Meet the Founders of Kabn

In 2022, Amber and Charlie Teale founded Kabn, a luxury, regenerative, social hospitality brand built on their shared love of wilderness, design and meaningful travel. Their vision is simple and deliberate: to create unique luxury retreats in wild places - quiet, elemental spaces that sit lightly on the land and deepen our connection to place.

Amber and Charlie’s vision for Kabn was shaped through years of travel to some of the world’s most remote and inspiring landscape hotels. Journeys through Japan, Bhutan and across Africa, revealed a form of luxury defined not by excess, but by stillness, restraint and a deep respect for place. Retreats where architecture, nature and hospitality exist in quiet balance. Places designed to restore.

These experiences formed a clear philosophy: that true luxury is found in wild and remote settings, and a meaningful connection with nature sits at the heart of every enduring hospitality experience; that simplicity, craftsmanship and intention can create spaces that resonate far beyond the stay.

Alongside this, Amber and Charlie built global corporate careers across London, Dubai and beyond, developing the discipline, strategic thinking and attention to detail required to realise complex visions with clarity and integrity. Just as importantly, these years fostered a deep understanding of people, culture and the art of creating experiences that feel considered, authentic and lasting.

In Scotland, Kabn was created as a vision-led hospitality brand rooted in wilderness, offering minimalist cabins designed for privacy, calm and a deep connection with nature. Now, a multi-award-winning luxury brand, Kabn welcomes guests from around the world and continues to grow through carefully chosen projects in wild landscapes, shaped with intention, restraint and long term stewardship.

Amber is a dual-qualified lawyer (England & Wales and California) with nearly a decade of experience working for top US law firms in London and Dubai, including Kirkland & Ellis, Gibson Dunn, and Morrison & Foerster. Her career advising major international clients on high-value, cross-border finance transactions built a foundation of precision, discipline and strategic thinking that now shapes Kabn’s standards and operations.

In 2022, she stepped away from law to build Kabn and pursue a long-held vision for a new kind of luxury hospitality. Having travelled to more than 40 countries and experienced many of the world’s leading luxury hotels, Amber brings a sharp, informed perspective on what exceptional service and design should feel like.

A First-Class graduate from University College London, Amber combines analytical rigour with an instinctive understanding of modern, understated luxury. She leads Kabn’s brand direction and guest experience, ensuring every detail, from architecture to service philosophy, reflects the calm, intentional, high-standards approach that defines Kabn.

Charlie spent over a decade as a reinsurance underwriter in London and the Middle East, travelling to over 55 countries and developing a deep appreciation for exceptional hospitality. Those experiences shaped his understanding of how architecture, service and landscape create truly memorable stays.

With an architect father and years spent renovating properties and project-managing sites, Charlie developed a natural eye for materials, aesthetics and spatial storytelling; a sensibility that now defines Kabn’s calm, minimalist visual language.

His background in Environmental Geoscience from University College London underpins Kabn’s commitment to thoughtful, sustainable development, informing every decision from site selection to construction.

After helping build and exit a tech startup in San Francisco, Charlie brought his entrepreneurial, solutions-driven mindset to Kabn. He now guides the brand’s creative and environmental direction, ensuring each cabin is crafted with intention, sensitivity to place, and long-term sustainability at its core.

Liv Gussing Burgess brings over 20 years of ultra-luxury hospitality experience to Kabn, advising on brand vision, guest experience and operational excellence.

She has worked with some of the world’s most respected luxury hospitality brands, including Airelles in France, Six Senses Shaharut in Israel and Beaverbrook in the United Kingdom. Earlier in her career, Liv held senior leadership roles within Aman, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the brand’s global culture. Her achievements include launching Aman’s first spa at Amanpuri in Thailand and leading Amandari in Bali, one of the group’s most acclaimed resorts.

Guest-centred and operationally exacting, Liv is known for translating ambitious concepts into quietly exceptional experiences. Her global perspective, shaped by living and working across more than a dozen countries and fluency in four languages, brings invaluable insight and guidance as we scale Kabn around the world.

A graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Liv was inducted into the Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame in 2022 and continues to play an active role within the Cornell hospitality community.