More than 1,000 women trained by Women 1st

Thistle Hotels and Women 1st have helped more than 1,000 women to achieve their hospitality and tourism career aspirations.

The timely announcement, which comes on International Women's Day, said the landmark number was achieved as a result of Thistle's decision to train a new batch of female managers through Women 1st's Step Up programme.

The programme is designed to transform women's management and leadership skills by giving aspiring leaders the expertise, confidence and skills needed to become the chief executives and board members of tomorrow.

Women 1st also offers a mentoring programme that matches candidates to senior industry figures so that junior female staff can benefit from expert advice and guidance to progress their careers.

Sharon Glancy, founder of Women 1st added: "We have noticed an increase in the number of organisations taking heed of the fact that having more women in board level positions positively impacts financial performance.

"With women making the majority of purchasing decisions, having more female input on leadership teams can help businesses develop a unique understanding of their largest customer base. It is vital that businesses provide their female staff with effective training, mentoring and networking opportunities to build a talent pipeline of future women leaders."

Joanna Morgan, service and leadership development manager, Guoman & Thistle Hotels described Women 1st as a trailblazer in the hospitality industry.

"We have been developing our female managers through the Step Up programme for some time and are delighted with the results.

"Women 1st has played a pivotal role in helping our business support people development and it's great that so many women are on the way to achieving their career aspirations with Thistle."