The 2026 Judges
We believe that we all have a part to play and by collaborating with like-minded people and organisations around the world, we leverage a range of skills and networks so that together, we are able to create an EVEN BIGGER positive impact.
The Judges
The Inspire Global Judging Panel for the Media Awards are a diverse group of authors, travel editors, tour operators, destination managers, and positive impact and sustainability experts, who support Inspire Global’s mission and guiding principles.
Graham Boynton
Boynton TravelsGraham Boynton - Boynton Travels
Graham Boynton is an award-winning international journalist and author who has a frequent contributor to magazines such as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and has written for major newspapers including UK’s The Times and the Daily Telegraph and The New York Times and Financial Times. He has written several acclaimed books including Last Days in Cloud Cuckooland, which was one of the Washington Post’s Books of the Year, and Wild: The Life of Peter Beard, which has been put up for a Pulitzer Prize. The biography could, according to the best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, “have been scripted jointly by Blixen and Hemingway. A brilliantly enjoyable read – a triumph.” Boynton was a friend of Peter Beard for more than 30 years and arguably knew him better than anyone.
Holly Budge
How Many Elephants NGOHolly Budge - How Many Elephants
My work sits at the intersection of risk, leadership, extreme environments, and exploration. As the first woman to skydive Everest, a North Face Everest summiteer, and a global keynote speaker on RISK, I help organisations reframe uncertainty as a catalyst for innovation, growth, and purpose-led action.
From high-altitude expeditions to frontline conservation, and an increasing focus on STEM, systems, and space-adjacent innovation, I explore how humans perform, decide, and lead when the stakes are high.
Beyond the stage I am the founder of World Female Ranger Week and How Many Elephants, working alongside frontline conservation leaders and communities in some of the world’s most complex environments.
Karl Cushing
Deep South USKarl Cushing - Travel & Tourism Marketing
As PR Account Manager at TTM Ltd, I work on the PR accounts of Maverick Helicopters and three US DMOs, namely the Louisiana Office of Tourism, New Orleans & Company, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Samantha Day
FINN PARTNERSSam Day - FINN Partners
With over 20 years’ experience in the travel and lifestyle sector, Sam has partnered with some of the world’s most inspiring travel brands to deliver high-impact, strategic communications. Now part of the FINN team, Sam specialises in creative storytelling, media and broadcast relations, influencer marketing, events, partnerships, and senior-level strategic counsel. Known for bringing stories to life and connecting brands with the right voices and audiences, Sam is looking forward to being part of the Inspire Global judging team.
Chris Haslam
THE SUNDAY TIMESChris Haslam - The Sunday Times
The role of Chief Travel Writer at The Times and Sunday Times demands extraordinary versatility, hugely varied knowledge and a contacts book spanning the world - not to mention an understanding of what readers want, on their smart phones, tablets and from their print paper.
Andrew Hunt
HOLIDAY ARCHITECTSAndrew Hunt - Holiday Architects
A 20+ year career in the specialist, tailor-made travel sector:
2000-2003: Cox & Kings. Sales, and then Product Manager of the Middle East department.
2003-2010: Audley Travel, Programme Manager. Set up and then ran the Middle East and South Africa programmes. Subsequently merged and ran the Middle East and North Asia programmes.
2010-present: Holiday Architects (trading name of A&D Holidays Ltd), Founder / CEO. Founded initially as a one-man band. Bootstrapped to 30+ people with >£10m sales pre-pandemic. Survived the pandemic, emerged very strongly, recovering almost all the lost sales ground by mid-2023 (but off a substantially reduced cost base). Merged Holiday Architects with Experience Travel Group in early 2023, under the umbrella of Inquisitive Traveller Ltd.
2023-present: Inquisitive Traveller group, Director. Co-founder and Board member. Initially two brands, Holiday Architects and Experience Travel Group, with the aim of building / buying a further 2-3 brands by 2025-2027.
Jennie Jordan
VISIT MISSISSIPPIJennie Jordan - Visit Mississippi
Senior PR & Social Media Manager covering all PR for Visit Mississippi, plus all social media work for TTM and Deep South USA.
