Global Wellness Awards

Each year, the Global Wellness Summit honors outstanding leaders of the industry with the
prestigious Global Wellness Awards.
Read more about the awards.

 

2024 Award Recipients

Read the full 2024 Global Wellness Awards press release

Debra Simon Award for Furthering
Mental Wellness

Michael Acton Smith, Co-founder, Calm, United States

Leader in
Sustainability

Davide Bollati, Chairman, Davines s.p.A., Italy

Leading Woman in
Wellness

Amy Mcdonald, Owner & CEO, Under a Tree, United States

The Bennett Family Award for
Collaboration in the Science of Wellness
Wim Hof, Creator, Wim Hof Method, Netherlands Jemma King, Phd, Director, BioPsychAnalytics Pty ltd., Australia

2023 Award Recipients

Debra Simon Award for Furthering
Mental Wellness

Simone Biles, Gymnast

Leader in
Innovation

Anjan Chatterjee, MD, Professor of Neurology,
Psychology & Architecture, University of Pennsylvania; Founding Director, Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, United States

Bennett Family Award for Collaboration in the Science of Wellness

Michael Roizen, MD, Emeritus Chief Wellness Officer, Cleveland Clinic; Professor, Lerner College of Medicine of Cleveland Clinic at Case Western Reserve University, United States


2022 Award Recipients

Call for Innovation: Wellness and the Metaverse
Leading
Woman in
Wellness
Leader
in
Innovation
Leader
in
Sustainability
Debra Simon Award
for Furthering
Mental Wellness
Amir Bozorgzadeh, Virtuleap CEO and Co-founder

Virtuleap: A health and education startup with a mission to elevate cognitive assessment and training using virtual reality and artificial intelligence

Sue Harmsworth,
MBE, Owner, Sue Harmsworth Ltd, UK

Rick Stollmeyer,
CEO, Inspired Flight and Founder, Mindbody, US

Robbie Hammond,
President of Therme Group US and co-founder of New York City’s High Line
Freddie Moross,
Managing Director of Myndstream, UK
The Bennett Family Award for
Collaboration in the Science of Wellness
Professor Alon Chen,
President, the Weizmann Institute of Science
Juan de Pablo,
Executive VP for Science, Innovation, National Laboratories and Global Initiatives, The University of Chicago

2021 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2021 recipients here.

Leading Woman
in Wellness
Leader in
Innovation
Debra Simon Award for Leader in Furthering Mental Wellness
Leader in
Sustainability

Susan Friedland

Karen Moseley

Christine Clinton

Craig Cogut

 


2020 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2020 recipients here.

Leading Woman in Wellness
Global Wellness Summit Prize
Debra Simon Award for Leader in
Furthering Mental Wellness
Veronica Schreibeis Smith,
Founding Principal, Vera Iconica Architecture, United States
Amai Proteins,
Israel
C. Victor and Lynne Brick,
John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, United States

 


2019 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2019 recipients here.

Leader in
Innovation
Leader in
Sustainability
Leader in
Social Impact
Leading Woman
in Wellness
Debra Simon Award
Leader in Furthering Mental Wellness
Ronna Chao
Chair, Novetex Textiles,
Hong Kong
Bill Bensley
Owner, Bensley Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape,
Thailand
John Wood
Founder, Room to Read,
Hong Kong
Mia Kyricos
SVP & Global Head of Wellbeing, Hyatt,
United States
Professor Gerry Bodeker, PhD
Chair of the GWI Mental Wellness Initiative and Public Health Academic & Clinical Psychologist, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford,
UK & Malaysia

2018 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2018 recipients here.

Leader in Innovation

Nerio Alessandri
Founder and President,
Technogym, Italy

Leader in Sustainability

Clodagh
CEO & Principal,
Clodagh Design, United States

Leading Woman in Wellness

Sheila McCann
General Manager,
Lanserhof UK, United Kingdom

 

Leader in Workplace Wellness

Denise Bober
VP Human Resources,
The Breakers Palm Beach, United States

Debra Simon Award for Leader in
Furthering Mental Wellness

John Stewart
Founder & Chairman,
Kamalaya Koh Samui, Thailand

Leader in Social Impact

Rupert Schmid and Pierre-Louis Delapalme,
Co-presidents, Biologique Recherche, France

 


2017 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2017 recipients here.

Leader in Innovation

Steve Nygren
Co-founder, Serenbe,
United States

Leader in Sustainability

Neil Jacobs
CEO of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas,
Thailand

Leading Woman in Wellness

Julie Bach
Founder, Wellness for Cancer,
United States

Leader in Workplace Wellness

Renee Moorefield, PhD
CEO and Founder, Wisdom Works,
United States

 

Debra Simon Award for Leader in
Furthering Mental Wellness

Louie Schwartzberg
Filmmaker,
United States

Leader in Social Impact

Dr. Richard Carmona
17th Surgeon General of the United States
and Chief of Health Innovation, Canyon Ranch, United States

Living a Well Life Award

Deborah Szekely
Co-Founder, Rancho La Puerta,
United States

 


2016 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2016 recipients here.

