Fair Play Talks to Women in Hospitality, Travel & Leisure (WiHTL) Founder & Chair Tea Colaianni on why collaboration, sharing ideas and co-creating solutions are key to progressing the diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) agenda across the hospitality, travel and leisure industries. Colaianni also shares why she set up WiHTL, as well as her passion for DE&I.
FAIR PLAY TALKS: Can you tell us why you set up WiHTL and about your passion for DE&I?
Tea Colaianni: I was born and raised in the South of Italy. As a child, I had ambitions to become the Italian ambassador for Singapore; but a growing interest in European and International law redirected my interest in diplomacy and international travel – to studying law. After working as a European employment law and employee relations expert in an international, multicultural organisation in Brussels, I decided to move in-house and worked in various human resources roles in companies across telecommunications; finding my ‘home’ in the hospitality, travel and leisure (HTL) industry at Hilton Hotels and Merlin Entertainments.
Having frequently been in the underrepresented group from a gender and country of origin perspective around a boardroom table, I have experienced the feeling of not having a voice; and the struggle of using my voice and making it heard. A desire and determination to challenge the status quo and make a difference inspired me to try and make a tangible impact.
I left Merlin five years ago with a sense of duty and responsibility to use my enthusiasm, drive and connections to make a difference in the HTL industry. I was introduced to Jon Terry (formerly at PwC); and persuaded him to conduct a piece of research with me on the status of diversity and inclusion (D&I) maturity across the industry. The results highlighted some pockets of excellence but a lot had to be done. It was a conversation with Keith Barr, CEO at IHG, when he said that “as an industry we should not compete, we must collaborate in the D&I space”. That inspired me to reach out to more C-suite executives and HR leaders; and create the WiHTL Collaboration Community.
So, over three years ago, WiHTL was born; which has now grown into a community that impacts over 2.8 million employees globally. Like Keith said, no single company can make a difference in this space on their own. The Collaboration Community can achieve so much more together by sharing, learning from each other and co-creating solutions.
FAIR PLAY TALKS: WiHTL’s focus has moved from just gender to encompass wider DE&I issues such as racial equality. Can you tell us why?
Tea Colaianni: Over the last few years, there has been significant focus and progress on advancing gender equality within the industry. In 2019, together with the leaders in our Community we decided to extend our remit beyond gender diversity and focus on race and ethnicity. Since then many companies have come together sharing a desire to understand the challenges faced by people from ethnic minorities across hospitality, travel and leisure; and to co-create solutions that give Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic employees a voice and a clear path to get to managerial and leadership level.
Many companies across HTL are at the beginning of their journey in this area, some have taken steps like introducing blind CVs; others have run surveys among their employees; and over 20 HTL companies have signed the BITC Race at Work Charter. Many leaders are looking for guidance on how to start the conversation about race; how to create genuinely inclusive cultures; how to attract, recruit and retain talent from ethnic minorities; and create innovative and practical solutions. We seek to help companies on this journey. During the pandemic, our focus has broadened to supporting the Community members on a variety of topics ranging from wellbeing to re-engaging with employees returning from furlough, from being an inclusive leader to acting with purpose and integrity and social mobility.
FAIR PLAY TALKS: What are some of the key issues WiHTL is focusing on right now? What are your aims for the next two to five years?
Tea Colaianni: We are determined to keep the momentum we have reached already in disseminating our message to 2.8 million employees globally. Our goal is to get to five million by 2025. The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women and ethnic minorities. Over the last 15 months while some organisations have intensified their focus on nurturing inclusive virtual work environments, many others have had to undertake several restructures and sadly have pressed the pause button on their D&I plans; and are now starting to re-engage with their leaders on the subject.
It’s a very busy period right now as businesses within HTL prepare to reopen their doors after an incredibly challenging 15 months. There is a real buzz as businesses prepare to open their doors and welcome guests and customers back. And very excitingly for WiHTL right now, we are preparing for our inaugural Festival of Inclusion on the 12th-13th May.
The Festival is bringing together a fantastic line-up of 70+ speakers from across the HTL sector. There will be sessions on the importance of mentors and role models, creating a level playing field for all and how diversifying a company’s board improves their performance… among many, many others. We feel privileged to have so many industry inspiring and engaged leaders taking part and wanting to share their experience in a positive boost to diversity and inclusion. The Festival is a celebration of an incredibly fun, diverse and inclusive industry that is eager to welcome back thousands of employees and offer them varied career opportunities.
FAIR PLAY TALKS: What are some of the top challenges for leaders/DE&I/HR professionals in HTL?
Tea Colaianni: As we prepare to reopen the industry, the main challenge in the short- to medium-term is to attract talented, motivated and customer focused employees and identify new talent pools in a predominantly domestic job market. The HTL industry has a lot to offer in terms of flexibility, variety, progression and skills building. The industry is open to everybody whatever their gender, ethnicity, religion or socio economic background. Everybody is welcome.
Historically, there has been very little budget and human resources allocated to progressing the D&I agenda across our industry. Those resources have been decimated during the pandemic. HR Directors are bringing their teams back from furlough; and as they rebuild their forward looking plans and strategies they are doing that by applying a diversity lens. The WiHTL Collaboration Community offers HR leaders an opportunity to share challenges; learn from each other; and join industry wide programmes that most companies could not put in place on their own. We are there to support them as they rebuild their teams and put D&I at the centre of their roadmap to recovery.
FAIR PLAY TALKS: In your opinion, are organisations in HTL doing enough to become more inclusive? What more could they be doing?
Tea Colaianni: Some organisations in HTL are truly best in class in this area. They have ERGs in place, accountability starts at Board and C-suite level and diversity permeates all that they do. From a gender perspective, I believe there is one area in particular that requires leaders’ sustained investment and that is the support we provide to working parents. The pandemic has raised the level of understanding of the difficulties faced by working parents and women in particular when trying to juggle work and childcare responsibilities. As we return to work in offices and opening sites, we must not lose sight of the fact that caring responsibilities too often fall onto women’s shoulders; and that without support and flexibility, women might be left behind. We need to avoid that.
We need to do more in terms of attracting, developing and retaining ethnic minorities. At WiHTL, we have launched a ground-breaking programme called the Ethnic Minority Future Leaders (EMFL) programme in January this year; with over 150 leaders’ participation with delegates, allies, facilitators, executive sponsors and C-suite level reverse mentees meeting on a regular basis to support these future leaders’ career progression and raise awareness of the challenges faced by people from underrepresented groups. I am hugely inspired by the engagement of so many companies and leaders; and the feedback we are receiving from those involved in this programme. We are committed to doing more in this area; and have some exciting plans for the future.
There is always more that leaders can do. The most important step that leaders can take is to become involved in the inclusion journey. In 2021, it is not acceptable not to be on that journey at all.
FESTIVAL OF INCLUSION
WiHTL’s upcoming festival of inclusion this week on 12-13 May boasts a line-up of 70+ speakers from across the HTL sector, who will be touching on key topics from the importance of mentors and role models to creating a level playing field for all. Check out Colaianni’s interviews with Compass Group’s CEO Dominic Blakemore, the former Minister for Women & Equalities, Rt Hon Justine Greening; Hilton’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Officer DeShaun Wise Porter; and easyJet’s Independent Non-Executive Director Moni Mannings.
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