The hotel industry, historically dominated by men, appointed for the first time in the history of the association Gitanjali Chakravarthy Haaland vice-president at his AGM coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the School Alumni Association hotelier of Ceylon.

The dynamics of corporate leadership in the hospitality industry are changing and despite challenges in the workplace and work-life balance, more and more women are breaking the glass ceiling by volunteering for managerial positions. . The CHSGA has thus set itself an exemplary role and a benchmark to promote equal opportunities and rights for women in the representative body of the hotel industry. Haaland, a proud product of the Ceylon Hotel School and Tourism School (currently known as the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management) has over 30 years of local and overseas experience. A proven career-oriented attitude steeped in his genes has enabled him to hold leadership positions around the world at renowned hotel chains such as Mövenpick, Taj and Como Hotels & Resorts. This immaculate person has also groomed the next generation of hoteliers to be competent at the first level during his tenure as Senior Lecturer and Head of the Housekeeping Management Department at SLITHM.

Gitanjali, made history in September 2019 in tourism in Sri Lanka, when she took on the challenge of being the first Sri Lankan woman to hold the position of Managing Director of an international hotel brand, the new Hilton property. of Yala, which is scheduled to open in Q2 2022.