Winning formula
The shortlist has now been revealed for this year’s People Awards, so what happens next?
The shortlist has been announced for the 2023 Business Travel People Awards, with judges now facing the difficult task of selecting the winners.
After declaring any conflicts of interest at the start of the process, the 20 judges were allocated categories by Judges Chair Leigh Cowlishaw, Managing Partner Black Box Partnerships.
In order to choose the finalists, the judges individually studied and scored each written submission, plus the supporting evidence, which included testimonials from colleagues and clients, examples of work and videos.
The number of shortlisted candidates in each of the 14 categories depended on the quality of the entries.
In the next stage, Judges will meet in London on July 6 to make the final decisions about this year’s winners and, following tradition, they will also interview the finalists in the prestigious Rising Star category.
New faces
There are seven new judges on the panel this year, including Paul Bowden, Commercial Director at RDG (Rail Delivery Group), and Merv Moonien, who has recently been appointed Cross Border Support Manager Assistant Director at EY.
Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage and winner of the 2022 Chair’s Award, and Lynne Griffiths, CEO Sirius Talent Solution and winner of the 2022 Shining Star category, have also joined the panel.
Following tradition, the winners of the previous year’s Rising Star Award will also help choose the 2023 winners. In 2022 there were three joint winners of this award – Sinéad Ryan, Head of Account Management UK, ALTOUR, Georgia Suttie, Venue Find Operations Manager, Agiito, and Laura Garton, Sales and Marketing Executive, Synergy Global Housing.
The big night
Tickets are already on sale for the glittering awards ceremony on September 25.
For the first time, the event will take place at the recently-renovated De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London.
The evening will start with a drinks reception, sponsored by Direct ATPI, followed by a sit-down meal in the Grand Hall, during which the winners will be announced. Afterwards there will be time for more networking and celebrating.
Early bird tickets for the awards ceremony are available until June 23 2023 for £150. After that date, the price will rise to £175. Tables (for up to nine) are available from £1,350 (early bird) and then from £1,575.
The price includes the welcome drinks reception, ceremony and a three-course dinner with wine and coffee.
“We can’t wait to see you all to celebrate the achievements of our industry’s best people,” said Kirsty Hicks, Publisher of The Business Travel Magazine and organiser of the awards.
Sponsors
As always, the Business Travel People Awards wouldn’t be possible without the support of industry-leading sponsors.
For 2023, Agiito will be sponsoring the Travel Tech Innovator Award while Sirius Talent Solutions is supporting Rising Star.
JetBlue has been confirmed as the sponsor of the much-coveted TMC of the Year Award and Delta/Virgin are jointly sponsoring the award for Sustainability Champion. Best Workplaces In Travel is supporting the new People Manager of the Year category.
Meanwhile, TripStax is sponsoring the prestigious Industry Contribution Award and Direct ATPI will kindly be providing the welcome drinks and sponsoring the bar.
For sponsorship opportunities and more information, contact Publisher Kirsty Hicks on kirsty.hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk.
Words from the judges
Paul Bowden, Commercial Director, Rail Delivery Group
Judging the best of the best within business travel allows me to get down to the grassroots and contribute to elevating talent and best practice.
Sinead Ryan, Head of Account Management UK, Altour
It’s a real honour to be invited as a judge for these prestigious industry awards. It’s so important to support talent and shine a light on those that are going above and beyond every day.
Laura Garton, Sales and Marketing Executive at Synergy Global Housing
I want to help the superstars across our industry gain the recognition they deserve. These individuals work tirelessly day in day out and I look forward to supporting the wider industry in identifying these superstars so that great minds can come together, collaborate and continue to push the boundaries of our industry.
Carolyn Pearson, Founder and CEO, Maiden Voyage
I want to give something back to the industry and to support the new upcoming talent. I want to be inspired and energised by the efforts that people are making to ensure the business travel experience is even better for the traveller.
