Leadership in travel and hospitality is evolving — and women continue to play a defining role in where the industry goes next. From airlines and hotels to cruise, destinations, technology, finance and beyond, female executives are leading transformation, driving growth and shaping stronger organizations around the world.
Today, we’re proud to release the sixth annual Top Women in Travel & Hospitality 2026 report from Women Leading Travel, a Skift brand. This annual recognition honors women whose leadership is creating meaningful impact across teams, businesses, and communities.
These honorees represent more than impressive titles. They represent strategic thinking, operational excellence, innovation, resilience and the kind of leadership that moves industries forward. Some are household names. Others are rising forces behind the scenes. All are helping define the future of travel.
This year’s honorees include:
Doreen Burse, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, United Airlines
Tori Forbes-Roberts, President & CCO, Brightline
Stephanie Glanzer, CSO, MGM Resorts International
Natalya Leahy, CEO, Lindblad Expeditions
Traci Mercer, CCO, Priceline
Amal Yusuf, General Manager, Business Development, Delta Air Lines
We’re honored to celebrate this year’s class and to recognize them in person this June at the Women Leading Travel Forum in New Orleans. We invite you to explore the full report, share it with your teams and join us in celebrating the women leading travel forward.
– Elisabeth Segura
Strategic Content Senior Manager
EDITOR’S PICKS
Bangkok Momentum Continues: Join Us for the Next Women Leading Travel Member Meetup
After a sold-out Asia Global Leadership Exchange, Women Leading Travel returns to Bangkok on May 22 for an intimate member meetup offering another opportunity for senior women leaders to connect locally and continue the conversation.
From Motherhood to Management: The Strength Behind the Role
Ahead of Mother’s Day, this installment of “Leading Hospitality: Inside the Experience” highlights how working mothers are redefining leadership in travel — proving that ambition, clarity and purpose don’t diminish with motherhood; they sharpen.
Join Travel’s Top Women Leaders in New Orleans — Register Before May 11
As leadership complexity intensifies across travel, the rooms where senior women executives can connect candidly — and strategically — are becoming more valuable. See who’s taking the stage in New Orleans and register before prices increase next week.
LEADER SPOTLIGHT
Member Spotlight: Betsy Croft, Global Head of Industry Marketing, Skyscanner
In this Member Spotlight, a B2B marketing leader at Skyscanner shares how she’s balancing long-term growth with immediate execution — and why brand, trust and community are becoming just as critical as performance in today’s travel landscape.
JOB OF THE WEEK
Director - Change Management, United Airlines
This Chicago-based role leads large-scale technology and process transformation initiatives, driving adoption of new solutions across frontline teams. The position focuses on aligning multi-million-dollar investments with operational goals to ensure changes deliver measurable impact across the organization.
BECOME A MEMBER
Women Leading Travel provides executive women in the travel and hospitality industry a place where they can unite, educate and inspire one another — a trusted community of like-minded executive professional women.an empowering experience that left me energized and motivated.
Lead with courage, claim the rooms that weren’t built for you, arm yourself with knowledge and preparation, and keep your standards high.