Fran Lambert
SWITZERLAND TOURISMFran Lambert - Switzerland Tourism
Head of PR - UK & Ireland
Alex Malcolm
JACADA TRAVELAlex Malcolm - Jacada Travel
Born and raised in England, Alex Malcolm founded Jacada Travel in 2008. He was working in the travel industry in Rio de Janeiro when he realised that there was a market for a company that showed travellers the insider track and hidden gems that only locals know. He moved back to his native UK to put his plan into action.
Surinder Manku
ALABAMA TOURISM DEPARTMENTSurinder Manku - Alabama Tourism Department
A charismatic individual, with over 25 years of experience in the travel industry specialising in travel & tourism PR, promotions and events.
Jim Millward
SPRUCE MARKETINGJim Millward - Spruce Marketing
Jim is the founder of Spruce, a marketing consultancy for SME travel businesses, with clients across the tour operator, DMC and accommodation sectors. Jim's experience includes heading up the marketing team at Audley Travel for 15 years. He also has a strong interest in sustainability and wrote and implemented Audley's sustainability policies.
Chris Pickard
CRITICAL DIVIDEChris Pickard - Critical Divide
Chris Pickard is an experienced tourism and media professional with an international track record with a focus on developing mainstream and niche-market tourism “product”. Most notably as director of tourism for the island of St Helena and a director of Enterprise St Helena, the island’s development board, and as head of the Brazilian Tourist Office in London and director of communications for the World Travel & Tourism Council.
In the UK he has looked after the PR for TAM Airlines, the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Ecuador and Quito Tourist Boards, among others.
He is a past chair of the Latin American Travel Association (LATA), and the association’s charitable arm, the LATA Foundation. He is an ex-board member of British Chamber of Commerce in Brazil and the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (Brazil), and is currently the chair of the Anglo-Brazilian Society and a member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists.
Well-connected in publishing, media, marketing, communications and public affairs, Chris was editor of Moving Pictures, Pulse DVD & Digital, TravelPlus, Rio Life, The Daily Tiger and the travel, arts, and entertainment editor of The Latin America Daily Post. As a journalist he has contributed to The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard, The Sun, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, Folha de São Paulo, and many more. He has made contributions to camera for the BBC, ITV, Five, Channel 4, CNN, Sky TV and TV Globo. He currently edits and publishes the popular “The Guide” web series including to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Cannes, The World Cup, and the Oscars. He is completing documentaries about the Cannes Film Festival and the life of the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, with whom he helped write his autobiography and a novel.
Pat Riddell
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)Pat Riddell - National Geographic Traveller (UK)
As editor of the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) since 2010, Pat has overseen the launch, growth and expansion of the brand from print into digital, social, events and partnerships.
Simone Sagi
NETHERLANDS BOARD OF TOURISMSimone Sagi - Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
An accomplished communications specialist with over 20 years in-house PR experience in the arts/culture/heritage and tourism sectors. I have worked as PR Manager at the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions since 2013 working on strategy and reputation management. My primary goal is to attract quality visitors from the leisure and business sectors from the UK to the Netherlands.
Since 2020 I have taken a focused approach on sustainable travel and PR practice. In 2022 I passed the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership course in Business Sustainability Management.
Howard Salinger
TRAVEL CONNECTION GROUPHoward Salinger - Travel Connection Group
Howard Salinger, Managing Director of Travel Connection Group, has been connecting travel companies and destinations with top travel media through various events for over 20 years. TCG’s annual events include Media Getaway, the biggest travel media event in the UK taking place outside London, and TravYule, a Christmas event where individuals are rewarded for their efforts by winning The Baubles.
Natalie Smith
VIA RAIL CANADANatalie Smith - VIA Rail Canada
Natalie has 17 years of experience working in travel with 12 of those working for VIA Rail Canada and other Canadian companies. She has a true passion for the country and enjoys inspiring others to explore the vast options available and suggesting new and exciting itinerary ideas that might not have been considered.
Nigel Thompson
TRAVEL EDITORNatalie Smith - VIA Rail Canada
Natalie has 17 years of experience working in travel with 12 of those working for VIA Rail Canada and other Canadian companies. She has a true passion for the country and enjoys inspiring others to explore the vast options available and suggesting new and exciting itinerary ideas that might not have been considered.
Luisa Uruena
TOURISM NOVA SCOTIALuisa Uruena - Tourism Nova Scotia
Luisa Uruena is the PR Director at Axis Travel Marketing, where she leads strategic communications for global tourism brands. With extensive experience in media relations, storytelling, and destination promotion, she excels at crafting impactful campaigns that connect audiences with inspiring travel experiences.
