IATA welcomes nominations for 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Awards

This is the fifth edition of these annual awards that focus on recognizing excellence in diversity and inclusion in three categories:

The Inspirational Role Model Award recognizes a woman who holds a senior position within the air transport industry and who has had a significant impact on the aviation agenda through her strong contribution to the delivery of commercial services, as well as its continued support of the diversity and inclusion agenda. Nominees from across the aviation industry are welcome.

The High Flyer award recognizes an aviation professional under the age of 40 who has demonstrated leadership through concrete actions in favor of diversity and inclusion, generating a positive impact in the industry. Open to all female professionals in the aviation industry.

The Diversity and Inclusion Team Award recognizes an airline that has experienced measurable positive changes in diversity and inclusion as a result of the work it has been doing in this area. Open to all IATA member airlines.

“The aviation industry has proven time and time again that it is capable of reinventing itself. For five years, these awards have recognized aviation's notable progress in diversity and inclusion, particularly in improving gender balance in aviation. 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 being done in this area, I am sure the panel of judges will have a challenging task evaluating the nominations. And we all look forward to celebrating the impact of the winning projects at the upcoming IATA Annual General Meeting and at the World Air Transport Summit in Dubai this June,” said Willie Walsh, IATA Director General.

Each award winner will receive $25,000 (in the name of the awardee or the nominated charity for diversity and inclusion activities) thanks to the generous sponsorship of Qatar Airways.

Antonio Schulthess, Chief People Officer at Qatar Airways, 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 continued work to promote a multicultural and multi-talented approach across the organisation, particularly in relation to gender issues.”

Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces plays a key role in driving better business results. By bringing diversity and inclusion to the heart of the business, organizations are preparing for the future in which diversity and inclusion will no longer be an adjunct to HR initiatives but a key component of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and CSRD (Corporate). Social Responsibility and Disclosure). Through the Diversity and Inclusion Awards and the 25by2025 best practice guide, IATA is helping organizations across the entire value chain to become more diverse and inclusive.

In the last four editions of the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards, a total of 224 nominations were received from across the aviation value chain. The winners of these awards come from different parts of the world and represent airlines, NGOs and educational institutions.

This year's nominations will be judged by an independent panel of judges chaired by Karen Walker, editor-in-chief of Air Transport World, and comprised of the winners of the 2023 awards:

Poppy Khoza – Director of Civil Aviation, South African Civil Aviation Authority (SAACA);
Camila Turrieta, president of the Presidential Committee for Diversity and Inclusion of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and first officer of JetBlue Airways;
On behalf of Virgin Atlantic: Donna Codrington, Senior Director and General Counsel.