Introducing the Onboard Hospitality Awards 2026 judging panel, featuring high-profile airline and industry stalwarts.
Few industry awards have a judging process as rigorous as the Onboard Hospitality Awards. A key part of that is our esteemed judging panel.
Our judges are experts with many years of onboard hospitality experience. They include buyers and decision-makers from airlines and rail companies, as well as chefs, caterers and industry consultants.
This year the panel has brought together experts from Canada, the US, the Middle East, Australia and Europe, offering a truly global perspective.
The judges will meet later this month to taste, feel, assess and analyse this year’s shortlisted entries, as determined by our readership vote which took place earlier in the year.
This year the panel includes:
Kelly Stevenson
Director, JetVine Consultancy
Mel Berry
Chief Customer Officer, Vueling
Jodi Spicer
Managing Director, Premium Guest Services, American Airlines
Summer Staninski
Market Research Analyst, Valour Consultancy
Hari Kamaluddin
Global Inflight F&B Manager, Virgin Atlantic
Louise Leaupepe
Inflight Experience Senior Manager, Riyadh Air
Ben Fanconi
Saveurs Coordinator, SWISS International Airlines
Paul Mills
Consultant
Sandra Pineau-Boddison
Founder, SPB Consulting
Trish Phan
General Manager, A&A Gourmet Australia
Justin Cook
Head of Inflight Product, TUI
Julianne Ponan MBE
CEO, Creative Nature Superfoods
Melissa Adamski
Travel Dietitian & Travel Nutritionist, Nutted Out Nutrition
Lance Hayward
Founder, The Hayward Partnership
Caroline Thompson
Director, CST Solutions
Happy Keerthi
Chair of APOT & Consultant
Markus Gilges
Regional Product Specialist, Independent
Steve Walpole
Head of Business Development and NPD for UK, Royal Smilde
Gustaf Öholm
Founder, Aviation Culinary & Guest Experience (ACG)
Yann Bayeul
Onboard Services Contracts & Innovation Manager, Eurostar
Philip Dixon
Executive Chef, Monty’s Bakehouse
Freddy Gerhold
Food Concepts & Innovation, Product Development, Frankenberg
Paula Lafora Ornosa
Customer Experience Director, Iberia
Michelle Green
Founder, Megolution
Karen MacKenzie
Associate Partner, The Hayward Partnership
Bassem Riahi
Director Onboard Experience, Air Canada