Susan Ward Davies
THE CALENDAR MAGAZINESusan Ward Davies - The Calendar Magazine
Susan is the Travel & Lifestyle Editor for The Calendar Magazine - a purpose driven platform and community with a mission to drive real and meaningful change via inspiring and positive content, showing our audience how to shop and live more sustainably.
Susan was previously Travel & Lifestyle Director for ELLE by Hearst Magazines UK for over 30 years.
Justin Wateridge
STEPPES TRAVELJustin Wateridge - Steppes Travel
Justin Wateridge is Managing Director of specialist tour operator Steppes Travel. He has been with Steppes Travel since 2012 and for the five years preceding that was Managing Director of Abercrombie & Kent UK.
His travel highlights have been many but from a wildlife perspective would include spotting a snow leopard in Ladakh, tracking gorillas with the Ba’aka pygmies in Central Africa and seeing a Sei whale in the Galapagos. In terms of landscape it would be the tepuis of Venezuela, the remote island of Socotra off Yemen and the pristine beauty of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. In terms of cities, Cartagena, Kashgar and Beirut. In terms of experiences, spending time with the nomadic Wodaabe in the Sahara and cycling up the Mekong River.
Justin firmly believes that travel breaks down barriers and prejudice. “Travel gives us so much – experience, empathy, perspective, understanding and such vivid memories. Our world is wonderfully diverse and we should not shrink from it but experience it, relish it and use those experiences to redefine our own lives.”
Justin Wateridge
STEPPES TRAVELJustin Wateridge - Steppes Travel
Justin Wateridge is Managing Director of specialist tour operator Steppes Travel. He has been with Steppes Travel since 2012 and for the five years preceding that was Managing Director of Abercrombie & Kent UK.
His travel highlights have been many but from a wildlife perspective would include spotting a snow leopard in Ladakh, tracking gorillas with the Ba’aka pygmies in Central Africa and seeing a Sei whale in the Galapagos. In terms of landscape it would be the tepuis of Venezuela, the remote island of Socotra off Yemen and the pristine beauty of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. In terms of cities, Cartagena, Kashgar and Beirut. In terms of experiences, spending time with the nomadic Wodaabe in the Sahara and cycling up the Mekong River.
Justin firmly believes that travel breaks down barriers and prejudice. “Travel gives us so much – experience, empathy, perspective, understanding and such vivid memories. Our world is wonderfully diverse and we should not shrink from it but experience it, relish it and use those experiences to redefine our own lives.”
Allan Hale
CAMBRIDGE CAMERA CLUBAllan Hale - Cambridge Camera Club
Allan has been a keen photographer since his early teens and following a move to the Cambridge area in 1993, he joined Bassingbourn Photographic Club, which eventually merged with Melbourn Photographic Club. He joined Cambridge Camera Club in 2006, and was a Judge on the EAF list for about 12 years reaching the B list. He attained his LRPS in 2009 and his ARPS in 2014. He has very wide interests in photography including Infrared, Landscapes, Nature, and Flowers.
Penny Reeves
SWAVESEY CAMERA CLUBPenny Reeves - Swavesey Camera Club
Penny is an experienced club photographer and an accredited East Anglian Federation of photographic clubs judge who judges camera club competitions for clubs large and small throughout East Anglia. Her personal photography covers a wide range of subjects from landscape and nature to still life and portraiture.
Richard McCleery
CHELTENHAM CAMERA CLUBRichard McCleery - Cheltenham Camera Club
Richard McCleery
I view photography as a way to document life’s events, experiences, friends, travel and a chance to exercise one’s imagination. My 40 years photography experience has developed into a passion and proved an artistic counterbalance to working in a corporate environment. Having shot several paid assignments, I know I’m better as an amateur, pleasing myself. I don’t specialise, but love shooting sport, portraiture and making creative images. I have had work published, won many competitions, been chair of Cheltenham Camera Club twice and am a founding member of Cheltenham’s International Salon of Photography.
Susan Clark
RESURGENCE & ECOLOGISTSusan Clark - Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine
Susan Clark is the author of some 30 non fiction titles and currently working as a magazine editor, Wellness author, ghost-writer, biographer, freelance book editor and book writing mentor to help new unpublished authors get their manuscripts polished for publication.
