Travalyst, the independently governed not-for-profit coalition of some of the biggest names in travel and technology, founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, announces the appointment of Julie Cheetham as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 December 2025.
Following an extensive global search, Cheetham steps into the role at a pivotal moment for Travalyst, as the organisation prepares for a year of impact-led change in 2026: scaling the development of its Data Hub, deepening global industry alignment around consistent sustainability information, and strengthening its role as a trusted voice in shaping policy and regulatory coherence across travel and tourism.
A recognised sustainability leader, South Africa-based Cheetham brings a wealth of more than 20 years’ experience working at the intersection of blue-chip commerce, tourism, and regenerative business models. She was part of the founding team and then CEO of Weeva, the sustainability-management platform created to democratise access to tools and data for accommodation providers. She scaled the platform into a multi-award-winning solution used across 86 countries before its acquisition by Travalyst in 2024, where the technology has been transformed and developed into the Data Hub.
Her work has spanned global financial services, tourism operators, technology and NGOs—expertise that closely aligns with Travalyst’s mission to deliver system-wide impact at scale. Before focusing on travel and hospitality, Cheetham built her career in financial services, corporate transformation and ESG, working with leading institutions such as Standard Bank, BMGi and the National Australia Bank, where she specialised in strategy, operational excellence and change management.
Since joining Travalyst as Chief Operations Officer in September 2024, Cheetham has played an instrumental role in developing Travalyst’s Data Hub—an initiative designed to bring credible, consistent and compliant sustainability information to the mainstream. She has also overseen operational growth, strengthened coalition engagement and guided programmatic development across Travalyst’s expanding portfolio.
