Davey has confirmed she will stand down in December after five years heading up the not-for-profit organisation, which aims to bring major brands and travel leaders together to accelerate industry-wide sustainability efforts.
She joined the organisation in April 2020 as a consultant after her work and Tripbod and later TripAdvisor, where she headed up industry relations, caught the Duke of Sussex's attention.
After taking on the chief executive brief in March 2021, Davey has grown the charity's coalition of five founding partners to more than a dozen, with the list including the likes of TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Skyscanner and Google.
Chief among her aims has been working with Google to create the Travel Impact Model and a data hub designed to be a single "source of truth" for all travel sustainability information, starting with accommodation suppliers.
The charity has also strived to come up with a list of approved assessors and certifications for the accommodation sector "to help people make more informed travel choices". Travalyst reviewed nearly 60 assessors in total, asking them to meet a set of criteria to ensure consistency.
It issued its "milestone" five-year report earlier this year, which called on the travel industry to rally behind three "core goals" to reduce its impact on the climate, nature and the communities it reaches, including reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and restoring "at least 30% of the natural world over the same period.
In a rare interview earlier this year with TTG, Davey praised the Duke of Sussex for his efforts to "move the needle" on sustainability, and said travel agents would play a key role disseminating the kind of messaging Travalyst is working on.
Travalyst was founded in 2019 (Credit: Travalyst)
In a post to LinkedIn on Wednesday (27 August), Davey said after months of reflection, she had decided the time had come to dedicate more of her time to her family – and herself.
"The last five years have been energetic, exhilarating, and profoundly rewarding," she said. "It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as chief executive and part of the Travalyst team.
"From a small group around a table with a bold vision, we’ve grown into a global movement – a $3 trillion coalition reaching billions of people, proving what’s possible when travel is reimagined as a force for good."
Addressing Prince Harry directly, she added: "Thank you for your vision, belief, and encouragement. From the start, you challenged us to reimagine what travel could be, restoring a sense of purpose when our industry needed it most.
"I will always be grateful for your support, including as my confidant and guide during this personal decision to step back."
The Duke of Sussex said: "I am so grateful to Sally for her commitment and drive over the last five years, which has grown Travalyst‘s impact and sparked real change across the travel industry.
"As this hugely successful chapter closes, we’re excited for the next - welcoming new leadership to accelerate our mission and deepen our impact. Tourism must create more opportunities for the communities it touches, and that work can’t wait. I remain as committed to this cause now as I was when I founded Travalyst six years ago."
An internal and external search for her successor is under way, with coalition partners and the Travalyst team receiving updates every six weeks. Should a successor not be found in time for a full handover period with Davey, the charity's board will nominate an interim chief executive.
