Accor, the leading hotel operator in Southeast Asia, is calling on industry leaders to join in celebrating the very first International Hospitality Women’s Day on 23rd September 2021. Launched by weekly travel show, Hospitality Today Live, the event sets out to celebrate the achievements of women in hospitality and encourage more people to enter the dynamic industry.
Deborah Gardner, a 30 year hospitality veteran and founder of the Hospitality Today Live podcast, will welcome a panel of female leaders from around the world to discuss leadership, trends, challenges and predictions. Accor’s Chief Commercial Officer for Southeast Asia, Japan & South Korea, Kerry Healy, will join the broadcast to talk about her life experiences as a business leader and mother, as well as issues impacting women in the hospitality industry.
Kerry Healy oversees a network of 400 hotels in Southeast Asia, Japan & South Korea, and leads a team of 70 specialists across sales, marketing, distribution, revenue management, digital marketing, guest experience, loyalty, and communications functions.
When asked about the future of the industry, Kerry describes what impact she wishes to make: “I want to encourage all the young women of today to take their seat at the table and make their voice heard. Every leadership team should ultimately reflect the clients which they serve. I have the privilege of being in a C-suite role so I want to create a working environment for my team which celebrates diversity and offers the flexibility that people need to succeed in their personal lives. I want to ensure to that there is no ceiling for women – everybody deserves equal access to opportunities and career progression. Ultimately, I want everyone to feel comfortable to be themselves, to respect each other, and feel confident to follow their values. Perhaps in doing so, we will each play a part in transforming this industry to be one that truly reflects the guests who walk through the doors of each of our hotels”.
Since 2012, Accor has put in place a women’s support and mentoring network, now called RiiSE, which promotes diversity as a means of driving collective performance. RiiSE engages both women and men in the group to work together, using mentoring, training, education and conferences to fight stereotypes and violence against women and promote diversity and inclusion.
The live broadcast of Hospitality Today Live for International Hospitality Women’s Day will take place from 5PM EDT (UTC -4) on Thursday 23rd September 2021 (5AM SGT on Friday 24th September 2021), with a recording made available following the podcast.
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