With MC Travel Weekly Deputy Editor Sofia Geraghty hosting proceedings, the Women in Travel Awards welcomed finalists, their supporters and industry heavyweights at the gala event at Doltone House, Darling Island in Sydney last night.
The theme this year is ‘reach new heights’ and the hundreds who gathered last night certainly did, to mingle, have a little champagne, sing each others’ praises, be fortunate enough to accept an award and maybe even a dance at the end of the night.
“Reaching new heights is terrifying – which is why not everyone does it,” MC Sofia said. “Our finalists tonight are immensely brave; they have been brave enough to take a swing.”
Geraghty then welcomed Anastazia Uglow to the stage. Anastazia is one of the owners and a director of The Misfits, the company that publishes Travel Weekly, and she opened the event with an impassioned speech about the Travel Weekly-supported Tsitsi Foundation, a charity she founded which brings clean water to women-led communities in rural Zimbabwe.
“I’ve never been on a stage like this before,” she said. “But I’m here because these women deserve to be seen, and because when women support women, girls grow up knowing they matter.
“Standing here tonight among so many remarkable women, I feel honoured to be here.”
Uglow spoke of growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, “where girls were often unseen, and resilience wasn’t a choice – it was survival. Freedom was something you felt only in moments, never guaranteed.”
Leaving for London at 17, funded by her grandmother – “my Babka” – it was a moment she said that changed her life.
Deacdes later, she has now founded Tsitsi.
“It is the women, young and old, who collect water,” she told the audience. “They walk 6km every day. Girls miss school. They face danger – wildlife, predatory men, exhaustion and illness. The burden of water – and of life – sits on their feminine shoulders.”
Travel Weekly has already donated $5,000 to the cause. You can donate HERE.
Award winners
With those thoughts dwelling in the minds of the audience, MC Sofia took to the stage again to announce the first of the Women in Travel Awards winners for 2025. As spectacularly as she was dressed, Geraghty was outshone by Neil Rodgers from Adventure World, who not only was deemed best dressed in his sequinned bolero jacket but also picked up the Male Champion of Change Award.
Check out all of the 2025 Travel Weekly Women in Travel Award winners
Then came was the much-anticipated Travel Weekly Power List, introduced by Travel Weekly Publisher & General Manager Hoda Alzubaidi. Preceded by a list of 19 amazing women of the travel industry, this year’s No.1 was awared to Karen Merricks, the founder of Mobile Travel Agents (alongside husband Roy). Karen couldn’t attend on the night so sent in a heartfelt video message from London where she is spending time with her family after a big year for MTA which had the remaining shares of the family businesses sold to Helloworld.
Then it was on to the second half of the awards and more amazing women coming to the stage to accept their awards all of which would not have been possible with the support of all of our Travel Weekly Women in Travel Sponsors.
That included the Paspaley Group’s Pearl Expeditions – operators of the new Paspaley Pearl motoryacht – who generously offered a Paspaley Kimberley Dawn Pearl Bracelet – valued at $3,680 – to one lucky attendee.
That touch of the Top End will always be within reach of Amanda McCann Wilson, director of Commercial Partnerships at Collette, who went home with a forever piece of hand-crafted jewellery after being selected as the prizewinner by Nicci Foulsham, Expedition Concierge and Partnerships at Pearl Expeditions.
The Kimberley Dawn Pearl Bracelet blends organic textures with refined craftsmanship. Five hand-selected Australian South Sea pearls are paired with light native sandalwood. Designed for effortless styling, this bracelet can be worn alone or layered with other pearl strand bracelets for a contemporary yet timeless statement.
The pinnacle of the evening is our Woman of the Year, won this year by Sue Badyari – who also picked up Executive of the Year – for her outstanding leadership of the World Expeditions Travel Group during a landmark 50th anniversary year.
Congratulations to all our finalists, winners and all the wonderful attendees and their supporters. Another hugely successful night and what a way to end the year for all the women of travel.
Click here for the full Women in Travel Awards winners list and here for the Women in Travel Power List.
