Lakeside Village Tavern Licensee Helinka Adamson, The Lucky Hotel General Manager Beth Powell, Stag & Hunter Hotel Restaurant & Functions Manager Georgia Butterworth, and Harrigan's Head Chef Joanna Hobson have been named recipients of the second AHA Newcastle Hunter’s Women In Hospitality Scholarship intake.
AHA Newcastle Hunter is proud to champion women in hospitality with its second offering of the groundbreaking Women in Hospitality Scholarship program, proudly sponsored by Pitcher Partners Newcastle and Hunter and Ausure Insurenace Newcastle.
Designed for women in leadership roles or with high-level exposure to management, the AHA Newcastle Hunter’s inaugural Women In Hospitality Scholarship offers recipients the chance to gain insight into their natural work style, leadership strategies, and industry networking.
Unique benefits include personalised coaching, profiling using the HBDI (Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument) tool, mentorship access, and the creation of a supportive network among like-minded women.
Running for six months, the program will again be led by former Solotel CEO and industry powerhouse Justine Baker and author, international business leader and strategy consultant Gill McLaren.
AHA NSW - Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch President Mick Starkey said after the success of the first program, he was delighted the organisation could once again offer the scholarship program.
"The feedback we received from our inaugural recipients was nothing but positive and we're really excited to see our new participants ready to undertake the learning," he said.
"Having that understanding of how you react under pressure, stress, in the face of adversity, and other situations can really help shape you as a leader and that's what this is all about, helping to create the future leaders of our industry."
"Having that understanding of how you react under pressure, stress, in the face of adversity, and other situations can really help shape you as a leader and that's what this is all about, helping to create the future leaders of our industry," AHA NSW - Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch President Mick Starkey .
The AHA Newcastle Hunter - Women in Hospitality Scholarship is a pioneering initiative that empowers and connects women in the industry.
Helinka Adamson said she applied fo the scholarship with the goal of improving her leadership skills for the future.
"Overall, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to invest in my growth as a hospitality leader, empower myself to make a positive difference, and ultimately, contribute to the continued success and innovation of the industry," she said.
For all the recipients, the desire to use what they will learn to inspire others was also a common goal.
"My hope is to gain skills through the AHA scholarship that I can share with my team and use to make myself a better chef and leader, allowing those who follow to reach their potential as well," Joanne Hobson said.
Likewise, Beth Powell and Georgia Butterworth agreed that the ability to successfully mentor others was a driving factor in their motivation to complete the program.
"I am passionate about mentoring the next hospitality generation and am hopeful that the scholarship will give me the chance to improve upon myself as a mentor so I can continue to give back," Beth said.
A sentiment that was reiterated by Georgia.
"I am very much looking forward to taking the valuable information I learn from this program and not just applying it to my role, but passing that on to those younger staff members to watch them get inspired too."