Sodexo Prestige

It's Friday and I am in an exceptional mood! I'm heading out this evening to meet the girls for a birthday celebration so its seems very fitting that I should read about the exciting inhouse innovation that is the Sodexo female networking group on our intranet this morning.

Sodexo's network groups are internal, non-profit employee groups that organize activities to promote networking, mentoring, and professional development among employees. The network groups support Sodexo's business and diversity objectives.

The objective of Women Work is to maintain a formal network within Sodexo to facilitate:

• Personal and professional development opportunities for women within Sodexo in order to increase the confidence, awareness and skills of female employees.
• Networking events that develop relationships and promote awareness of the contribution and challenges of women.
• Support programmes and practices designed to increase the retention of female employees.
  

I work with a lot of women's networking groups at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as one of the ways I advocate this event to the market is as a business tool for women. Traditionally, men have had the monopoly on corporate entertainment, but the growing number of women involved in business has meant a shift in hospitality trends to accommodate their tastes. There is an increasing demand for events to meet the needs of mixed groups and with more female executives around, this has influenced a move towards more wider-interest events, such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

I am the last person to make assumptions about gender - this is not about 'women and flowers' but the atmosphere at the show and in the village. There is something about this quintessential British event that lends an atmosphere of decadence, charm and culture that appeals to women and men alike. Art lovers, fashion followers and horticulturalists alike can find something to connect with and the hospitality village is the perfect place to encourage budding business relationships.

It's safe to say that I am encouraged and cheered by my company's efforts to launch this exciting new venture. Equality and diversity is crucial to everyone's development - similar to the way in which hospitality offerings should be evolving to needs of the ever-changing hospitality client.