Glenapp Castle would not be where it is today without all of its wonderful women. Indeed, 51% of the hotel’s workforce are female.
In honour of International Women’s Day, Glenapp Castle highlights the fantastic ladies who work hard behind the scenes and who, along with the rest of the team, make Glenapp Castle the truly magical place that it is!
Chonie Clark, Reservations & Sales Manager
How important is women’s empowerment to you?
Women’s empowerment is very important to me. As a mum, I want to be a role model for my daughter. I want her to work towards, and achieve anything that she sets out to do, and I want to be sure to lead by example. With more women in senior positions, this is now becoming a reality. There is certainly still more to be done, as men are still overshadowing women both on a pay grade, and their job titles. However, it is great to see how much more accepted it is for mums to have a career. The more we educate people, including our own children about this, the more this becomes the norm. Men and women are equal and the more we speak about it, the more it becomes reality!
Gillian Purdie, Sales & Marketing Manager
What is your greatest achievement?
Winning ‘employee of the year’ at the CIS Excellence Award 2020 was a real career highlight of mine, but I am even more proud to be part of Glenapp Castle’s success story.
It is an honour to be part of such a wonderful team leading the castle in its journey to be one of the best Scottish castle hotels
Caitlin Reid, Back of House Operations Manager
What is your favourite thing about working in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality is such a diverse and progressive sector; it has given me the opportunity to learn, to develop myself professionally and to grow as a person. I have been lucky enough to work with people from all over the world, from different walks of life, backgrounds and cultures, and I have made friends for life.
Jill Chalmers, Managing Director
Do you do anything on the side to help women? Are you involved in any charities, for example?
In my spare time I support the Princes Trust in Scotland who work to help young people in Scotland get into education, jobs and to start businesses. They also have a ‘women supporting women’ area, for which some of the funds that we raise go directly to. I also ‘sponsor a girl’ with one of the overseas charity foundations and the funding goes directly to a young female.
Charlotte Harrop, HR & Finance Manager
What would your advice be to a woman who is looking to start a career in hospitality?
My top three tips would be: try and experience as many areas of hospitality as you can, to allow you to decide as early as possible which path you want to pursue. Be brave and if the opportunity arises to move abroad, be sure to take it! And finally, find a good mentor along the way that can support you while sharing all their built up knowledge - it can really help you develop what kind of leader you want to be in the future. Just make sure to always have ambition - you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Miquetta de Castro, Pastry Chef
Have you seen a change in the hospitality industry since you first started?
I think the most interesting change I have seen in the hospitality industry is around sustainability. We live in a world where social media has a big stage to highlight the growing problems facing our planet and our population.
Since I have joined the industry, I have seen more hotels gravitate towards sustainability by taking a greener approach, making more of an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. They have started using less of the earth's resources to help protect it which is so wonderful to see!
Fiona Harkin, Head Housekeeper
When did you start out in hospitality and what made you want to work within this sector?
I started off as a general housekeeping assistant in 2002 and so I have worked in the hospitality sector for almost 20 years. My greatest achievement has been progressing each year to be where I am today. I chose to work in hospitality as you do not get two days that are the same and I relish taking on the day-to-day challenges and working with such a great and supportive team.
I am proud to be the Head Housekeeper at the most wonderful 5 star hotel that is Glenapp Castle. I believe we should all have equal opportunities and the ability to make strategic choices in all areas of our lives.
Glenapp Castle
https://www.glenappcastle.com
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