MINNEAPOLIS—Marilyn Carlson Nelson, the former Carlson CEO and chairman, became the first woman to be inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame during the fourth annual event presented by the BTN Group in New York City on Dec. 8. In 2012, Carlson Nelson inducted her late father and the founder of Carlson, Curt Carlson, into the Business Travel Hall of Fame.
Carlson Nelson was recognized as one of the most influential travel executives of all time for her business success as well as her company’s commitment to protecting children at risk. Under Carlson Nelson’s leadership, Carlson became the first North American travel company to take a stand against the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism when it signed the industry’s international Code of Conduct to end child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.
In 2013, President Obama honored the company with the inaugural Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking. Earlier this year, Carlson Nelson was chosen by a committee of Nobel Prize recipients to receive the Oslo Business for Peace Award.
“I am honored to be inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame, along with such a distinguished group of colleagues who have done so much to advance the travel and hospitality industry,” said Carlson Nelson. “I have always believed that business can be a force for good. The travel industry and hospitality industry is one of the most powerful examples of this on the planet.”