Prince Harry suffers setback as first chairman quits Travalyst after less than 2 years
Prince Harry has suffered a setback as the first chairman of his eco-friendly firm Travalyst has quit.
India Gary-Martin, who joined the company in 2023, left the position after less than two years on the job, the company has announced.
While Gary-Martin has yet to explain the reason for her departure, Travalyst said in a statement that she stepped down to pursue her own business, Leadership For Execs — a company that works with organizations to enrich diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
“Working for Prince Harry seems to have lost its thrill very quickly for the businesswoman,” royal expert Richard Eden wrote in the Daily Mail.
“Frankly, it’s no surprise,” a source told him of Gary-Martin’s exit.
She becomes the 19th senior staffer working for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, to hand in their resignation over the past five years.
Harry founded Travalyst Limited, a London-based non-profit that partners with giant travel companies, such as Expedia and TripAdvisor, to promote more sustainable travel in 2019.
After Gary-Martin was appointed as Chair of the Board at Travalyst nearly two years ago, she excitedly announced the new role in a statement.
“Being able to ensure that people of color are central to conversations about sustainability in spaces we don’t traditionally occupy is both a responsibility and honor,” she said at the time.
The organization has since announced that former Google exec Gianni Marostica was appointed as the non-profit’s new chairman in Dec. 2024.
Travalyst CEO, Sarah Davey, hailed Marostica as a “change maker” in a post about the new gig, saying his “deep expertise will be instrumental in advancing Travalyst’s mission to secure a more sustainable travel and tourism sector for the next generation.”
According to its website, the organization is a not-for-profit global coalition of various firms that provides “credible, consistent sustainability information to the mainstream” to help companies make “more informed travel choices.”
In Sept. 2024, Davey praised Harry for “restoring” her hope in travel sustainability after a period of feeling “frustrated and disillusioned.”
“I realized how remarkable he is and how committed he is to making a difference,” she told People. “He never imposed his own vision; instead, he said, ‘Tell me what needs to happen, and I’ll help facilitate that.’ It wasn’t about his campaigns, but about collaborating for systemic change. His approach has made all the difference, and it’s been an absolute joy to work with him.”
Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were dealt a blow after their chief of staff, Josh Kettler, quit after just three months on the job.
The reason for Kettler’s departure was revealed in Aug. 2024 — just one day before he was due to accompany the pair on their trip to Colombia.
More recently, it was revealed that Markle had appointed herself as the CEO of American Riviera Orchard — though her hotly anticipated lifestyle brand is yet to get off the ground.
