WiHTL & Diversity in Retail

CEOs across Hospitality, Travel, Leisure & Retail Sectors reaffirm commitment to inclusive workplaces by signing our pledge ✍️ Over 50 CEOs have publicly reaffirmed their companies’ ongoing commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces. In industries as inherently diverse as ours, success depends on bold leadership that embraces difference and drives change. This pledge is not just about words - it is a commitment to accountability and creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. By taking this step, these leaders are pledging to continue ensuring inclusion is embedded in their organisations and reflected in their actions. We know that progress takes dedication, but it is always worth it. With the collective strength of our members, we continue to push forward, shaping a future where everyone - regardless of background - has the opportunity to succeed. Tea Colaianni, our Founder and Chair, explains why this is so important: “This industry-wide pledge to building truly inclusive workplaces by Chief Executives will undoubtedly galvanise our industry, build trust with colleagues and help to attract the most talented people to work here, now and in the future.” We will continue to shine a spotlight on the importance of prioritising inclusion at work, and have issued an open invitation to other companies and CEOs to also add their names to this pledge. If you'd like to get involved, please get in touch via info@wihtlanddir.com To read the full pledge visit: https://lnkd.in/e-8TRkrH #InclusionAtWork #EDI #DEI #InclusiveWorkplaces #InclusiveLeadership #Retail #Hospitality #Travel #Leisure #CEO

👋 Welcome, Amit Popat! We're thrilled to have Amit join our team. He brings a wealth of inclusion expertise, having most recently worked with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) as Strategic Lead. Amit has also delivered senior advisory, strategy and consultancy services to organisations including Paramount Films, LEGO, the legal sector and the NHS. He’ll be working closely with our Collaboration Community this year, so please get to know Amit in our quickfire Q&A 👇 https://lnkd.in/eE8ETmir #GettingToKnow #Welcome #Team Tea Colaianni

CEO Charter Update 📢 Another brilliant example here of a company and CEO putting inclusion at their heart of their workplace culture… Here’s what Ken McMeikan, CEO of Moto Hospitality had to say about why this is so important to them: “We have been making exceptional progress creating a winning culture at Moto, where the diversity of our teams, at every level, represent the communities we serve and where colleagues feel they can be their authentic selves and have a voice. Not only is this the right thing for us to do to create a more equitable workplace but it also helps build a significantly more successful business.” Thank you for your unswerving support of our pledge! We will keep talking about prioritising inclusion across the HTL and Retail sectors, and there remains an open invitation for other companies and CEOs that would still like to get involved. To do so, please get in touch via info@wihtlanddir.com #HTL #Hospitality #Inclusion #WorkplaceInclusion #CEO Tea Colaianni

Dates for your diary: Upcoming webinars & masterclasses 💻 We have a packed schedule of webinars and masterclasses coming up in the next month or so. Have you registered your place yet? If not, there’s still time… Thursday 10th April, 1-2pm BST ‘Understanding Your Workforce: Best Practices for Collecting Colleague Demographic Data’ Tuesday 6th May, 1-1:30pm BST inclusion in Bitesize Masterclass - ‘Crafting Your CV: How to Stand Out and Succeed’ Tuesday 13th May, 1-1:30pm BST inclusion in Bitesize Masterclass - ‘Building Psychological Safety in Your Teams’ Monday 19th May, 1-2pm BST ‘Championing Financial Wellbeing: Strategies to Support Colleagues' Financial Health’ For more details and to register your place, go to: https://lnkd.in/dUhyhMs #Webinars #HR #Inclusion #PsychologicalSafety #CV #FinancialHealth #DataCollection Tea Colaianni Amit Popat

Out and about with our Collaboration Community Rosanna Holt, our COO, recently enjoyed meeting with another of our valued Members, Warner Hotels. She was joined by Jane Page and Laila Abdin-Winter on a site visit at the truly breathtaking Heythrop Park, one of two Reserve, by Warner Hotels. Here Rosanna was able to learn more about their business and team, commenting afterwards on the incredibly "warm and engaging culture that shined through!" 🔍 Can you guess which of our Members Rosanna is visiting next? Here’s a clue: she’ll be trading her laptop for a pizza paddle! 🍅🧀🍕 #HTL #Hotels #Hospitality #Membership #CollaborationCommunity #Inclusion Tea Colaianni

