Prince Harry launched Travalyst in 2019, and it’s quietly one of his most successful projects. It doesn’t get the same kind of attention as the Invictus Games, but Travalyst has made a huge impact in the past six years. Travalyst is basically an add-on for commercial airlines, hotels and all companies in the international tourism business. Travalyst enables consumers to access environmental impact data as they’re booking flights and considering where to travel and where to book lodging. The company tries to make traveling and tourism more sustainable and give potential tourists more information. Per Travalyst, the nonprofit is already partnered with “Amadeus, BCD, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Google, Mastercard, Pitchup.com, Sabre, Skyscanner, The Travel Corporation, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor and Visa.” Well, weird news, I guess, but Travalyst has lost two executives this year. In January, India Gary-Martin quit Travalyst to focus on her own business. Now another executive has stepped down.
Just months after the first chairman of the Duke of Sussex’s ‘eco’ firm Travalyst quit, having served only a year-and-a-half in the role, his chief executive has handed in her notice as well. Sally Davey has informed Prince Harry that she will step down in December. ‘This is a huge blow to Travalyst,’ a source tells me. ‘Sally has been crucial in its development.’
Harry launched Travalyst in 2019 to make tourism more environmentally friendly. However, he and his wife, Meghan, soon faced accusations of hypocrisy because of their use of gas-guzzling private jets. That year, the couple reportedly made four journeys by private jet in the space of 11 days. King Charles’s younger son defended himself at the time, saying ‘no one is perfect’ and that what is important is ‘balance’.
Davey, who has been chief executive for five years, says her dramatic move follows much soul-searching. ‘This is not a decision I’ve taken lightly,’ she admits. ‘After months of deep reflection, I’ve reached a point in my journey where I know I need to give more time back to my family, and to myself.’
She adds of Harry: ‘I will always be grateful for your support, including as my confidant and guide during this personal decision to step back. I’m proud of what we’ve built together. And while I’ll be stepping down as CEO, I remain as committed as ever to Travalyst’s mission.’
In January, I reported that Travalyst’s first chairman, India Gary-Martin, had resigned. ‘Frankly, it’s no surprise,’ reflected one observer of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s business activities, which had seen at least 19 senior members of staff leave at that point.
Sally Davey and India Gary-Martin are not “Sussex staffers.” They worked at Travalyst, which is a stand-alone nonprofit operating independently of Archewell and everything else. They’re trying desperately to tie this to the “Harry and Meghan treat staff terribly” narrative, even when it’s clear that this is just normal turnover tangential to the Sussexes. Anyway, given Travalyst’s success thus far, I doubt it will be difficult for the nonprofit to find equally qualified executives.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, screencaps from Travalyst video.
