The Association of Women Travel Executives has held ts annual Christmas networking event in Dublin, bringing together over 100 industry professionals for a celebration of nine years of AWTE in Ireland.
AWTE Ireland has appointed its new committee for 2026 with Olwen McKinney taking over the role of chairperson and Carrie Day moving to vice-chair position.
In a major move the Association waived sign-up fee for membership. The committee is planning stronger a regional presence across Ireland.
Marian Benton won the big prize at the event, a Riviera cruise, while Brian Hynes of Uniworld, one of four men in attendance, was chief sponsor.
The newly appointed committee members are:
- Susan Craddock (TTR/Travel Media)
- Mary McGrath (Holiday Experts)
- Olwen McKinney (Amadeus)
- Trish O’Leary (Sabre)
- Caroline Quigley (Keith Prowse)
- Michelle Ryan (Travelmarvel)
- Jackie Spain (Holiday Experts)
- Lorraine Wynne (Travel Counsellors)
Continuing from the previous committee are:
- Carrie Day (Riviera Travel)
- Annette McCann (Travel Trade Executive)
- Katrina McMullan (Travel Counsellors)
- Allie Sheehan (ITTN Awards & Freelance Social Media Exec)
Lorraine Wynne will be in charge of emails and communications, and Michelle Ryan will be taking charge of the association’s social media. Allie Sheehan will continue to manage the website and IT for the AWTE. Events will continue to be organised by Annette McCann and moving forward Susan Craddock will be working alongside Annette in this role. Mary McGrath, Jackie Spain and Trish O’Leary have been tasked with increasing the membership.Please contact any committee member or email admin@awte.ie or visit https://awte.ie/membership/
The association committed €5,000 to scholarships for women entering the industry next year. AWTE’s mission is to achieve 50pc female leadership in travel by 2030.
AWTE Ireland events will include the International Women’s Day Lunch, End of Summer Party, and the legendary AWTE Christmas Lunch. In addition, members will be entitled to Lunchtime Learning Sessionswhich previously covered topics such as:
- Women’s Health with The Fabulous Pharmacist
- Public Speaking and Confidence Building
- Artificial Intelligence and its impact on travel
Olwen McKinney shared “I’m absolutely delighted to step into the role of Chairperson of AWTE Ireland. It’s an exciting time as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, and I’m honoured to lead such an inspiring organisation into the future. A huge thank you to Ciara Foley and the previous committee for their incredible hard work and dedication – you’ve set a fantastic foundation for us to build on.”
