James Thornton and Zina Bencheikh to speak at IWTTF 2025

Intrepid Travel’s CEO James Thornton and EMEA MD Zina Bencheikh will take to the stage at the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF) on 19 June 2025 in London to discuss the power and importance of allyship in business.

They will be in conversation with Alessandra Alonso, MD and Founder of IWTTF and Women in Travel CIC, sharing advice and experience from across their career journeys, in particular what they have learned from active allyship.

The conversation will be one of the headline sessions in a day full of thought-leading, inspiring and compelling content for which IWTTF has become renowned. The forum, now in its sixth year, will take place at Google’s offices in London.

Allyship is a key pillar in Women in Travel’s mission to create a more equitable and diverse travel and tourism industry, having launched a pioneering Allyship Network four years ago.

James Thornton said: “At Intrepid we strive to be fair and inclusive, and allyship is an important tool in helping us work towards that goal.  Zina and I share huge passion for this subject and I’m excited to join the IWTTF line-up for the first time next year to explore this important topic.”

Zina Bencheikh added: “We are proud to be the Founding Partner of IWTTF, which has become one of highlights of the travel industry calendar for me personally and so many of us in the travel industry. It stands out for its spirit of genuine collaboration, inspiration and commitment to a more diverse and productive industry – something that closely aligns with us at Intrepid.”

Alessandra Alonso said: “We’re delighted that James and Zina can join us for IWTTF London as it goes from strength to strength. I have just come back from Dubai where we launched the inaugural IWTTF Gulf, the next stage in our evolution to deliver a truly global platform of meaningful conversations around DEI across different regions. The DEI conversation is very much alive and I invite the industry to take an active role in moving things forward.”