Ladders Past Seasons

Explore winning teams, special awards, and vital business-travel topics covered in past Ladders seasons.

TOPIC

Shaping the future of travel through radical collaborations and partnerships


Collaboration between governments, travel industry stakeholders, and technology companies will be crucial in shaping the future of travel. This season we task teams to consider re-engineering the travel ecosystem through globalization, governance, and partnerships to elevate traveler experiences. How can strategic partnerships help to expand the globalization of travel platforms? What will an embracement of AI look like and how can travel companies and governing bodies partner with this emerging technology? How can public and private parties come together to drive regulatory and infrastructural changes that the world desperately needs to increase travel efficiencies or to accelerate the transition to a greener future? These are just some of the questions posed to teams as you navigate this dynamic topic through Season 10.

 

Season Keynote: Delphine Millot, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Managing Director, GBTA Foundation

LOCATION

Chicago, IL

WINNING TEAM

Team Trusted Travel

Team Members:

  • Robert Winkler
  • Julie Stuckey
  • Chris Merritt
  • Dawn Schuller
  • Katie K.
  • Mary Corrales
  • Sena Williams
  • Stephen Bunkiewicz

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentee of the Year
Kelly Schimke

Mentor of the Year
Rita Visser

Outstanding Contribution
Julie Stuckey

Someone to Watch
Emily Wong

Mentorship Excellence
Doug Payne

Outstanding Service
Natalie Gardner

Pinnacle Award
Rosemary Maloney

Founder’s Award
Caitlin Gomez

TOPIC

Get inspired: Looking beyond travel to drive change


The travel industry is no stranger to change, but true transformation is elusive. Elusive, though not impossible. Amazon revolutionized the retail landscape. SpaceX re-imagined space exploration. And social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok shape how people educate themselves, think and communicate around the world. How do they do it? What lessons, processes and inspiration can we take from industries outside of travel? How can we think beyond our typical environment to find new paths forward?

LOCATION

New Orleans, LA

WINNING TEAM

Team Travel Change

Team Members

  • Itzetl Villanuava
  • Lorena Hurtado
  • Micha Van Eijk
  • Stevie Leigh Harrison

Mentor: Anja Turner

Alumni Advisor: Kayleigh Rogers


View Presentation

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Katie Virtue and Dan Humby

Mentee of the Year
Sarah Whiting

Outstanding Contribution
Abby Pharr

TOPIC

Corporate responsibility, what’s next? Presented by Alejandro Aguirre, Strategic Purchasing Professional at P&G.

SUMMIT LOCATION

Nashville, TN

WINNING TEAM

Team Emma & Katharine

Team Members

  • Ariel Cohen
  • Cari Wurzbacher
  • Edgar Sams
  • Karl Bromley
  • Killianne Clegg
  • Nick Dewey

Mentor : Emma Wilson & Katharine Henry
Alumni Advisor : Abby Pharr

 

VIEW PRESENTATION

Team Emma & Katherine Final Presentation - YouTube

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Ken Augustine

Mentee of the Year
Cari Wurzbacher

Outstanding Contribution
Benjamin Ford

TOPIC

Connection as the Future of Travel. Presented by Leslie Andrews, Global category leader – travel at JLL.

SUMMIT LOCATION

Virtual

WINNING TEAM

Team Phillip & Anja

Team Members

  • David Toledo
  • Diego Panella
  • Lyndsey Pomella
  • Mark Haines
  • Nancy Padilla
  • Sarah Mayman

Mentor : Phillip Pena & Anja Turner
Alumni Advisor : Lindsay Straub

VIEW PRESENTATION

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Steve Proud

Mentee of the Year
Katherine Tomasi

Outstanding Contribution
Grace Knowlton

TOPIC

Defining & articulating value. Presented by Jo Lloyd, partner at Nina & Pinta.

SUMMIT LOCATION

Virtual

WINNING TEAM

Team Proud

Team Members

  • Julie Sickel
  • Carolina Castillo
  • Bharti Keshwala
  • Kayleigh Rogers
  • Juliette Jackman

Mentor : Steve Proud
Alumni Advisor : Paul Coverdale

VIEW PRESENTATION

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Dan Raine

Mentee of the Year
David Toledo

Outstanding Contribution
Alexandria Prejean-Smith

TOPIC

Moving from Trust to Numbers. Presented by April Bridgeman, Managing Director at Advito.

SUMMIT LOCATION

Washington DC

WINNING TEAM

Team Survivor

Team Members

  • Gemma Todman
  • Ciara Buckley
  • Lindsay Straub
  • Karen Sanchez
  • Tim Isik

Mentor : Natalie Gardner & Jason Beckham
Alumni Advisor : Ryan Sokoloff

VIEW PRESENTATION

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Jim Carter

Mentee of the Year
Evelyn Hamilton

Outstanding Contribution
Laura Choules

TOPIC

The role of buyers and suppliers to become marketers, sales people and engagement experts. Presented by Caroline Strachan, Managing Partner at Festive Road.

SUMMIT LOCATION

Miami, FL

WINNING TEAM

Team Barbara

Team Members

  • Christopher Crowder
  • Erin Kopp
  • Grace Knowlton
  • Jessica John

Mentor : Barbara Rose
Alumni Advisor : Norman Gregory

VIEW PRESENTATION

SPECIAL AWARDS

Mentor of the Year
Marc Castro

Mentee of the Year
Annisha Brown

TOPIC

Traveler centricity and the evolution of travel management

SUMMIT LOCATION

San Francisco, CA

WINNING TEAM

Team Andy & Erin

Team Members

  • Norman Gregory
  • Kate King
  • Luther Shoultz
  • Christopher Thomas
  • Katharine Williams

Mentor : Erin Wilk & Andrew Miller

VIEW PRESENTATION

SPECIAL AWARDS

Leadership Award
Will Pinnel

Mentee of the Year
Ranga Chidawanyika 

TOPIC

The total cost of the travel paradigm

SUMMIT LOCATION

Fort Worth, TX

WINNING TEAM

Team Phillip

Team Members

  • Allison Davis
  • April Hoppe
  • Oneal Avila
  • Melinda Kirk

Mentor : Phillip Pena

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