Monday, March 4, 2024
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has initiated the call for nominations for the 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Individuals and organizations within the aviation sector are encouraged to submit their nominations by the deadline of 23:59 CET on 17 April 2024. Now in its fifth year, these annual awards spotlight excellence in diversity and inclusion across three distinct categories:
– The Inspirational Role Model Award celebrates the achievements of women in senior positions within the air transport industry. This award recognizes their significant impact on the aviation agenda and their steadfast support for diversity and inclusion initiatives. Nominees from all sectors of the aviation industry are welcome.
– The High Flyer Award acknowledges the leadership of female aviation professionals under the age of 40. Through tangible actions promoting diversity and inclusion, these individuals have made positive strides within the industry. This category is open to all women professionals in aviation.
– The Diversity & Inclusion Team Award honors an airline that has achieved measurable progress in diversity and inclusion initiatives. This recognition reflects the positive changes resulting from the airline’s dedicated efforts in this area and is open to all IATA member airlines.
“The aviation industry has proven over and over again that it is capable of reinventing itself. For five years these awards have recognized aviation’s notable progress on diversity and inclusion—in particular on improving aviation’s gender balance. I encourage the many aviation professionals working hard in this area to share with us what they or their colleagues are doing to make a difference. With all the good work going on in this area I am sure that the judging panel will have a challenging task in evaluating the nominations. And we all look forward to celebrating the impact of the winning entries at the upcoming IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai this June,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Each award winner will receive $25,000 (payable to the awardee or their nominated charity for diversity and inclusion activities) thanks to the generous sponsorship of Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Chief People Officer, Mr Antonio Schulthess, said: “The aviation industry is a truly global community, providing around 90 million jobs to people of all ages, backgrounds and disciplines around the world. This diversity is something that is strongly reflected in the Qatar Airways workforce and we are extremely proud of our ongoing work to promote a multi-talented and multi-cultural approach across the organization, particularly in relation to gender matters.”
Fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces is pivotal for driving improved business outcomes. As organizations integrate diversity and inclusion at the core of their operations, they position themselves for a future where these values are intrinsic to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and CSRD (Corporate Social Responsibility and Disclosure) frameworks, rather than mere HR add-ons. Through initiatives like the Diversity & Inclusion Awards and the 25by2025 Best Practice guide, IATA is facilitating the transformation of organizations across the entire value chain towards greater diversity and inclusivity.
Over the past four editions, the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards have attracted a total of 224 nominations from various sectors within the aviation value chain. The recipients of these prestigious awards hail from diverse backgrounds, representing airlines, NGOs, and educational institutions worldwide.
This year, a distinguished independent judging panel, chaired by Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief of Air Transport World, will evaluate the nominations. The panel includes esteemed members such as:
– Poppy Khoza, Director of Civil Aviation, South African Civil Aviation Authority (SAACA)
– Camila Turrieta, Chair of the President’s Committee for Diversity & Inclusion, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and First Officer at JetBlue Airways
– Donna Codrington, Senior Manager & Legal Counsel, representing Virgin Atlantic.
Their collective expertise ensures a fair and comprehensive evaluation process for this year’s nominations.
The recipients of the 2024 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards will be unveiled during IATA’s 80th Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
