Rita J. Varga, founder and CEO of RaizUp, has been named Women Leader of the Year – Individual entrepreneur by the International Women In Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF). This prestigious award honours her extraordinary contributions to the travel and hospitality technology sectors, where she has been a tireless advocate for gender equity, inclusive leadership, and talent development.

With a background in intercultural communication and over a decade of experience in the tourism industry, Rita has become a driving force behind efforts to diversify leadership in travel tech. She founded Women in Hospitality and Travel Tech (WHTT) six years ago with the mission to elevate women in travel and hospitality technology through mentorship, education, and community building.

WHTT finally became RaizUp, as a headhunting company specialising in building diverse teams for hospitality tech companies and business expansion consultancy for ensuring a diverse ecosystem in hospitality and travel technology. Her initiatives include the Revenue Leadership Program, which prepares diverse professionals for executive roles, and co-creating the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance (WHLA) Speaker Directory, a global database of over 1.500 women experts that promotes inclusive representation at conferences and industry events. She is also a certified Intercultural Trainer, DEI Consultant and a gold-level facilitator of the #IamRemarkable program, having delivered workshops to more than 750 individuals worldwide.

Rita’s work continues to shape the future of travel and hospitality tech, one where equity, innovation, and collaboration lead the way.