WORLDWIDE: Radisson Hotel Group has launched Diversity Week with a focus on International Women’s Day, as well as its first Employee Resource Group.
The theme of the week, which runs from today until Friday, March 8th, is “Inspire Inclusion”, and the aim is to promote diversity in the workplace, foster meaningful conversations about inclusivity and equity in growth opportunities, and encourage open dialogue about gender, culture, and minorities.
The Group, which has more than 70,000 team members representing more than 146 nationalities, also said it wants to celebrate its “unique and diverse talent” and emphasise its cultural belief that: “We are many minds, with one mindset”.
Diversity Week will bring together team members from around the world with Radisson Hotel Group leaders and industry experts in a virtual conference.
Topics will include senior female leaders sharing their personal career journeys, in-depth conversations about programmes and training to support dynamic career development, how to prevent bias and ensure equity in compensation and benefits, as well as what leaders can do to increase an overall sense of belonging at both the hotel-level and individual-level.
Iñigo Capell, executive vice president & global chief people and resources officer said: “At Radisson Hotel Group, we celebrate diversity across all cultures, races, genders, abilities, and generations. We want to continue nurturing a culture of openness, inclusivity, and advancement for all.”
During the week, the group will also launch its first Employee Resource Groups to give team members the opportunity to engage more actively in DEI and on the final day March 8th, the virtual conference will close with a global International Women’s Day celebration.
Radisson has been focusing on identifying female talent with the potential to grow into leadership roles over the last year.
Currently, the leadership of the Group is 32 per cent female leaders, including general managers at the hotel-level and director-level and above at the corporate office-level. This represents a 16 percentage points increase since 2018.
The hotel group is aiming to achieve balanced leadership by supporting more women to take on leadership roles within the company and has set a target of 50 per cent Women in Leadership by 2030.
According to the group, the external talent pool aimed at female general managers resulted in a 30 per cent increase of external hires for general manager positions in 2023 being female, representing an 11 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
The Group recently launched Spotlight, a sponsorship programme that gives visibility to female talent across the company by matching them with senior leaders who will support and advocate for them in their career journey.
For more about DEI and women in hospitality, read our Q&A about Inspiring Women in Hospitality with founder, Naureen Ahmed.