A new cross-industry initiative has been launched to provide mentoring to female managers—powered by CGA research that identified the shortage of women in leadership roles.
The survey by CGA and UKHospitality found that four in five (82%) respondents think there should be more female leaders in hospitality. Two thirds (65%) believe mentoring schemes should be in place to help with that—but half (48%) have no plans in place to introduce them in their company.
The findings have helped to trigger a new industry-wide mentoring programme to help move female managers through the ranks to senior executive and board level roles. It will pair participants with experienced mentors who can provide advice and motivation, and will be aimed in particular at people in small companies where support might be lacking. Leaders who are interested in becoming mentors are now being sought.
The scheme is being backed by Odgers Berndtson, the Elliotts agency and BT Sport as well as UKHospitality.
UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The vision behind this is to give talented women the empowerment and support they need to achieve leadership roles. We also want to build a network of senior mentors from across the hospitality industry to support the next generation of inclusive leaders.”
Holly Addison, head of hospitality and leisure at Odgers Berndtson and a member of the initiative’s steering committee, said: “We want more women to believe in themselves and their ability to contribute, at the most senior levels, to the success of their organisations.”
