Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines, was awarded the “Inspirational Role Model Award” at the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2022 organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Güliz Öztürk, who carries out many activities on gender balance, both institutionally and individually, received this special award, which aims to recognise and celebrate the great work that is being done to ensure Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Award was presented at the 78th IATA’s Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Doha by IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh and Qatar Airways Group CEO His Excellency Akbar Al Baker.
Speaking about the “Inspirational Role Model Award”, presented to women leaders who have a significant impact on the aviation agenda through their strong contribution to business delivery, as well as their ongoing support of the diversity and inclusion agenda, Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines, said: “It is a great honour to receive such a significant and special award. As Pegasus Airlines, we are a company that places great importance on diversity and inclusion. We have been at the centre of the struggle for gender equality in particular for many years and have been carrying out a lot of work in this field. We are proud of the fact that our female employees have made their mark in every field in our company from pilots to senior management.” And she continued: “We will make every effort, institutionally and individually, to contribute to the equal participation of all individuals, regardless of gender, in all areas of social life and to enable women to express their full potential, and we will continue to work with all our strength with the aim of achieving a more equal future.”
Pegasus’ work on gender equality
Pegasus Airlines, the first airline in the world to join the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles platform, is a member of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Commission for Development of Gender Balance and supports initiatives such as the Yanındayız Association, Wtech Women in Technology Association, and the Women in Sales Network (WiSN) social project. Pegasus, who made a pledge for the achievement of gender balance within the company by signing IATA’s “25by2025” initiative in 2019, continues to review its target every quarter in this context. Pegasus also sets targets to increase female representation and leadership in senior management within the scope of the UN Global Compact’s Target Gender Equality programme and takes decisive steps towards achieving these targets through performance analysis, workshops, and shared learning among participating companies. Indicative of its thoughtfulness towards gender balance, Pegasus Airlines continues its tradition of naming the new aircraft joining its fleet after the daughters of its employees.
