moulton – Cruiseabout North Lakes
Melanie Sherry – MTA Mobile Travel Agents
Ivona Siniarska – Take Off Go
Cassandra Trezise – TravelManagers Australia

Travel tech
Wendy Anderson – Red Grape Social
Una Eggers – Rome2Rio
Bronte Hooper – Scenic Group
Uschi Howard – The Travel Compass
Samantha Kelly – Intrepid Travel
Steph Parry – Travel Billy
Vanessa Richards – BYRDLI

Unsung hero
Ingrid Berthelsen – Evolution Travel Collective
Penny Cordner-Maas – Luxury Escapes
Aleta Freer – Adventure World
Nina Hedges – ATIA
Rachel Jones – WEX
Victoria Norek – Life’s an Adventure
Ingrid Sellarulo – Inside Australia Travel
Melanie Sherry – MTA Mobile Travel Agents
Keilie Stokes – G Adventures
Jane Stower – FCM Travel
Julia Wardle – Emporium Hotels
Lisa Wright – Luxury Travel Collection

Women in Travel Awards 2026 sponsors.