14
October
2015
|
10:46
Europe/London

Athena Mentoring: Mentees announced

Summary

Athena Mentoring, the programme launched to recognise and develop female talent in the pub industry, has today named the six mentees who will take part in the first phase of the scheme.

Six mentees chosen for pilot phase of the initiative

Athena Mentoring, the programme launched to recognise and develop female talent in the pub industry, has today named the six mentees who will take part in the first phase of the scheme.

Those taking part are: Sophie Herbert, Sales and Marketing Manager, Beds and Bars; Gemma Placey, Finance Manager, Beds and Bars; Helen Lees, Managing Director, findmypub.com; Elizabeth Hawthornwaite, General Manager, One Under Lime (Elior); Sarah Marshall, General Manger, Yummy Pubs; and Alice Bowyer, Executive Chef, Bath Ales.

The pilot phase of the programme, which is part of a joint initiative between BT Sport, the BII, the ALMR and Inapub, will run for a year, with the selected mentees paired with a personal mentor. Over a series of one-to-one sessions, taking place on a bi-monthly basis, they will work with their mentor on pre-defined development areas, unique to each mentee. The combination of advice, support and guidance will enable mentees to develop their talents and professional growth.

The successful mentees had the following to say: Sophie Herbert, Sales and Marketing Manager, Beds and Bars: “I am absolutely thrilled about being selected for the Athena Mentoring programme. The opportunity of tailored one-to-one mentoring will be invaluable for my career progression, and I know will truly benefit my future within a sector I am so passionate about.”

Sarah Marshall, General Manger, Yummy Pubs: “This is a fantastic opportunity and I hope to meet and exceed expectations, with the end goal of transferring the newly learnt skills to my team and thus raising the incredible industry I am a part of.”

Alice Bowyer, Executive Chef, Bath Ales: “I am delighted to be given this opportunity and to be part of this important programme. To be given advice and guidance from the mentors will be invaluable. We need more women at the top in our of industry. I hope I can succeed in this scheme to help in some way to create awareness about the imbalance we currently face."

Emma Causer, Founder of Athena Mentoring said: “I’m thrilled to be announcing our mentees today. We had so many talented, passionate and driven women apply and our final group is representative of that. We are so excited about what the next year has in store.”

Mentors supporting the programme include: Suzanne Baker, Commercial Director, Stonegate; Ann Elliot, CEO Elliots; Chris Welham, Managing Director, Spirit Leased; and Stephen Gould, Managing Director, Everards Brewery.

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

The pub industry lags behind industry with only circa 18% females at Executive Board and Main Board level.

BT has funded the development of the programme with BII donating as headline sponsor. Inapub has provided marketing and promotional collateral.