Step forward or be stepped over, women are warned

More women in travel and hospitality need to put themselves forward for board-level roles – and take advantage of the support that’s available in the sector to help them reach the top.

That was the key message from the Association of Women Travel Executives’ (AWTE) Ladies’ Sunset Reception, sponsored by executive search and recruitment company the Gail Kenny Group, at the recent ITT conference.

Addressing the reception 100 days on from the publication of the Lord Davies report – which instructed businesses to achieve voluntary boardroom diversity targets by 2015, or face statutory quotas – Gail Kenny highlighted the challenges headhunters face in sourcing women for leadership. This is not because they lack the talent or skills to fill the brief, she said, but because they are reticent about putting themselves in the running for a boardroom position.

Gail added: “Lord Davies told FTSE100 companies that at least a quarter of their board directors should be women by 2015. I regularly compile long lists and shortlists for my clients, but what is clearly noticeable is the distinct lack of female candidates on these lists.

“Since Christmas, the FTSE100 is on track with female board appointments at about 30%. The FTSE250 still has a way to go at 19%. We, as headhunters, also have a code of conduct (albeit voluntary) that requires us to present long lists on which a fair percentage of candidates are women. This is a big challenge when searching within the travel and hospitality sector. Saying that, we always and only select women for their experience rather than their gender.”

Gail also highlighted the limited number of women who speak at senior-level conferences such as the ITT – an issue the AWTE is addressing head-on with its Women to the Podium initiative.

AWTE chair Karen Ramirez said: “ Women to the Podium is an extension of our Boardroom Ready programme, which doesn’t just equip women in travel with the nuts and bolts of what’s needed to make it to the top; it also helps tackle the fundamental issues and underlying beliefs that prevent women putting themselves forward in the first place.

“We all know the benefits a diverse board can bring to business as a whole – from multinationals to entrepreneurially driven companies – and AWTE members are increasingly proving that point. We’ll be charting their successes in the months ahead, so watch this space – and the podium near you!”

For more information on AWTE, email chair@awte.org.uk

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