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Shafia London, who took the helm of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority on July 1, 2026, has achieved a significant milestone in her career by being selected for the International Women’s Forum’s Leadership Fellows Programme. According to the SVGTA, London is the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to receive this distinction, underscoring both her professional accomplishments and the broader recognition of Caribbean leadership talent on the global stage.
What makes London’s selection even more remarkable is her receipt of one of the programme’s highly competitive scholarships. The IWF typically awards only two to four partial or full scholarships across its entire global Fellowship cohort, making London’s achievement particularly noteworthy. She was nominated for the programme by IWF Barbados while working in that country during a professional transition period.
The International Women’s Forum operates as an invitation-only network of more than 8,400 accomplished women leaders across 78 Forums in 37 countries, drawing members from business, government, academia, science, the arts and beyond. The Leadership Fellows Programme, now in its fourth decade, represents the organisation’s flagship leadership development initiative, selecting up to 50 high-achieving leaders annually through a rigorous international process.
The year-long Fellowship includes intensive leadership education at globally recognised institutions such as INSEAD in France and the University of Cambridge in England, with additional programming in Mexico City. Each Fellow receives mentorship from an accomplished IWF member and develops a Legacy Project aimed at translating Fellowship lessons into meaningful impact. The programme culminates at the IWF World Leadership Conference and Gala in Miami.
London has expressed her commitment to leveraging the opportunity not only for personal development but to advance tourism initiatives in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She reflected on the significance of being nominated by Barbados while now serving her home nation, noting the importance of opening doors for others and the value of dreaming boldly regardless of one’s origins.
The International Women’s Forum is a global network that brings together women leaders at the highest levels of influence across multiple sectors. Its Leadership Fellows Programme has operated for four decades and is recognised as a premier leadership development initiative for accomplished women from diverse professional backgrounds worldwide.
This achievement represents significant recognition for Caribbean women in global leadership spaces. London’s selection as the first Eastern Caribbean woman in the programme, combined with her role leading St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ principal destination marketing organisation, positions Caribbean tourism and leadership on an international platform. Her success also reinforces the region’s capacity to produce accomplished leaders capable of competing at the highest global levels.
Sources and attribution
- 20211011132950
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority …
- Shafia London is new CEO of SVG Tourism Authority
- About Us — International Women's Forum
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