IWD 2024: Celebrating Inspiring Women in HTL, Retail & Tech

To mark International Women’s Day, WiHTL & Diversity in Retail have revealed their annual inspiring Women to Watch Index, produced in partnership with The MBS Group.

Now in its sixth year, The ‘2024 Women to Watch in Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail Index’ highlights a line up of over 100 inspiring women role models and trailblazers. Throughout the Index, these inspiring women demonstrate visionary leadership, commercial and operational excellence, and a dedication to raising the bar for women across the industry.

WOMEN TO WATCH IN TECH & ENGINEERING

For the first time, the 2024 edition has a new section devoted to ‘Women to Watch in Technology & Engineering’, underlining the increasing presence of women in these traditionally male dominated roles and it is encouraging to see how many women feature in this inaugural section of the Index.

 “We’re delighted to launch our 2024 Women to Watch in Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail Index in partnership with The MBS Group. Each year I am inspired by all the women featured and the paths they are forging, both for themselves and other women to follow,” stated Tea Colaianni, Founder and Chair of WiHTL & DiR. “I am particularly excited for our inaugural ‘Technology and Engineering’ focus, as we know this segment of our industry requires additional focus and nurturing. Well done to everyone featured this year.”

Elliott Goldstein, Managing Partner at The MBS Group, added: “For six consecutive years, it has been our privilege to work alongside WiHTL & DiR as we seek to move the dial on equity, diversity and inclusion across our sectors. As part of that, we have a responsibility to celebrate role models and to shine a light on the many different routes to the top, in order to pave the way for the next generation of diverse leaders in our industry. The 2024 Women to Watch in Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail Index is an important and inspiring publication, highlighting the women leaders who are making a lasting impact in their organisations and our sectors.”

INSPIRING WOMEN TO WATCH IN 2024

Here are the inspiring women to watch, separated by category, in 2024:

Women to Watch in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure

• Leah Anderson, Director of Finance for Foodbuy, Compass Group UK & Ireland
• Reena Appadoo, Risk Director, Moto Hospitality
• Vicky Barber, Marketing Director, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken UK
• Liz Benison, Chief People and Transformation Officer, ISS A/S
• Amy Bornmann, Director, Club & Association Governance – Wyndham Destinations, Travel + Leisure Co.
• Laura Brander, Vice President, Communications, Virgin Atlantic
• Kirsty Burkill, Vice President of Marketing, Merlin Entertainments
• Gen Byrne, Regional Director, Nando’s
• Juliett Cattermole, Group People Director, David Lloyd Clubs
• Sabrina de Carvalho, Senior Divisional Director, Merlin Entertainments
• Fran Collison, Safety Director, Aramark UK
• Emma Dagnes, Chief Executive Officer, Alexandra Palace
• Kari Daniels, Job Title Chief Executive Officer, SSP UK & Ireland
• Rebecca Donaldson, Commercial Marketing Director, Whitbread
• Jo Eagling, Finance Director, Sodexo Health & Care, Sodexo
• Dana Farmer, VP, SEC Reporting & Corporate Accounting, Travel + Leisure Co.
• Lina Giavara, General Manager, Global Betting Platform, Sportsbet
• Helen Hayes, General Counsel, Bourne Leisure
• Michelle Heywood, Finance Director, easyJet Holidays
• Sigrid Holmberg, IT Director, Northern Europe, ODEON Cinemas Group
• Katie Horner, Group Financial Controller, Fuller, Smith and Turner
• Rachel Iley, Director of Global Learning Academy and Health Services, British Airways
• Julie Jolly, Compliance Director, Greene King
• Tina Koehler, VP Global Consumer / Marketing, Deliveroo
• Deborah Lee, Group Chief People Officer, Compass Group
• Christina Lewis, Head Of Global Rider Experience & Partnerships, Deliveroo
• Inna Lim, Director of Marketing, Strategy & Execution, Sodexo
• Mia Manson-Bishop, Club Experience and Membership Director, David Lloyd Clubs
• Fiona Martin, Managing Director, Education & Healthcare, Aramark UK
• Adela Maynard-Bielecka, Regional Director, PizzaExpress
• Alex Moon, General Counsel & Chief of Staff, IQ Student Accommodation
• Nicola Morris, Managing Director, ISS UK & Ireland
• Inge Van Ooteghem, Managing Director, Premier Inn Germany
• Jenny Packwood, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, KFC UK & Ireland
• Rebecca Parr-Phillips, Operations Director, ODEON Cinemas Group
• Zarin Patel, Senior Independent Director and Chair of Audit & Risk Committee, Pets at Home Group, Anglian Water, Hays, National Trust and HM Treasury
• Surinder Phuller, Senior Director, Marketing Centres of Excellence (Media, Content, Insights), Hilton
• Kathryn Richmond, Development Director, Searcys
• Rachel Riley, Director Commercial Strategy and Planning, British Airways
• Jennifer Roebuck, Co-founder, Tortilla
• Fiona Scattergood, Group General Counsel & Company Secretary, SSP Group
• Victoria Self, Managing Director (Product & Tech) – Player Experience, Entain
• Lisa Sewell, Chief People Officer, Flutter Entertainment
• Melissa Skluzacek, Director – Trading & Revenue Management, easyJet
• Lucy Taylor, Chief Operations Officer, KFC UK & Ireland
• Jane Treasure, Food & Beverage Director, PizzaExpress
• Liz Wells, Insight and Customer First Director, Greene King
• Rachel Wilton, Vice President of Virgin Atlantic Holidays (Interim), Virgin Atlantic
• Julia Winterburn, Area Manager, Forest Holidays

