Now in its fifth year, the annual Code Hospitality Women of the Year list has been revealed this month to champion the unsung female heroes of the industry. We explore who made the list.
The awards are split across four categories, campaigners, disruptors, connectors and leaders from which a panel of judges have selected 83 standout women from over 500 nominations across a diverse range of career paths, each of whom have been changing the face of our industry over the past 12 months.
Code Hospitality describes each category as follows:
Campaigner - Advocating for special causes and meaningful change within the hospitality industry.
Disruptor - Challenging the status quo and changing the perception of hospitality across the industry and beyond.
Connector - Building networks and sharing connections for the benefit of the hospitality community.
Leader - A source of advice and inspiration; creating opportunities for others to succeed.
Campaigners included Olia Hercules - Activist, chef, author, co-founder, Cook for Ukraine. best known for her cook books which shone a light on the diverse cuisines of Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Olia's perspective changed after Russia invaded her home country of Ukraine, from which point she immediately became an activist, launching #CookforUkraine. Since launching this initiative aimed at raising funds for relief causes, #CookforUkraine has raised a remarkable £3m for Unicef, Choose Love and other charities.
Bianca Tavella is the founder and CEO of Fair Shot Café in London's Covent Garden, a not for-profit café founded in 2019 serving coffee with a conscience. The aim of Fair Shot Café is to transform the lives of young people with learning disabilities, providing training and employment and helping tackle the 94% unemployment rate among adults with learning disabilities.
The Disruptors category includes Jennifer McPhee, brand director at The Alchemist, a group of bars that has grown from a small bar chain in the North of England to a widely recognised international brand. "Aside from creative drinks, McPhee champions all manner of campaigns, from carbon neutrality to launching NFTs, and has led the brand's international expansion, from a small Manchester company to opening a first overseas venue in Berlin last year," Code Hospitality say.
Another in the category is Jaega Wise, Sommelier, brewer, broadcaster & presenter, BBC The Food Programme. Wise has been in influential person in promoting women in the male-dominated beer world. "Since founding Wild Card Brewery in Walthamstow in 2012, Wise has been named brewer of the year twice, campaigned on a number of issues within the beer industry, including sexism, race and disabilities, and played an active role in the International Women's Collaboration Brew Day."
Amongst the connectors are Raissa & Joyce de Haas, co-founders of Double Dutch, a producer of quality drinks with a focus on sustainability. "Raissa and Joyce are on a mission to tackle under-representation in the industry, funding a Female Bartender Scholarship Programme launched for the third year in a row on International Women's Day," explains Code Hospitality.
Finally, amongst the names in the leaders category is Anna Watkins, MD of the Barrafina Group; Cornelia Staeubli, Director at Ottolenghi; Maria McCann, Head of Ops at Blacklock, and more.
Discover the list in full here.
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At the start of the year we published our 23 for 2023 list - highlighting 23 of the most interesting, innovative and influential people to look out for this year, now in its second year. Revisit this list here.