After 33 years in the travel industry, well-known personality and influencer, Vanya Lessing, is stepping down from her role as Sure Travel CEO.
A seasoned veteran of the South African travel industry, Lessing has been a tireless advocate for women in leadership. She has dedicated her career to mentoring the next generation of travel professionals and driving strategic business decisions that have shaped the industry's response to a rapidly changing landscape.
Lessing has worked for Parliament, managing the travel logistics for President Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, she has been CEO (and later President) of Asata, and served as Sure Travel CEO for 17 years.
“My travel career has taken me to so many wonderful places and given me fantastic, fun experiences. To relax, I love tropical islands and the bush, and London and Hong Kong are my favourite cities to visit,” said Lessing.
“I am very excited about an upcoming Chobe River Safari adventure on the Zambezi Queen, something I’ve always wanted to experience.
“Throughout my life, I have always emphasised the importance of creating a positive, inclusive environment to share ideas and build strong, collaborative relationships and I leave the Sure Travel Group in capable hands. We have a very effective Board and a strong head office team structure, and I believe that Stefan Van der Merwe, incoming CEO will do a fantastic job in his new role.
“I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I am not fully retired from business, I own a small company in the rail sector in Europe, which I'm busy restructuring. Life certainly has a funny way of leading you to pathways you never imagined!”