Emily Falkner
LEMONGRASS MARKETINGEmily Falkner - Lemongrass Marketing
Emily has extensive experience in launching high-profile properties, having led the launch of FORESTIS (Italy), Lanserhof Sylt (Germany), and The Langham, Gold Coast (Australia), securing top-tier media placements and prime-time TV features. Emily has led global PR teams too, across the DACH, French and US markets. Her work has helped clients secure prestigious awards, including the Sleeper AHEAD Award, Tatler Spa Award, and Conde Nast Traveller Spa & Wellness Award. Additionally, Emily has worked closely with responsible travel brands such as Slow Adventure, Selective Asia, and Wild Frontiers, promoting responsible travel experiences from the rugged landscapes of Scotland to culturally immersive trips in Asia and beyond. Emily also leads UK PR for holiday home brands, including Perfect Stays, Bolthole Retreats, and the Landmark Trust, to spotlight quality getaways that appeal to discerning domestic travellers. Her client roster further spans destinations and tourism boards worldwide, including Cascais, Portugal and Borgo Egnazia, Italy.
Tania Peck
CYPRUS DEPUTY MINISTRY OF TOURISMTania Peck - Visit Cyprus
Tania Peck looks after media relations at the London office of Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism. With extensive background in cross-cultural communications and marketing, and passionate about languages and cultural diversity, Tania is an advocate for tourism as a powerful force for good.
Kav Dadfar
JRNY MAGAZINEKav Dadfar - JRNY Magazine
Kav is the co-founder of the award-winning JRNY Travel Magazine. As a writer and photographer, over the years his images have appeared in publications around the world including JRNY, Condé Nast, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Daily Mail, The Express, The Guardian and many more.
Pippa Jacks
TTG MEDIAPippa Jacks - TTG Media
Fakhri Khalsi
Tunisia National Tourist OfficeFakhri Khalsi - Deputy Director
Fakhri Khalsi is the Deputy Director of the Tunisian National Tourist Office in the United Kingdom.
Juliet Kinsman
JULIET KINSMANJuliet Kinsman
Well, that flew by — it’s been more than two and a half decades that I’ve been talking about the world’s most special places in which to spend time as a journalist and a speaker. In 2020, I was the first-ever appointment as Sustainability Editor by Condé Nast Traveller and my book 'The Green Edit: Travel, Easy Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveller’ (published by Ebury) came out — it’s been well received as the ideal companion for conscious consumers, forward-thinking hoteliers, and eco-warriors hoping to make our travels a stronger force for good. Through my consultancy, BOUTECO (a portmanteau of boutique and eco), I work with award-winning brands to help them stand for something and stand out for it, amplifying messages that matter and sharpening their spirit of sustainability. Founding editor of Mr & Mrs Smith and an author of Louis Vuitton City Guides, luxury travel, for me, has evolved in meaning — and today I love celebrating forward-thinking hotels, travel visionaries and luxury brands that are having a positive impact.
Rachel Lewis
SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISMRachel Lewis - Partnerships Manager
I am a bit of a long haul travel geek, I've been working in this field since 2008 although travel has been front and centre of my life for much longer. From front line sales to leading tours, from 5*+ to overland camping, I have covered a lot of ground - I love this industry so much.
Meera Dattani
ADVENTURE.COMMeera Dattani - Adventure.com
Meera is a senior editor at digital publication Adventure.com, a freelance travel and culture journalist and the founder and host of Travel Writing Webinars, affordable professional development sessions for travel journalists.
She covers emerging destinations, history and culture, food heritage, Indigenous tourism, wildlife/conservation, and positive impact travel. She chairs, moderates and speaks on panels, and served on the Board of the British Guild of Travel Writers as Events Director (2020-2022) and Chair (2022).
Bylines include Condé Nast Traveller, Wanderlust, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Telegraph, Adventure.com, Roadbook, Travel Weekly, Rough Guides, Nat Geo Traveller, Evening Standard, Guardian and others.
She enjoys curating panels and chairing debates on themes around travel/travel writing and pitching to decolonising/modernising travel writing to solo travel and sustainable travel. As a speaker, moderator or panellist, she's spoken at the Royal Geographic Society, British Library for Jaipur Literature Festival, IWTTF (Women in Travel CIC), TravMedia IMM, Destinations Show, Condé Nast Traveller Luxury Fair, Brand USA, Propel Forward, SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), Adventure Travel Film Festival, BGTW (British Guild of Travel Writers), Social With Media, Wanderful and others.
