The hospitality sector has experienced continued progress on gender representation, but there continues to be a decline in ethnic minority representation at senior levels, a new report shows.
According to the latest report from WiHTL and Diversity in Retail (DiR) – which are focused on increasing inclusion in the retail, hospitality, travel, and leisure industries – these sectors continue to outperform the wider FTSE 350 on gender diversity across boards, executive committees and direct reports.
However, at the very top – chair, CEO, and CFO roles – women remain “significantly underrepresented”.
Ethnic minority representation has also slipped and “a concerning number of boards remain entirely all-white”, according to the organisation.
But the sector’s inclusion maturity score – measured by WiHTL and DiR – has risen from 66% to 72.4%, marking “tangible progress in how businesses approach diversity, equity and belonging”, the group said.
WiHTL and DiR founder and chair Tea Colaianni added: “As an industry, we know inclusion is vital to building stronger, more successful organisations. When people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences have a seat at the table, businesses make better decisions and deliver better results.
“We’ve made encouraging progress, but there’s still much more to do.”
Speaking at the WiHTL and DiR Inclusion Summit this month, Co-op head of social mobility, inclusion and belonging Zahoor Ahmad added: “Effective inclusion drives commerciality and improves performance. This is as fundamental as accepting that diverse minds will give you diverse solutions, attract diverse customers and applicants, and ensure you are able to pivot to the challenges ahead.”
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