HVS Executive Search

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 at http://youtu.be/rjq1Cf6i3rY 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.

About HVS Executive Search

HVS Executive Search provides human capital advisory services to leaders in the hotel, restaurant, food service and gaming industries around the world. Its specialties include senior-level executive search, mid-management recruitment and performance improvement strategies. Coupled with a unique and proven psychometric approach, HVS Leadership Assessment™ is the only solution-driven HR assessment tool dedicated to streamlining and enhancing recruitment and training processes, specifically designed for the services industry. Industry benchmarked Compensation Studies leverage the HVS reach and global expertise to help businesses structure compensation in line with industry standards, allowing them to attract and retain talent through equitable compensation practices. For further information, please visit HVS.com/Services/ExecutiveSearch/

Pooja Vir
Director of Marketing, HVS Executive Search
+44 (20) 7878-7756
HVS