Ramada Encore Kathmandu completes first GALA leadership programme with Impact Yes

KATHMANDU: Ramada Encore Kathmandu has completed its first GALA leadership programme, working with Delaware-headquartered development firm Impact Yes to evaluate individual leadership behaviours through tailored data and action plans. The training took place from July 29 to 31, 2026, and involved 22 staff members from across the hotel, including nine department heads.

Standing for Gap Analysis for Leadership Alignment, GALA incorporates diagnostic assessments, training, coaching and individual planning from pre-assessment through post-seminar follow-up. Department heads completed the GALA Executive Assessment, while additional participants completed the Mini-GALA Vector9 Assessment, yielding personalised diagnostic reports and step-by-step action plans for every attendee.

The initiative is the primary result of a partnership formed between the four-star hotel and Impact Yes in April 2025. Built to align with local culture and the hotel's operational environment, the approach moves away from standardised e-learning models. Conversations with hotel staff prior to the training noted that international standard curricula often fail to account for regional context, and staff expressed a preference for face-to-face coaching grounded in local awareness.

Impact Yes Co-founder Kovid Panthy said, "Most of what is called 'leadership training' is motivation dressed up as development. We built GALA and Vector9 because we wanted every leader to know, in numbers, how they lead. Leadership is a set of behaviours you can diagnose, measure, and build."

Impact Yes Co-founder Kim Baaden said the property initially approached the system with scepticism but that the results proved positive. "Ramada Encore was initially sceptical, which was understandable. They had never experienced an approach like ours," Baaden said. "And we are pleased to see that their decision to trust us has paid off. We don't change entire systems; we fine-tune them. We respect each hotel's culture and philosophy and build a bespoke approach around its people. The outcome is personal, specific, and practical."

Mahesh Phuyal, General Manager of Ramada Encore by Wyndham Kathmandu Thamel, praised the participatory nature of the training. "Unlike many leadership programmes I've attended, this training was highly participatory. Everyone was engaged, everyone contributed, and we learned from one another. If leadership is clear and well understood across an organisation, growth follows. This training is truly worth the investment."

Nikhil Mukhia, Duty Manager at Ramada Encore Kathmandu, said the assessment had been revealing. "The assessment completely surprised me. I didn't know leadership qualities could be measured so clearly. For the first time, I could clearly see where I needed to improve, and now I have a roadmap to become a better leader."

Looking ahead, Ramada Encore Kathmandu plans to extend the leadership development initiative to additional staff members while maintaining regular coaching check-ins to support individual progress.