TORONTO—Women in Tourism and Hospitality (WITHOrg.com), an organization dedicated to the advancement of women in the tourism and hospitality industries, announced the program lineup for its upcoming inaugural conference taking place in Toronto on September 18, 2017, at the Park Hyatt Hotel.
The roster of speakers and panelists includes Kirstine Stewart, CEO of Diply GoViral as the keynote speaker and Kathleen Taylor, Chair Royal Bank of Canada and past President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels will open the conference. Marriott, Air Canada, Host Hotels and Tourism Toronto will all participate. Presented in association with Hotelier magazine and Sequel Hotels & Resorts, this collective will allow delegates to learn from thought leaders and hear first-hand success stories which have the potential to change individual lives and corporate diversity initiatives. Interactive panels and workshops will create collaborative exchanges. A full list of speakers and event schedule can be accessed at www.withorg.com/women-in-tourism-hospitality-conference.
WITHorg was founded by two industry icons, Anne Larcade, President & CEO of Sequel Hotels and Resorts and Rosanna Caira, Editor & Publisher at Kostuch Media, which publishes Foodservice and Hospitality magazine and Hotelier magazine. The organization operates as a network of collaborative-curated community members, whom all use the network to leverage platforms for leadership and expansion of women’s training in removing barriers towards an equal society.
Become a member of WITHorg and receive $100 off the conference registration.
Goal is to Connect Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs
“Our movement and tribe, WITHOrg, is all about curating and connecting mission-driven entrepreneurs, women in travel and tourism, who are making a real impact in the world,” explains Anne Larcade, co-founder of WITH. “We believe that dreamers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and innovators in our companies are the key to real social change. Our role is to talent scout these superheroes and to find champions to help ‘move the needle’ and narrow the gender gap.”
McKinsey Global Institute (2015) reports stronger performance in companies with women in leadership positions and many use dedicated programs to develop women executives for a broad range of industries. However, most tourism and hospitality industry companies are not driving leadership development of this caliber internally. WITHorg’s goal is to provide solutions and be thought leaders globally on how this can be driven, measured and celebrated.
“Women make up a considerable percentage of the front line in our industry, yet less than 11 percent are in C suites roles, and approximately 7 percent are speakers at top hospitality industry conferences,” Larcade says. “This is an imbalance.”
“Our immediate goal is to provide information, skills, and networks to help women in their careers, while at the same time create and measure initiatives to enrich companies with actual strategies to improve and measure diversity in the workplace,” adds Rosanna Caira.
WITHorg is actively seeking sponsors and champions to help lead the collective. For additional information on sponsors contact Rosanna Caira at rcaira@kostuchmedia.com.