Leader in
Innovation
Leader in Sustainability
Leading Woman
in Wellness
Leader in Workplace Wellness
Debra Simon Award for Leader in Furthering Mental Wellness
Richard Schmitz
CEO, H/S/M Hotel and Spa Management,
Germany
Balthasar Hauser
Owner, Biohotel Stanglwirt,
Austria
Belgin Aksoy
Founder,
Global Wellness Day,
Turkey
Dr. Fikry Isaac
Founder & CEO, WellWorld Consulting LLC,
United States
Jeremy McCarthy
Group Director of Spa & Wellness, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group,
Hong Kong

2015 Award Recipients

Read more about the 2015 recipients here.

Leader in
Innovation
Leader in Sustainability
Leading Woman
in Wellness
Leader in Workplace Wellness
Building a Well World
Award
Enid and Mel Zuckerman
Co-Founders, Canyon Ranch,
United States
Green Spa Network
United States
Geraldine Howard
Co-Founder, Aromatherapy Associates,
United Kingdom
Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier
Clinical Professor of Medicine,
University of California,
School of Medicine,
United States
The Honorable
Michael R. Bloomberg,

United States

2014 Award Recipients

Leader in
Innovation
Leader in Sustainability
Leading Woman
in Wellness
Donald B. Ardell, PhD
& Dr. John W. Travis,

United States
Sarah Livia Brightwood
President, Rancho La Puerta,
Mexico
Magatte Wade
Founder, TIOSSAN,United States


More About the Awards

The Bennett Family Award for Collaboration in the Science of Wellness
The Bennett Family Award for Collaboration in the Science of Wellness is an annual award designed to recognize experts doing collaborative research that merges science and wellness for the advancement of human health and wellbeing globally. It is a joint initiative between wellness advocate and Bennett Family Foundation President, Bija Bennett, and the Global Wellness Summit, an annual international symposium for leaders shaping the wellness industry’s future.

Leader in Innovation
The $3.7 trillion wellness sector is one of the largest, most thriving, and creative markets in the world. This award is presented to a true global innovator from any wellness sector – whether travel, spa, fitness, nutrition, beauty, workplace wellness, integrative medicine and preventative health, etc.

Leader in Sustainability
Human wellness is, of course, crucially linked to the health of the planet and environment. This award honors a leader or innovator in, or advocate for, sustainability in all its diverse forms.

Leading Woman in Wellness
Women have an extraordinarily powerful place in the global wellness industry. This award honors a woman who’s making a standout contribution in any of the wellness sectors – whether as an entrepreneur or as a health and wellness champion, etc.

Leader in Workplace Wellness
Worldwide, the cost of unwell workers (in healthcare costs, lost productivity, etc.) represents a staggering 10-15 percent of global economic output, which is why the workplace wellness movement has grown to a $43 billion market. This award recognizes a leader in the field of workplace wellness and health promotion – whether it is a standout company, those that delivers successful programs and strategies or a researcher and doctor in the workplace well-being arena.

Debra Simon Award for Leader in Furthering Mental Wellness
With a global depression, stress and anxiety epidemic, this award honors an individual who has achieved excellence in the field of mental health and wellness, and has been a leader, advocate or innovator in wellness programs and pathways that help people thrive mentally. It honors the legacy of Debra Simon (and is a gift from her daughter, Lauren Wright), who struggled with depression and lost her life to suicide.

Building a Well World Award
The “Building a Well World” award is given to an individual or organization that exemplifies the dedication of both time and resources necessary to impact wellness on a global scale. This award was inaugurated at the 2015 Summit in Mexico City and bestowed upon the Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg for his commitment to, and philanthropic support of public health policies worldwide – in particular for his work in Mexico. Through the Obesity Prevention Program, Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed $16.5 million toward a three-year effort to support public health policies aimed at reducing obesity in Mexico, which has one of the highest rates of overweight in the world.

Social Impact Award
This award honors a leader who has worked to make it possible for more people and societal groups to live healthier, happier lives–and whose work in the field of wellness has made a meaningful social impact. Carmona championed the science behind second-hand smoke and its health hazards, which has led to global bans on smoking in public places and continues his work to make it possible for more people and societal groups to live healthier lives.

Living a Well Life Award
The Living a Well Life Award is given to someone who embodies, with fierce devotion, wellness principles and practices throughout their life. They lead by example, and their choices regarding mind, body and spirit serve as an example to us all.

Special thanks to Bennett Awards for producing the Global Wellness Award trophies.