A groundbreaking milestone for women’s leadership in the Eastern Caribbean has recently been achieved, as Shafia London, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA), has become the first woman from the sub-region to earn a spot in the International Women’s Forum (IWF) globally renowned Leadership Fellows Program. Beyond this historic selection, London has also been awarded one of the program’s highly competitive tuition scholarships – an honor granted to only a tiny fraction of global participants each year.
Scholarship funding for the IWF fellowship is extraordinarily scarce, with the organization confirming that typically just two to four full or partial awards are distributed across the entire international cohort of selected fellows. London’s nomination was submitted by IWF Barbados, during a period of major professional transition when she was based and working in the neighboring country. Shortly after her nomination, she returned to her native St. Vincent and the Grenadines to take up the top leadership role at SVGTA on July 1, and will now complete the year-long fellowship while serving in her new position, putting the eastern Caribbean nation on the global leadership stage.
Founded as an invitation-only global network, the IWF connects more than 8,400 top-tier women leaders across 78 regional fora operating in 37 countries. Its membership draws from every major professional field, including business, government, academia, science, the arts and beyond, uniting women who hold the highest levels of influence and leadership across the globe. Now entering its fourth decade of operation, the Leadership Fellows Program stands as IWF’s signature leadership development initiative. Each year, a highly competitive global selection process chooses up to 50 high-achieving leaders from a diverse range of countries, industries, and professional backgrounds to participate in an intensive 12-month leadership development experience.
The program curriculum includes immersive leadership training and executive education coursework hosted at world-leading academic institutions: INSEAD’s campus in Fontainebleau, France, and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It also adds international leadership programming hosted in Mexico City, before the fellowship concludes with the annual IWF World Leadership Conference and Gala held in Miami. Each selected fellow is also paired with an accomplished veteran IWF member to provide personalized one-on-one mentorship, and all participants are required to complete a legacy project that translates program lessons into tangible, community-focused impact beyond individual professional growth.
In reflecting on her dual honor of selection and scholarship, London emphasized that the funding made the achievement even more meaningful. “To be selected from a global field for the Fellowship was already an honour, but to also receive one of the very limited scholarships available adds another dimension to it,” she said. “I intend to make full use of the opportunity — not simply for my own development, but to bring the learning, relationships and global perspectives back into the work we are doing to advance tourism in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
London also noted that the unique circumstances of her nomination make the recognition even more significant: nominated while building her career in Barbados, she will take part in the fellowship after returning home to serve her native country. “I am deeply grateful to the women of IWF Barbados who believed in me enough to put my name forward, and equally proud to carry St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the wider Eastern Caribbean into this global space,” she added.
Drawing from her own personal journey, London highlighted the broader inspirational message of her achievement. “I have always believed that where you begin does not determine where you end. For a girl who grew up in a small village in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, opportunities like this reinforce the importance of dreaming boldly, doing the work and, importantly, having people who are willing to open doors for others.”
For SVGTA, London’s participation in the fellowship extends far beyond individual professional development. The program will grant her access to cutting-edge international leadership frameworks, elite executive education, and a global network of senior women leaders spanning every major sector. This opportunity comes at a critical time for the organization, which is currently working to strengthen its internal capacity, build new cross-border partnerships, and deliver on an ambitious strategic agenda to boost the competitiveness and global profile of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a premium tourism destination.
“Tourism is ultimately a people and leadership business,” London explained. “As we work to strengthen the global competitiveness of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we must continue to expose ourselves to new thinking, global best practices and networks that can create opportunities for our destination.”
London’s historic selection marks a key milestone for women’s leadership across the Eastern Caribbean, and brings St. Vincent and the Grenadines into a powerful global leadership network that crosses national, industrial, and cultural boundaries.