The importance of gender diversity for the UK’s travel and tourism industry is to be highlighted by a key speaker at the Women 1st conference in June.
Liz Bingham, Ernst & Young managing partner – people for UK and Ireland and ambassador for diversity and inclusivity, is to address the London event on June 19.
She said: “I am keen to highlight that diversity gives organisations a competitive edge in today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace.
“To compete effectively, employers need people with a range of experience and insight into new markets. So when we talk of boardroom representation in the future, it should include gender, age, culture, skills and life experience.”
Women 1st founder Sharon Glancy said: “We are keen for our delegates to learn best practice methodologies from other industries and there’s no better person to highlight these than Liz Bingham.
“She has successfully championed diversity at Ernst & Young and the organisation was named 2012 employer of the year in a recent equality index. Our industries can certainly learn a lot from her.”
Women 1st was developed by sector skills council People 1st, which set up the initiative in 2009 after it found that whilst almost 60% of the hospitality workforce is female, only 6% of board director positions are held by women. To date it has supported over 1,000 women through its training and mentoring programmes.
Women 1st will announce the winners of its annual Shine Awards following the conference at the London Marriott Hotel.