Jane Dunford
THU GUARDIANJane Dunford - The Guardian
Jane is the Deputy Head of Travel of The Guardian. Her interests include travel - particularly sustainable/eco - and wellbeing (she is a qualified yoga teacher too).
Jane has worked for a variety of magazines, newspapers, websites, NGOs and brands, from BA High Life to The Observer, from Landmine Action to greentraveller.co.uk.
Byron Shirto
INSPIRE GLOBALByron Shirto - Inspire Global
Byron grew up in Zimbabwe and had the privilege of working in Victoria Falls through the booming 90s. He moved to the UK in 2000, and worked for Abercrombie & Kent, before setting up a marketing and communications agency, offering bespoke representation and PR, events and creative design for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Byron has served as committee member, and as Chairman of the Latin American Travel Association (LATA). He also served as a Trustee for the association's charitable arm, the LATA Foundation. Byron has been a judge for media awards, marketing awards and is
often requested as a speaker at travel industry events. In 2020, in the midst of the global the pandemic, Byron sensed a growing appetite for positive impact travel, and a travel community willing to share best practice. He created Inspire Global, and leads the organisation as CEO pursuing its mission of building a community focused on education, advocacy and promotion of positive impact tourism. In 2023, Byron launched the Cheltenham Travel Festival, a consumer event to promote sustainable travel.
Florian Valmy-Devillers
CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANISATIONFlorian Valmy-Devillers - Caribbean Tourism Organisation
I have travelled the globe extensively working on international tourism projects, and my ultimate career goal is to contribute to the blueprint which will lead to a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable future for all through travel and tourism.
Marine Teste
ATOUT FRANCE<br>Head of PRMarine Teste - ATOUT FRANCE
With over 10 years’ experience in luxury hospitality and international travel, Marine is now the Head of PR at Atout France. With the support of 3 amazing PR specialists - Rachel, Emma & Emmanuelle - she is responsible for all internal and external PR work of the French Tourism Board in the UK & Ireland.
Daniel Pearce
TTG Media<br>CEODaniel Pearce - TTG Media
Celebrating 28 years in the media in 2024, Daniel joined TTG as Editor in 2010, before moving to brand director in 2012 and mounting a management buy-out and setting up independent business TTG Media in 2013.
In April 2019 the business rebranded under a new vision to promote a ‘Smarter, Better, Fairer’ travel industry – while in December 2023 it attained B Corp status underlining its belief in prioritizing people and the planet alongside profit.
Debbie Flynn
FINN PARTNERSDebbie Flynn - FINN Partners
Debbie Flynn has been in the travel industry for over 30 years and was the founder of travel specialist PR and marketing agency Brighter Group after spending the first 10 years of her career at British Airways. After 23 years as one of the UK ‘s leading tourism PR agencies, she sold her agency to FINN Partners in January 2018. Now in her role leading FINN Partners travel teams globally, Debbie continues to be at the forefront of global travel communication and once again listed in the PR Week PowerBook as one of the top 10 influencers in travel PR in the UK.
Debbie is also an observer to the board of the Advantage Travel Partnership (the UK’s biggest leisure and business travel consortia), on the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, an advisor to WTACH (World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage) and one of the founding circle for WXO (World Experience Organisation).
Debbie also leads the way in giving back to the industry in her roles as a trustee of travel industry water aid charity Just A Drop, Chair of the Anglo Jordanian Society, and a pro bono advisor to Tourism Cares.
Mike Kelly
CORAL TREE TRAVELMike Kelly - Coral Tree Travel
I first visited Africa in 2005, travelling independently around Uganda. I was hooked.
Several years later, I moved to Mozambique to run a PADI dive resort at a world-class marine life destination on the Manta coast.
I then moved to Zanzibar to manage the exclusive Mnemba Island, during which time I met Tess and explored East Africa extensively. Five happy years later, Tess and I returned to the UK to begin our journey as family safari specialists.
I’ve been helping families plan incredible journeys to Africa and Indian Ocean destinations ever since.
I love nothing more than experiencing all that Africa’s wild spaces have to offer. Passing on this enthusiasm to our own daughter, as well as other families, is truly rewarding.