People 1st reveals shortlist for 2016 Shine Awards
People 1st has revealed the shortlist for this year's Shine Awards, which celebrate the achievements of women working in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, as well as the mentors, ambassadors and businesses that support gender diversity in those industries.
The shortlist for the awards, which are being held in partnership with The Caterer, was chosen by a panel of over 20 judges, made up of leading figures from across the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries.
The full shortlist is as follows:
Rising Star
- Sarah Downes - Whitbread plc
- Irene Forte - Rocco Forte Hotels
- Ruth Hansom - The Ritz hotel
- Daniela Iannelli - Hilton Worldwide
- Lauren Neal - McDonald's Restaurants
Innovator of the Year
- Maria Bobrowska - TUI Group
- Emma Langford - Lexington
- Alison Lessmann - En Route International
Best Initiative to Retain and Develop Women
- The Aspiring Women Conference - Corbin & King
- Project Amazon - Whitbread Plc.
- Women in Leadership Initiative - Rezidor Hotels UK
Mentor of the Year
- Gareth Billington - Everton Football Club, Sodexo
- Gordon Mutton - Merlin Entertainments
- Kristen Henderson - Lakefield
- Sally Hughes - Rezidor Hotels UK
Best Place for Women to Work
- Brooklands hotel
- C&M Travel Recruitment
- Iglu.com
- Unilever Food Solutions
Woman of the Year
- Sally Beck - Lancaster hotel
- Debrah Dhugga - Dukes Collection
- Julia Edmonds
- Chantelle Nicholson - Marcus Wareing Restaurants
The winners will be revealed at a black tie dinner on 3 October at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London. The recipients of the Ambassador of the Year award and the Robyn Jones Lifetime Achievement award will also be announced on the evening.
Simon Tarr, chief executive of People 1st, commented: "This is the fifth time that People 1st has hosted the Shine Awards and it's safe to say that this has been our most competitive year to date. The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of entries, and it was a tough decision to come up with the final shortlists. Congratulations to all the shortlisted nominees - we look forward to announcing the winners in October."
Mark Lewis, publisher at The Caterer, added: "The Shine Awards are an incredibly important vehicle to showcase the fantastic female role models we have in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, and the great strides that businesses are making to ensure that we have diverse leadership teams. The quality and volume of this year's entries just go to show how much great work is being done across our industries - best of luck to all the shortlisted nominees."
The Shine Awards are part of People 1st's Women 1st campaign, which aims to increase the number of women working in board roles across the visitor economy, and support women who aspire to senior leadership roles in fulfilling their career ambitions.
Tickets and table reservations for the dinner are available to book now at www.theshineawards.co.uk
Shine Awards 2016 open for nominations >>
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