Seven individuals were shortlisted for the accolades, with the winners announced at last night’s (5 July) Travel Pride celebration in London, which saw more than 100 LGBT+ people and allies working in travel come together to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
The awards were presented by Dan Rios, director of LGBTQ+ marketing at Greater Miami & Miami Beach, which was the headline partner of Travel Pride, as well as by David McDonald, managing director of Chillimix, which co-partnered the event.
The winners were:
- Kirsten Genard, head of PR and events, Celebrity Cruises
- Andrew Hawksey, team leader sales, Virgin Atlantic
- Aaron Pease, owner of The Trip Designers
Judges noted how Genard spearheaded an impressive diversity-focused campaign with Celebrity Cruises, designed to change the meaning of “all-inclusive” within the travel industry. She was resolute in ensuring the project remained authentic rather than just a publicity stunt, with her passion and determination resulting in effecting real change in the industry – creating a free to use photo library packed with inclusive images.
Hawksey was noted as being instrumental in spreading the word about Virgin Atlantic’s LGBTQ+ network. He was described by peers as championing D&I at every opportunity, from recruiting country ambassadors in a drive to campaign for diversity, equity and inclusion around the world to personally selling rainbow lanyards to help raise money for local LGBTQ+ charities.
Meanwhile, Pease received several nominations from peers and colleagues and was described as a “pioneer” in promoting and developing and delivering training on LGBTQ+ to help colleagues. He remains so committed to championing LGBT+ rights, he has even committed to donating a portion of his business revenue to the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.
The full 2022 Travel Pride Champions shortlist:
- Aaron Pease, owner, The Trip Designers
- Andrew Hawksey, team leader sales, Virgin Atlantic
- Jade Berry, PR and events manager, Celebrity Cruises
- Kenny Smith, global partnerships manager/online travel training, OTT Group Limited
- Kirsten Genard, head of PR and events, Celebrity Cruises
- Lee Ainsworth, head of Advantage Holidays, Advantage Travel Partnership
- Lesley Pritikin, president, Divertimento Group LLC
