Three ABTA leaders recognised in Women in Trade Associations Powerlist 2026

ABTA’s Claire Biddle, Commercial Director, along with Shelly Beresford and Laura Stephen who job share as Head of Brand and Marketing have been included in the 2026 Women in Trade Associations Powerlist, which celebrates inspirational women in trade associations.

Launched on Friday 6 March, ahead of International Women’s Day (8 March), the Powerlist recognises those in trade associations who champion their sectors, support colleagues and deliver for their members.

As Commercial Director, Claire Biddle plays a pivotal role in ABTA meeting the evolving needs of its members while generating sustainable income from diverse sources. Claire leads the Commercial Department that includes the ABTA Partner scheme, which provides access to valuable suppliers and resources to support members, as well as ABTA events programme, which helps guide members through complex industry challenges including legal compliance, sustainability, customer experience and crisis management, among others. Claire is also responsible for ABTA’s travel insurance product.

Claire commented:

“Being included in the Women in Trade Association Powerlist is a real honour for my team and me. I’m proud to represent women leading commercial operations in trade associations, and I hope this encourages others to continue pushing boundaries and championing positive change.”

In their job share role as Head of Brand and Marketing, Shelly Beresford and Laura Stephen spearhead the ABTA brand and lead their team to deliver ongoing campaigns encouraging consumers to travel with confidence.  They showcase ABTA benefits to members and equip them with toolkits and services to help them run successful businesses. They have also been regular presenters at ABTA’s travel marketing events, imparting their knowledge on the industry.

Shelly said:

“It’s been an exciting year of research and campaigns supporting both consumers and our members. Being included on the Powerlist is an endorsement of the opportunities and impact job shares can bring to leading successful marketing functions in the travel industry and trade associations.”

Laura said:

“It’s an honour to be recognised on the Powerlist, amongst outstanding women and to be able to celebrate our job share partnership and the work our team does to support members and consumers alike.”

Notes to editors

ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.

Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.

All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com