PrideInn set to achieve gender balance across its nine facilities

PrideInn is set to achieve gender balance across its nine facilities in Nairobi and Mombasa two years ahead of the target it set itself.

With a higher representation of female managers than ever before, PrideInn’s workforce is closing the gender gap with 40% women at management level, up from 25% in 2014, the hospitality brand targets to have 60% of if its managerial positions occupied by women.

“I am a firm believer of diversity and inclusion, and strongly advocate the fact that gender equality is not a woman’s issue, it’s a business issue and a social issue. We have made a strong commitment, since 2013, to have at least 50 percent of our senior leadership positions held by women. We need to achieve this target by 2024, as part of our ten-year strategic plan. As a regional player, with an ambition to become the leading hotel chain in Africa, we must act as the champions of the change, and leave a legacy that lasts forever,” said Hasnain Noorani, Founder and Managing Director for PrideInn Hotels

The hotel’s gender balance milestone follows a long-standing commitment to drive gender equality in the workplace.

A dedicated diversity and inclusion team has implemented several initiatives geared toward encouraging women rise to managerial positions.

“We are focusing on increasing the presence of women in all levels of our company. Core components of the initiative include leadership development, capacity building, mentoring, and responsive workplace policies that promote work-life integration,” added Hasnain.

Three years ago, the hospitality group became the first in East and Central Africa to hire a female general manager in one of its five star rated facility, PrideInn paradise Beach resort.

“The days of relying on only a handful of leaders or ‘a few good men’ to make decisions is, and deserves to be, a thing of the past. In every role and in every sector, women offer a level of intellect, insight, and ability that needs to be recognised. These skills are the simple traits that have made businesses successful since commerce began,” said Hasnain.

Today’s managerial representation must reflect the changing demographics of workplace and workforce. Success and growth depend on it.

“As a modern customer-facing hospitality chain, we need employees who naturally reflect our customers and hence we strive to recruit women and build them up to take up leadership positions in our hotels. We are now seeking to improve gender balance in senior-management positions for the same reason,” Said Farzana Zahir, PrideInn Sales and Marketing Director.

“A team of different people can make better decisions than a sole person or a team of the same gender of people. The more views or options we put on the table the better the outcome the decision-making process will yield,” she added.

Millions of women already work in Travel & Tourism, it is important that women are represented equally at all levels of the sectors, reaching up to chief executives, directors, and board members.

This is important not only for the prospects of individual women leaders, but to highlight the potential of all women and to build further momentum for equality in the sector.

“A thriving society is one where women have equal access to rights, skills and opportunities. Women constitute the majority of our consumers and we owe a lot of our success to them. What we’ve achieved is testament to the work of thousands of people across our business who are able to fully unleash their potential because they feel valued and included,” Ann Peggy, General Manager, PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort.

In February, Kenya’s Debra Mallowah was appointed as the new Vice president for Coca- Cola’s East and Central African franchise to oversee the development and implementation of business strategies across the East and Central African franchise for the global soft-drinks company.

This is a tremendous progress towards attaining more women in decision making positions in the corporate world.