Claire Steele, Head of Operations for Chartwells and Regional Operations Manager at Compass Retail Leanne Smith, recently graduated from Compass Group's Global Female Leader Programme which is delivered in partnership with WiTHL (Diversity in Travel, Hospitality and Leisure).
The ten-session programme for high-potential female leaders working in mid to senior management positions within the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail sectors, provides a series of experiences and opportunities to support career progression.
Additionally, it aims to overcome challenges facing women who wish to progress to the highest levels of leadership with tailored advice and strategies.
Leanne says: "I have been with Compass coming up to 15 years and my current role is part of the Leadership team in One Retail.
"Six months ago, I was given the opportunity to take part in the WiTHL Global Women Leaders Program.
I embarked on the programme lacking self-confidence and belief having worked within a male dominated environment throughout my early career and within the past few years in Compass which hasn’t helped my self-confidence.
I have had the opportunity to attend some fantastic roundtable sessions with some truly inspiring female leaders who have shared their journeys.
"The programme has empowered me as a woman within Compass to feel like I can grow, giving me confidence to use my skills and experience that I have gained from the programme in the past 6 months, building a network of female leaders in our PAG group from Moto, Sainsburys and British Airways, and meeting many more globally throughout each session who have been a massive support.
"I now look forward to what the future holds Growing further within Compass Group in the years to come."
For me one of the main takeaways has been the realisation that it is really important to be authentic."
