IWD 2025 - an interview with: Rachel Thomson

 What’s the most important piece of advice you’d give to a woman thinking of starting a career at leadership level? 

My advice? Be bold, fierce, strong and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo.  For any woman building their career where we are thriving to drive diversity, we have to be able to handle the pressures that come (and in some cases, added!) Be a total advocate for yourself and own your space.  Don’t be afraid to have those difficult conversations or hold a room. Empower those around you and lead with nothing but authenticity, you are amazing because you are YOU.  We haven’t got to our roles, or where we dreamed of being without learning, embracing and evolving in terms of leadership diversity.  Your seat at the table is not just valuable, it is necessary. Go for your dreams no matter what they are.

As a successful leader, how do you think (business) leaders can accelerate action toward closing the gender gap and ensuring equal opportunities in the workplace?

It all starts with us.  Are we actively creating opportunities for women to grow and lead? How often do we send our teams, especially our female talent, to networking events such as ‘International Women’s Day’? Are we truly celebrating career progression? Showcasing the journey from waitress to manager, manager to exec, and are we tracking the numbers?

A business strategy is of course essential, but what about our people's strategies? Have we set a bold, measurable goal? Perhaps achieving 40/60 gender balance in leadership by 2027 through natural attrition? Is that goal public? Are we holding ourselves accountable, showing the commitment to diversity? The more we bring these conversations forward and openly discuss these, we recognize the tangible impact of a diverse leadership team. When diversity really does become part of a company's DNA, we don’t need to talk about gender gaps, we close them! 

How important is diversity across senior leadership teams?

Diversity isn’t just important, to me it’s non-negotiable! We are paving the way for future generations of women who don’t aspire to be in leadership but should know they belong there.  I started in management almost 13 years ago, and the whole dynamics have shifted. I also spent 5 years in the Middle East, so I know how important it is for women to have a voice, and that all important seat at the table. We have evolved so much in terms of the senior leadership % ratios of male and female, It is a testament to the strong, fierce women who are thriving in business and want to chase their goals / ambitions and dreams. I love supporting those who are taking risks and being loud and proud about it! To be able to innovate, evolve, and drive real change we need diversity to allow all perspectives.  Whether this is strategic, shifting change, mentorship, leadership, fostering cultures - it is so important. Hospitality is built on connection – it’s simple. We connect with our guests, our team and within our leadership teams.  It is SO important that voices are heard with a diverse approach, and no voice is left ‘unheard’ 

 How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?

This is just so so important. I can’t tell you the amount of times, I have questioned a decision, a reaction, a belief, a strategy and I have always had copious amounts of strong headed females and women in my career who have been there to give me the good old ‘head wobble’ When you see a woman doing well, starting her own business, promoted to C suite, recognised for being a high performer etc, we should always celebrate and be the supporter. Women lifting each other up is just quite a natural trait for us to do so.  We can’t always perform at 100% and there are times when we need someone to raise our spirits, or remind us of our tenacious selves, and having that robust network around you.  I call this the network of allies – we all support, drive and ensure we are there for each other. It’s honestly very powerful.  I will always be there for my teams, colleagues and networks, and lift them when needed. I understand, personally how far that goes and how impactful this is to not only allow success in their role, but also personally. Emotion and empathy are number 1.

Can you share your top tips for entrepreneurial/managerial/leadership success? 

 ‘Listen, listen, listen’. It is so important to listen to everyone around you.  As I was growing in management, I never knew the fine line between just saying exactly what I thought was right or listening and seeking to understand.  It has allowed me to really learn from experts in their fields and become collaborative as well as leading a key strategy.  We are nowhere without our teams, whether that’s managing upwards, or downwards and I always know and would say a top tip is the key to building and maintaining extremely strong relationships with all stakeholders. Also be crystal clear in anything you do.  Whether you are creating a 5-year strategy, or a simple task, having uncertainty slows down bringing it all to fruition.  Transparency and being clear is a winner for sure. A direct approach allows you to ensure that everyone is on the journey with you.  Always be organised! The day you forget something can set you back weeks in business time.