For Immediate Release
Contact: Sara O’Neil or Veronica Ferguson
Marketing and Public Relations
[email protected]
[email protected]
Caledonia, Wisconsin (February 26, 2025) – Donna Collins, Sustainability Champion for global event agency Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc. (M&IW), has been named a finalist for the BTN Group’s 2025 Business Travel Sustainability Awards. Established in 2023, the awards celebrate the organizations and individuals that prioritize sustainable practices aimed at reducing the environmental impact of corporate travel and events. Collins is one of just five finalists in the Sustainability Champion category.
“I’m incredibly honored to be named a finalist,” said Collins. “Seeing how far M&IW has come in this space gives me great pride and hope for the future of sustainability in events and business travel.”
Collins is recognized for her leadership in advocating for and educating on sustainable practices, both for M&IW’s internal operations and for the meetings, events, and incentive programs managed by the company. Her efforts directly contributed to 2024’s record-setting year for sustainability at M&IW, including:
- Earning a Bronze Medal for the company’s EcoVadis Sustainability Rating.
- Donating 5,006 unused meals, equating to 6,007 pounds of food, to nonprofits after events.
- Saving 18,500 pounds of CO2 emissions and 1.37 million gallons of water.
- Increasing the number of programs reporting on sustainability metrics to 40%, up from 0% in 2023.
“Donna has always stood out thanks to her passion, drive, and unwavering commitment to sustainability,” said Shauna McNaughton, HMCC, Vice President, Global Enterprise Solutions, M&IW. “Seeing all she’s accomplished as our Sustainability Champion is inspiring. Everyone at M&IW is thrilled to see her recognized for her incredible work.”
Winners of the BTN Group’s Business Travel Sustainability Awards will be announced on April 22. The full list of finalists is available here.
Donna Collins’ Journey as Sustainability Champion
Collins took on the role of Sustainability Champion in 2023 after being a Sr. Customer Success Manager at M&IW for seven years.
“I actually retired from my CSM role in December 2022 with the goal of restructuring my personal and career ‘Act 3’ to focus on my family,” said Collins. “After a short hiatus, I returned to M&IW to focus on the critical issues of sustainability in events and how M&IW can be the industry leader in this area.”
She embraces the philosophy of meeting everyone where they are at. She believes that by matching their comfort and knowledge level, sustainability is made more accessible, less intimidating, and, most importantly, more likely to be implemented.
Said Collins, “Whether they’re customers, suppliers, or colleagues, whether they’ve done their own research or know nothing about sustainable practices, I treat everyone with the same level of respect and offer solutions and practices for wherever they are in their journey.”
“As one of our partners recently shared,” she continued, “it’s not about everyone doing sustainability perfectly; it’s about millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Learn more about Collins and her approach to event sustainability here.
About Meetings & Incentives Worldwide (M&IW)
M&IW is a women-owned event agency specializing in planning meetings, conferences, and incentives of all scales worldwide. We have 350+ employees and operate events in over 90 countries.
We provide customizable event solutions ranging from end-to-end to a la carte, with a focus on integrating neuroscience and sustainability principles in events. We also develop strategies across events to provide visibility, efficiency, and savings.
M&IW is a third generation, privately held, certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) in business for more than 55 years. We serve industries such as life sciences, technology, financial services, manufacturing, insurance, and more.
To learn more, visit www.meetings-incentives.com.
M&IW’s Sustainable Responsibility Impact Statement
M&IW is passionate about the environment and the people and communities we live, work, and do business in. We understand that companies like ours are expected to lead with purpose and responsibility, and we are committed to creating lasting positive change for our planet, people, and communities.
- People: Empower all people who deliver and attend our programs to thrive at work, at home, and in their communities.
- Planet: Enable our customers and partners to impact the future through our expanded services.
- Communities: Improve the vitality and resilience of our local communities.
We are focused on leveraging our existing partnerships and building new relationships that will support our efforts to make Sustainable Responsibility a standard in our industry.
