While many companies in the hospitality sector are beginning to boost the number of women at senior level, much more still needs to be done to encourage and fulfill the boardroom ambitions of female senior managers, according to leading global executive search company HVS Executive Search.
Following International Women’s Day last week, Chris Mumford, HVS Executive Search President, Europe, Middle East & Africa, commented: “While the industry must shy away from tokenism, it’s important that more women are encouraged to nurture boardroom ambitions and have the opportunity to gain the relevant experience to enable them to realise those ambitions.
“Our recent European Hotel Board study showed that just 10% of board members are women. We want to see women occupy at least a third of board room positions in this sector – and considering the industry has a strong percentage of female employees at lower levels, it’s vital that their skills, knowledge and experience aren’t lost when it comes to moving into top level management.”
Last year HVS Executive Search held a briefing in London on the issue of encouraging more women into senior roles in the industry. A panel of high profile speakers including Deborah Dhugga, general manager of Dukes Hotel in London, Alison Frith, managing director of Artizian catering, and Jillian MacLean, managing director of Drake & Morgan highlighted the issues women faced while attempting to achieve boardroom success, but also suggested that women need to take a lead from their male counterparts by drawing more attention to their successes.
The briefing, which can now be viewed on YouTube will be followed up later this year with a further round-table discussion. This will form the basis of an HVS Executive Search White Paper, which will contain recommendations on how the hospitality industry can improve its level of female representation at board level.
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For further details please contact:
Linda Pettit
Tilburstow Media Partners
Tel: 01737 823721
Mobile: 07973 789853
Email: Linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk
Pooja Vir
Director of Marketing, HVS Executive Search
Tel: 0207 878 7756
Mobile: 07726 479339
Email: pvir@hvs.com
EDITOR’S NOTES
HVS Executive Search is the premier executive search and advisory firm providing consulting services to leaders of the hotel, restaurant, gaming and real estate industries. Practice areas include senior-level executive search, mid-management recruitment, compensation consulting and performance management. Its offices are located in New York, Buenos Aires, London, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mumbai and New Delhi.
HVS Executive Search is a division of HVS, a fully integrated consulting firm focused on the hospitality industry. Founded in 1980, HVS is the world’s leading specialist in hospitality consulting. With 30 offices globally, HVS offers unparalleled worldwide market expertise.
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