When I met Christine Martin and Ann Elliott, I immediately knew, not only were they both incredible humans who were being the change they wanted to see, but if I was ever going to put my head above the parapet, they would be right next to me.

Last summer, with these two incredible women I sat over a glass of nicely chilled Sancerre and we found ourselves discussing female hospitality board members, and there was a glaring problem.

After a few minutes we had exhausted the list…..surely not? We raked our brains thinking we must all be slightly merry and our senses were lagging, but no. We had simply just covered off the few incredible female board members in a few minutes. 

As I listened to Christine’s and Ann’s wisdom on the matter, we quickly realised that rather than sitting in a lovely wine bar talking about it, we could do something about it. So that is what we did, we created Boardwalk.

Nearly a year since concept, and a lot of 11pm Zoom calls, we are incredibly proud to announce Boardwalk, a not-for-profit initiative designed to fast-track senior women in hospitality into board positions - because diverse boards deliver better business outcomes, fact.

Despite the strength of female talent in the sector, women remain under-represented at the top. Boardwalk will change that through a professional mentoring programme, curated events, practical tools, a lock box of dreams and measurable progress tracking, all designed to develop confident, board-ready leaders. Our aim is to see 60% of each year’s mentee intake appointed to a board position within three years of graduation.

We’re here to unlock performance, not tick boxes. By supporting exceptional women, we will create higher performing hospitality boards. This is not going to be just another mentoring scheme; this is a highly curated programme which will create more female board members. We will make a difference, and this is going to be something exceptional. This is going to be something that the world will know about.

We have a World Cup line up of 20 incredible leaders from across the industry as this year’s mentors. Our four Founding Partners and board members are from across the sector and they bring a wealth of experience.

My final thought? My Nana also taught me I didn’t need to find my voice, I had a voice, so I raised it - not to shout, but enough so that those without a voice could be heard. 

Ann, Christine and I feel incredibly privileged to be in a position within the industry, that combined, our voice is a mighty roar, and we will use that roar to be the change we want to see. But we can’t do this alone. 

Please let me be very clear, we are certainly not unappreciative of the many incredible men on our industry boards. We can’t move the dial without both men and women collectively having a seat around the table. I learned from a very young age to surround yourself with people you wanted to be like. 

Our industry is surrounded by greatness and we need this greatness to join us, so ladies and gentlemen, jump on Boardwalk with us. Together, we will create an unbreakable future for this brilliant industry we proudly call home!

To nominate a mentee click here. Spaces are limited, so don’t dilly dally! 

Shereen Ritchie is a hospitality sector CEO and board advisor and co-founder of Boardwalk.