📰 Welcome to the April edition of our Inclusion Update, which includes: - Team update: a new joiner and two new WiHTL & DiR babies - The launch of the 2025 Inclusion Maturity Curve - A chance to relive the 2025 Women to Watch Index Launch Event - The announcement of Team Domenica as our charity partner for 2025 - Details of the Race Equality Engagement Group - Registration details for IRX 2025, helping retailers to advance online strategies - Our latest resources, upcoming events and webinars - including a Vision Boarding Workshop and our Aspiring CEO Masterclass #Newsletter #Updates #MorningRead Tea Colaianni

🌟 Bringing Women Leaders Together 🌟 It was fantastic to see so many inspiring women leaders who have graduated from our Women Leaders Programme (Global and UK & Ireland) come together yesterday for a networking event. A big thank you to Alexandra Mendel QVC, Alexandra Daniels McDonald's and Ben Delaney Irwin Mitchell for sharing their insights and experiences, and to Irwin Mitchell for so generously hosting us. Here’s to continuing to support and celebrate the development journeys of many more women leaders! #WomenLeaders #LeadershipDevelopment #Networking #Inspiration Tea Colaianni

We’re hosting a free Q&A session on Wednesday, 30th April at 2pm, where we’ll walk you through how the Inclusion Maturity Curve assessment works and the benefits of participating. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions and learn how your organisation can gain benchmarking insights, accreditation, and a roadmap for long-term inclusion success. If you would like to join, contact stephanie@inclusionin.com.

Kick-off and session 1 of our Aspiring CPO Programme ✅ Brilliant afternoon for this cohort of aspiring Chief People Officers at the start of their 4.5 month learning journey… Thank you so much to Therese Procter ChCCIPD FRSA (LION) and the whole team at our partners Wagestream for being such incredible hosts. In her introduction, Therese Procter ChCCIPD FRSA (LION), Global Advisor at Wagestream put it perfectly when saying that CPOs are in a uniquely influential position as ‘the bridge’ between the board and colleagues at the grassroots level. Delegates later enjoyed hearing from Elaine Huttley, Partner at Irwin Mitchell who drew from her experiences of working with 100s of CPOs to share: - An 8-point plan packed with practical tips for a CPO’s first 90 days in post - Guidance on the mindset shift needed when moving from operational HR roles > CPO, with an emphasis on ensuring the people strategy dovetails with business objectives This was followed by a candid and insightful fireside chat chaired by our Chief Impact Officer Joanna Aunon (she/her) with Ken McMeikan, CEO and Louise Hughes, People Director from Moto Hospitality. They opened up on what makes for a successful CEO-CPO axis, with takeaways including: - The value of having a CPO who can challenge and support in equal measure - The need for a big picture focus and constructive two-way feedback - Why loyalty and mutual trust are a key foundation - How CPOs need to speak to CEOs, leveraging the wealth of data at their fingertips and using it to quantify the business impact of proposed actions Our Founder & Chair, Tea Colaianni rounded off the afternoon, referencing her own experiences as a new CPO earlier in her career, stressing the importance of recognising and challenging one’s inner critic (also making a book recommendation for ‘Love your Imposter’ by Rita Clifton CBE), and addressing development needs. #CPO #ChiefPeopleOfficer #HR #LeadershipDevelopment

Are you interested in how inclusion can drive a real business impact? This case study from Collaboration Community Member AEG Europe brings to life the transformative business impact of a strategic focus on inclusion, following their participation in the Inclusion Maturity Curve powered by inclusion in last year. The Maturity Curve, an industry-backed assessment developed in collaboration with Oxford Brookes Business School, provided them with invaluable insights on their inclusion journey, industry benchmarking and, crucially, data to inform their future roadmap and direction. Kirstie Loveridge, Executive Vice President, People and Culture at AEG Europe, commented: "Taking part in the Maturity Curve has really helped us as a business deliver on being a best-in-class employer." ✨ WiHTL & DiR Members can access the Inclusion Maturity Curve for free! The portal is now open for 2025 submissions. Join other Collaboration Community Members in driving a real business impact and meaningful change across HTL and Retail. #CaseStudy #SuccessStory #Testimonial #AEGEurope #MaturityCurve Tea Colaianni Gayle Patching