THIS seventh-year celebration of the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award (25IWLA) brings together women whose work is reshaping what leadership looks like across Guyana and opens a conversation about where leadership is headed next. In a country where women have long led from the front without always being placed there by design, this year’s ceremony is something of a reckoning and a celebration of just how much has quietly been built.
The women being honoured at this year’s award ceremony were not chosen for their titles, they were chosen for their impact. This distinction matters. The 25IWLA, co-founded by Michelle A. Nicholas and Lyndell Danzie-Black, has always been focused not on who holds a position, but on who is doing the work that strengthens institutions, opens opportunities for people, and leaves a community genuinely better than it was found.
The women leaders were not selected because their paths were easy. They were selected because of what they chose to do with the paths they were given—the courage they demonstrated when it was not convenient and the standards they upheld when no one was watching, the doors they held open for other women even as they were still finding their own footing. That is the kind of leadership this award was always meant to honour—25 women, 25 stories, yet one unmistakable thread running through every single honouree: a refusal to shrink and a commitment to something larger than ‘self’.
What makes this recognition award especially significant this year is the world and the time in which it happens. Hundreds of millions of women now live in or near active conflict. Women still hold only 64% of the legal rights of men in most parts of the world. Across peace tables, boardrooms and legislatures, the strides of women for decades are under pressure, and locally, women in Guyana continue to suffer at the hands of the people they love most.
The evidence is clear and consistent: when women lead, outcomes improve, communities become more resilient, and economies grow more equitably. Governance is more accountable, and peace agreements last longer. This is not sentiment; it is what the research, the data and the lived experience of women across the world have confirmed time and again. That is not a distant global conversation; it is the conversation the work of Guyana’s women leaders answers every single day, right here in this region. The tapestry of lived experiences, skill sets, creativity and a history of care and organisation continues to place Guyanese women at the centre of decision-making and nation-building.
This year’s cohort of 25 awardees represents the full breadth of what women’s leadership looks like across Guyana. They come from business and finance, health and education, community development, public administration, and the creative economy. Some are widely known; others have led with quiet consistency in places where recognition rarely travels, including in Guyana’s interior regions, where the work of building community is often invisible. The 25IWLA has made a deliberate practice of finding both. The ceremony itself is structured to do more than applaud. Guests at this year’s event can expect an inspiring programme, anchored in the mission of creating an empire of women leaders, grounded in growth, service and leadership. This will be brought to life not through formal speeches alone, but through the stories of the women being recognised, the table conversations, and the connections during cocktails—all stories that ground the award’s theme in the specific, living textures of Guyanese life.
The platform’s mission is straightforward and ambitious in equal measure: to empower women as they grow, serve and lead. The 25IWLA’s commitment to providing a network of genuine connections is steadfast, extending an open invitation to leaders and visionaries across Guyana to join this movement.
There is also a forward dimension to the seven-year timeline that reflects where the 25IWLA is headed as a platform. Guyana is at a remarkable inflexion point economically and socially, and in its standing in the region and the world. The decisions being made now about who leads, in which rooms and with what support will shape the country’s trajectory for generations. The 25IWLA is positioned as an active participant in that conversation, not a bystander. Women who were recognised in earlier cohorts have since joined boards, launched enterprises, entered governance, authored books, become national political voices, and brought younger women with them into spaces they might not otherwise have reached. That compounding effect—quiet, audacious, deliberate, and now increasingly visible—is the truest measure of what this platform has produced: twenty-five women leaders whose induction this year will bring the platform’s total to 175 honourees since its establishment in 2019.
In seven years, the co-founders also established the Women’s Leadership Programme (WLP) and the Changemakers Series—both designed to ensure continuity, executive presence, coaching and mentorship. The WLP is open to all nominees and honourees, while the Changemakers Series is an exclusive forum reserved for honourees. The 25IWLA celebrates these extraordinary women and invites Guyana to join in honouring their contributions on 9th May 2026 at the Guyana Marriott, Georgetown.