Inspiring Women to Watch in Retail

• CJ Antal-Smith, Group Commercial Director, Halfords Garages,
• Salma Azad, Area manager, IKEA
• Sinead Bell, Commercial Director, Co-op Food Group, Co-op
• Karen Bellairs, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Halfords
• Lorna Billinge, SVP, Operations & Global Supply Chain, Qurate Retail Group
• Sara Bradley, Group Buying Director, N Brown
• Caroline Browne, Group Finance and Investor Relations Director, Watches of Switzerland Group
• Selina Butterfield-Mashoofi, Chief Financial Officer, Central Co-op
• Lisa Camm, Head of Digital Transformation, Fortnum & Mason
• Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President, EMEA, lululemon
• Zahra Coggins, Space & Format Development Director, WHSmith
• Julia Cove-Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Emma Bridgewater
• Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Sainsbury’s
• Emma Dinnis, Managing Director, Sofology
• Sarah Ellis, Group Marketing Director, A.F. Blakemore & Son
• Liz Evans, Chief Commercial Officer – Non-Food, Asda
• Maria Glasscock, Executive People Director, Selfridges
• Jessica Goddard, Head of Studio Production, Sweaty Betty
• Charlotte Green, Director, EU Consumables, Amazon
• Lysa Hardy, Managing Director, Hotel Chocolat D2C, Non Exec Director, Superdry
• Lisa Heidemanns, Senior Manager, Omnichannel EMEA, lululemon
• Maria Hollins, Chief Executive Officer, Ann Summers
• Claire Koziol, Head of Talent, Central Co-op
• Victoria Lockie, Head of Retail, Nisa
• Emma Long, Chief Customer Officer, Dreams
• Ruth Mann, VP Marketing, Sweaty Betty
• Alexandra Mendel, Vice President Buying, Planning, Programming, QVC UK
• Ruth Mutton, Regional Manager, A.F. Blakemore & Son
• Anna Parfitt, People Director, Oliver Bonas
• Penny Parry, Sales Director, Nkuku
• Megan Shearer, Chief Product Officer, Monica Vinader
• Rachel Sheridan, Chief Commercial & Operating Officer, Vinterior
• Suzy Slavid, Chief Executive Officer, WYSE London
• Kath Smith, Senior Independent Director, JD Sports
• Marsha Smith, Deputy Country Retail Manager, UK & Ireland, IKEA
• Lucy Swinburn, Group Trading Director Books, WHSmith
• Emily Tate, Chief Financial Officer, Oak Furnitureland
• Hayley Tatum, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer, Asda
• Kate Williams, Director of Commercial Development, Dunelm
• Anujah de Wit, Director of Fresh Foods Supply Chain, Sainsbury’s
• Clare Wright, Former Chief People Officer, Jardine Motors Group
• Aalish Yorke-Long, Chief Executive Officer, Neptune

Women to Watch in Technology and Engineering

• Stella Marie Alamil, CIO Europe & Global Key Accounts, ISS A/S
• Kirsty Bennett, Chief Information Officer, Bentley Motors
• Paulina Bohdanowicz-Godfrey, Senior Director Energy & Environment EMEA, Hilton
• Poonam Chauhan, Head of Technology Operations, Moto Hospitality
• Elizabeth Colon, SVP, Enterprise Data & Strategic Analytics, Travel + Leisure Co.
• Jeannette Copeland, Technology Director, Ann Summers
• Isabelle Droll, CIO Holiday Experience, Corporate & Sustainability, TUI Group
• Beth Gildersleve, MD Technology Brand Experience, Flutter UK & Ireland
• Alison Gillham, Vice President, Technology & Change, McDonald’s UK & Ireland
• Alice Goodwin, Avionics Design & Development Engineer, Virgin Atlantic
• Vanessa Holden, Head of Digital & Customer Technology, PizzaExpress
• Vanessa Kargbo, Head of Restaurant Technology, Pizza Hut, Yum!
• Natalia Martinez Del Rio, Airframe Services Director, Iberia Maintenance
• Andrea Mills, Director of Change, Pets at Home
• Donna Moore, Country Digital Manager, UK & IE, IKEA
• Rosangela Robbiani, Product Managing Director, Sisal
• Chiho Sakumi, IT Director, Japan Technology Lead, QVC Japan
• Leigh Stuart, Head of Business Solutions, Harrods
• Nichole Tinnion, Senior Director – Technology, Asda
• Erin Weigel, Senior Design Manager, Deliveroo

CELEBRATING INSPIRING WOMEN

The women featured in the list came together for a celebratory launch event, hosted by legal services firm DWF at their London office in the iconic Walkie Talkie building. The lineup of speakers including Tracey Groves, Partner and Head of Sustainable Business and ESG Advisory Practice, Kari Daniels, CEO, SSP and Stephen Cassidy, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Hilton and Chair UK Hospitality, attendees were celebrated for their achievements while being encouraged to pave the way for other women aspiring to be leaders in the industry and to achieve equity for all.

You can check out the full stories of all the inspiring women to watch mentioned above here.

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