On Friday 19 June, the business travel community came together to celebrate the outstanding individuals and teams shaping the future of our industry at the ITM Achievement Awards 2026.

Held in London and hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Sally Gunnell OBE alongside ITM CEO Scott Davies, the event recognised those driving innovation, delivering exceptional service, championing sustainability and supporting the next generation of talent through mentoring.

With another exceptional standard of nominations, our judging panel had the difficult task of selecting this year's winners.

Here's a full list of our 2026 winners:

🏆 Service Excellence Awards

Individual Winner: Sally Higgs, Clarasight

Recognised for transforming corporate travel programmes through strategic leadership, helping clients unlock significant savings while sharing practical AI knowledge with the wider industry and championing more sustainable travel management.

Team Winner: Direct Travel UK Operations Team

Celebrated for delivering exceptional service at scale through a people-first culture, combining operational excellence with empathy to achieve outstanding client satisfaction, retention and performance.

 

🏆 Game Changer Awards

Individual Winner: Cameron Spence, Amex GBT

Recognised for leading a major digital transformation in hotel sourcing, driving adoption from 10% to over 80% within ten months and setting a new benchmark for intelligent programme management.

Team Winner: Kelly Cleeton & Cynthia Castillo – Conferma & Hilton Integration Team

Awarded for revolutionising corporate travel payments through the world's first global API-based PMS integration, delivering secure, automated payment processes and establishing a new industry benchmark.

 

🏆 Tech Innovator Awards

Individual Winner: Grace Louisy, Headbox

Recognised for transforming corporate event technology through AI-powered innovation, saving thousands of hours for meeting planners while introducing immersive tools that improve efficiency and sustainability.

Team Winner: Conferma & Hilton Integration Team

Celebrated for creating a secure, automated payment infrastructure that removes manual processes, improves compliance and delivers a seamless experience for travellers and partners worldwide.

Highly Commended: Clarasight Team

 

🌱 Responsible Travel Champion Award

Winner: Bryony Gorman, Womble Bond Dickinson

Recognised for placing Net Zero at the heart of business travel strategy, introducing transparent carbon reporting and innovative policy changes that significantly reduced business-class travel while encouraging more responsible choices across the organisation.

 

🌍 Travel Team of the Year

Winner: CTM & Universal Music Group Supplier/Buyer Travel Team

Awarded for redefining entertainment travel management through an innovative partnership that combines bespoke technology with exceptional service, delivering 100% online adoption while managing complex global travel programmes.

Highly Commended: Inntel Account Management Team & Buyer Team

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🌟 Mentoring Awards

Mentor of the Year: Simone Buckley, Amadeus Cytric Solutions

Recognised for creating a supportive environment that empowered their mentee to achieve career progression, build confidence and embrace new professional opportunities.

Mentee of the Year: Vicky Barlow, Situ

Celebrated for fully embracing the mentoring programme, developing a more strategic leadership approach and delivering measurable business impact while continuing to grow professionally.

Highly Commended: Lorraine Grant, Russell Reynolds Associates

One to Watch: Graeme Hooper, Checkin Apartments

Recognised for their exceptional development, commercial success and commitment to sustainability, already making a significant impact as one of the industry's future leaders.

 

🎓 Mentoring Programme Graduates 2026

We also celebrated the graduation of 29 mentees from this year's ITM Mentoring Programme, recognising the personal and professional growth they have achieved alongside their mentors.

Interested in getting involved in our Mentoring Programme? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at mentoring@itm.org.uk

 

Congratulations to all of our winners, finalists and graduates, and thank you to everyone who joined us for an inspiring afternoon celebrating excellence across our community.

A special thank you to our sponsors, judges and supporters for helping make the ITM Achievement Awards 2026 such a memorable celebration.