This year’s cohort represents women’s leadership across Guyana, from operating theatres to nursery schools, from Parliament to the creative economy. In healthcare, Dr Kamela Bemaul-Sukhu has pioneered haematology services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, establishing dedicated clinics for sickle cell disease and haemophilia, marking historic milestones in Guyana’s medical history. Dr Aartie Somwaru-Jhagru brings excellence in internal medicine and mentors the next generation of physicians. Dr Nandishaw Ramsingh leads national diabetes and kidney care policy and is the author of Guyana’s first children’s book on Type 1 diabetes. Dr Theresa Sarju provides strategic leadership as the Regional Health Officer for Region 5. Dr Salome Henry brings over three decades of public health service in Region 10. Dr Renuka Tewari combines clinical practice with community food distribution and outreach for hundreds of families, while Dr Pamela Rose advances public health delivery and preventive care.
In education, Lenise Morgan has dedicated over three decades to Guyana’s schools, serving as Deputy Headmistress of Queen’s College and continuing her work at the Morgan’s Learning Centre. Munirah Reedon leads early childhood education in Region Two whilst training future educators at the Cyril Potter College of Education. Savitri Tularam-Kaulesar, a member of the National Literacy Committee, has spent nearly two decades building foundational literacy in young learners. Rhonda Maxius-Lansiquot co-founded Wiser Academy, where student-centred learning is central to her practice. Jessica Nathalia Callender, a national chess champion and FIDE-certified Senior Lead Instructor, uses chess as a tool for critical thinking and inclusive youth development.
In governance and public service, Dellon Adams serves as Clerk of Committees at the Parliament of Guyana and also founds community libraries and youth civic engagement programmes. Chandrowtie Sarran leads peacebuilding and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives as a Commissioner with the Ethnic Relations Commission across all ten administrative regions. Bonita McDonald heads planning and training at the Guyana Food Safety Authority whilst lecturing at the University of Guyana. Doneeta Ramlakhan supports energy-sector oversight, leads the Solar Home Systems programme, and founded Pawsome Oasis Inc. to advocate for animal welfare.
In community development, Jacqueline Cummings Johnson has directed youth empowerment programmes through Mibicuri Community Developers for over two decades. Madonna Ghanie founded BMR Enterprise and Mommy’s Corner, supporting single parents and vulnerable families. Sonja Sampson brings seventeen years of youth development expertise. Younica Sanchara combines entrepreneurship with youth advocacy, creating inclusive platforms for young people to lead. In the private sector, Kimbely Yearwood, an Attorney-at-Law, advances access to justice for underserved populations. Upasna Mudlier coaches women entrepreneurs through practical, results-driven business development programmes. Christine Samwaroo, Founder of The Breadfruit Collective, advances gender equity and climate justice. Christell Chesney works at the intersection of environmental governance and Indigenous community empowerment. Marisa Morgan-Bonie, a multi-award-winning actress and Media and PR Director, shapes national conversations through storytelling and cultural expression.
The 2026 honourees are: Dr. Aartie Devi Somwaru-Jhagru, Bonita Lowenfield McDonald, Chandrowtie Sarran, Christell Chesney, Christine Samwaroo, Dellon Patricia Adams, Doneeta Ramlakhan, Jacqueline Cummings Johnson, Jessica Nathalia Callender, Dr. Kamela Bemaul-Sukhu, Kimbely Yearwood, Lenise Morgan, Madonna Ghanie, Marisa Morgan-Bonie, Munirah Reedon, Dr. Nandishaw Ramsingh, Dr. Pamela Rose, Dr. Renuka Tewari, Rhonda Maxius-Lansiquot, Salome Marina Ann Henry, Savitri Tularam-Kaulesar, Sonja Sampson, Dr. Theresa Sarju, Upasna Mudlier and Younica Sanchara.
Twenty-five women, once again ready to show what Guyanese leadership looks like when it is given the room it deserves.
