The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed nominations for the 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Nominations are open to all persons and organizations in the aviation sector and will conclude at 23:59 CET on April 17, 2024. This is the sixth year of these annual awards, which recognize excellence in diversity and inclusion in three categories:
The Inspirational Role Model Award honors a woman in a prominent position in the air transportation industry who has had a major impact on the aviation agenda through her strong commitment to business delivery and continued support for the diversity and inclusion agenda. Nominations are invited from all sectors of the aviation industry.
The High Flyer Award honors a female aviation professional under the age of 40 who has showed leadership by taking meaningful action in support of diversity and inclusion, resulting in a positive impact on industry. Open to all women working in the aviation business.
The Diversity & Inclusion Team Award acknowledges airlines that have made significant improvements in diversity and inclusion via their efforts. 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 Director General.
Each award winner will receive $25,000 (payable to the awardee or their selected charity for diversity and inclusion efforts) thanks to Qatar Airways’ generous support.
Mr Antonio Schulthess, Chief individuals Officer at Qatar Airways, stated that the aviation business is a genuinely global society, employing about 90 million individuals of different ages, backgrounds, and disciplines worldwide. This variety is strongly reflected in the Qatar Airways workforce, and the airline is tremendously proud of our continued efforts to foster a multi-talented and multi-cultural approach throughout the organization, particularly in terms of gender.
Making workplaces more diverse and inclusive is critical to achieving greater business results. By integrating diversity and inclusion into the core of the business, organizations are preparing for a future in which diversity and inclusion are not just an add-on to HR initiatives, but a critical component of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and CSRD (Corporate Social Responsibility and Disclosure) frameworks.
The last four IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards received a total of 224 nominations from across the aviation value chain. The winners of these prizes come from all around the world, representing airlines, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions.
This year’s nominations will be examined by an independent judging panel directed by Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief of Air Transport World, and comprised of the 2023 Awards recipients:
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, JetBlue Airways; and Donna Codrington, Senior Manager & Legal Counsel, representing Virgin Atlantic.
The winners of the 2024 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards will be announced during the IATA’s 80th Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit.
