Carla Chandra named new Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority

Carla Chandra, the current Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, will assume duty as Director from May 1, 2020, succeeding the current Director, Brian Mullis whose 2-year contract comes to an end on April 15. Ms. Chandra was unanimously identified as the superior and most suitable candidate at the end of a rigorous 4-stage selection process. The new Director will be the first woman of Indigenous origin to be appointed to lead the Guyana Tourism Authority in its 18- year history – a fact to be noted by social historians and certain to be celebrated by Indigenous peoples and women of all ethnicities throughout Guyana.

In the capacity of Director, she will bring to the job a breadth of managerial and industry experience that truly belies her age. A graduate of President’s College, Carla began her tourism career in 2001 in the then Ministry of Trade and Industry as a lowly Research Assistant. Then from 2003, her career at the Guyana Tourism Authority took off vertically as she assumed more and more positions of responsibility as well as seniority – Statistics and Research Officer, Senior Statistics and Research Officer, Logistics Manager and Personal Assistant to the Director of the Authority, Marketing Manager of the Authority, Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority.

To function effectively in these positions, Ms. Chandra has undergone an array of professional training both locally and overseas. These include Experiential Tourism Development, GTA/IDB Training Programme (2020); Documenting & Implementing ISO 17020, Guyana National Bureau of Standards (2015); Internal Auditing, Jamaica National Accreditation Agency (2015); Management / Administration of MIST (2006) among others. The Guyana Tourism Authority will, therefore, benefit from the experience, training, and exposure of a Director who knows the institution inside out, giving true meaning to the statement popular both in and outside the office – ‘Ask Carla.’

The new Director will be assuming leadership during what is easily the most severe and painful crisis facing the tourism industry – COVID-19. Her task will be to lead her team through the implementation of an industry-recovery strategy. The Board of the Guyana Tourism Authority is confident that her leadership capabilities and strong support team will allow the GTA to overcome the current challenges and build upon the tremendous successes achieved during the past two years under the outgoing Director, Brian Mullis.