Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award

Amba Yaalu Kandalama is Sri Lanka’s first 100% women-led hotel, located by the Kandalama Lake within a TJC mango plantation. Introduced by Thema Collection, the property was created as a response to the low participation of women in the country’s hospitality sector, offering a space where women lead across all areas of operations.

The concept draws inspiration from the novel Amba Yaluwo and the golden era of Sri Lankan cinema, reflected in its design and storytelling approach. At its core is the vision of Chairman Chandra Wickramasinghe, whose belief, shaped by his own life experiences, that women can manage both homes and hotels equally, led to the creation of this model.

Amba Yaalu functions as a working model of inclusive hospitality. Women are employed across all departments, including roles traditionally dominated by men, supported through training and mentorship. The property also extends its impact beyond employment by working with local women entrepreneurs and creating opportunities within surrounding communities.

Amba Yaalu – Kandalama by Thema Collection, in many ways, reflects a quiet shift, where hospitality is shaped not just by place, but by people, and where empowerment becomes part of the experience itself.

Nomad Africa is a Kenya-based travel company and magazine dedicated to inspiring travelers to experience the African continent from every perspective. Founded on the belief that Africa is not a single story, Nomad connects readers and travelers to journeys that deepen understanding of the continent’s natural beauty, cultures, and communities.

With women making up 70% of its team, gender equality is not a policy add-on at Nomad Africa. It is a business imperative, embedded in how the company is structured, how decisions are made, and who holds leadership. Strategic direction, creative vision, and key partnerships are all majority female-led because the team believes that diverse leadership fundamentally changes how businesses operate, how communities are engaged, and how impact is prioritised.

Nomad’s formal Gender & Diversity Policy, adopted in 2024, puts that commitment into writing. The policy commits the company to equal pay, flexible working arrangements, gender-sensitive design across operations, and the systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data to track and improve its approach over time. 

Through its quarterly print magazine, Nomad Africa amplifies women’s voices that are too often overshadowed. 

Nomad Africa sees this recognition as both a celebration and a call to keep pushing for greater mobility, access, and fair representation across tourism, in destinations and in the global systems that shape who gets to participate.

Halisi Africa Discoveries is a women-led regenerative tourism company based in Kenya. They believe tourism should create opportunities for women, protect nature and strengthen local communities. 

Their Gender Equality Policy guides governance, recruitment, partnerships and community engagement. It commits them to equal opportunities, fair and equitable treatment, zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment, and creating spaces where women can participate in decision-making and benefit meaningfully from tourism. They also seek to work with suppliers and partners who share these values.

Halisi Africa Discoveries intentionally partners with women-led community enterprises, conservation groups and local entrepreneurs, helping create market opportunities that enable women to earn an income, showcase their skills and preserve their cultural and environmental heritage. Their work also recognises the close link between gender equality and climate action. They support women-led initiatives in mangrove restoration, regenerative tourism and clean cooking, helping to improve livelihoods while restoring ecosystems and building more resilient communities.