AMSTERDAM, 27 August 2026 – SkyTeam Sustainability Program Manager Yuliia Gelion has won a 2026 Skift IDEA Award in the Rising Star category, recognizing her contributions to advancing sustainability and collaboration across the global aviation industry.
The Skift IDEA Awards celebrate excellence in design, creativity and innovation across the travel industry. The Rising Star award recognizes an emerging talent whose innovative ideas, dedication and early achievements are helping shape the future of travel.
Since joining SkyTeam as an intern in 2021, Gelion has progressed to lead and support alliance-wide initiatives that bring together SkyTeam’s member airlines around shared environmental and social priorities. Key contributions include leading SkyTeam’s RISE Women’s Leadership Development Program and Anti Human Trafficking Initiative, as well as supporting The Aviation Challenge (TAC), its global initiative designed to advance more sustainable aviation.
Through these programs, Gelion has helped turn collaboration across the alliance into practical action, enabling airlines to share knowledge, develop solutions and address common priorities.
Looking ahead, sustainability will continue to be a focus for SkyTeam and its members. The milestone fifth edition of TAC and fourth edition of RISE are currently underway, building on the alliance’s commitment to collaboration and collective progress across the aviation industry.
