Learning From Scotland’s Leading Women in Hospitality

A lot of our HIT Scotland scholarships rely on our connections, knowing the right experts who are happy to share their knowledge and expertise with a scholar. We couldn’t do what we do without this wonderful Scottish hospitality community, and we are hugely grateful to them all!

Bespoke scholar Louise had recently been promoted into a new role, and was keen to learn from industry leaders and develop skills that would help her thrive and grow in confidence.  She wanted to be able to communicate more confidently with leaders in situations where she might feel a bit unsure of herself, to feel comfortable participating more actively within group settings and speaking up, and to be able to handle challenging situations.  So we organised for her to be inspired by some of the wonderful senior women that our industry has!

She came to Edinburgh for a couple of days, to attend the STLN Women in Hospitality lunch, and to meet with some of Scotland’s leading women in hospitality, giving Louise the chance to hear their experiences first-hand and gain insights and advice as she settles into her new role.

She said: “I had the pleasure of meeting some truly inspiring women at the STLN Women in Hospitality lunch in Edinburgh on Tuesday. I was delighted to be joined by Fiona Richmond from Scotland Food & Drink, and to have the opportunity to meet other women working across Scotland's hotels, bars, and restaurants. The guest speakers were all fantastic.  They all had something different to say.  It was really interesting and heartwarming to hear their personal stories about the journeys that led them to where they are today.

“As a woman working in the cruise sector it was encouraging to hear how they navigated challenges, were offered opportunities they didn’t expect and with the help of family and friends managed to build successful careers in the hospitality industry.

“After the speakers session I was lucky to have a few minutes chatting with 2 of them,  Julie Dalton from The Adamson in St Andrews and Kim Toft, co-owner of Glasgow cocktail bar Daddy Marmalade.  Both ladies were so approachable and generous in sharing their experiences and insights.  I look forward to popping by both venues in the near future to say hello and sample their menus, especially the cocktails!

“It was a fantastic afternoon, I left feeling inspired by the passion in the room and by the women I met.  Thank you to HIT Scotland for my invite to the event and to all the staff at the Caledonian Hotel for their amazing service.  Thank you to SLTN and everyone involved in making this event so wonderful.”

We also organised for Louise to meet up with two of the hotel industry’s senior women before she headed home: Angela Vickers from Apex Hotels, and Mary Mant from the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel. 

Louise said:  “Both Angela and Mary were nothing short of a pleasure to meet, chat, listen and talk to. I truly loved both and took away lots of encouraging advice and learned a lot about myself today too.”

The opportunity to spend time with experienced industry leaders, hear about their journeys and benefit from their advice is exactly what makes these bespoke scholarships so special. 

A huge thank you to Fiona, Julie, Kim, Angela and Mary for sharing their time and expertise with Louise. It's thanks to their support and of our Scottish hospitality community that we can continue to create opportunities like this for our scholars.