Meet our 2024 Women’s Scholarship Recipients
AHA NSW - Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch President Mick Starkey with scholarship recipients Georgia Butterworth, Helinka Adamson, Beth Powell, and Joanna Hobson.
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 Australian Hotel Association NSW – Newcastle Hunter’s inaugural 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.
Designed for women in leadership roles or with high-level exposure to management, the Australian Hotel Association NSW – 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.
"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," recipient Georgia Butterworth said.
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."
Helinka Adamson said also shared 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 make myself a better chef and leader to allow those that follow strive to reach their potential as well," Joanne Hobson said.
Likewise, Beth Powell agreed that the ability to successfully mentor others was a driving factor in her 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."
The AHA Newcastle Hunter - Women in Hospitality Scholarship is a pioneering initiative that empowers and connects women in the industry. It aims to elevate the careers of its participants and help them build leadership skills that will help them shape their future careers.
2024 Recipient Profiles
Beth Powell
Venue: The Lucky Hotel
Role: General Manager
With 15 years’ experience in hospitality and background as a qualified Chef, Beth has spent much of her career running kitchens in both The Hunter Valley, Newcastle and abroad.
Most recently, she has managed hospitality venues as an Operations Manager and is now the General Manager of The Lucky Hotel in Newcastle's CBD.
She has always been passionate about growing as a professional by discovering any gaps in her knowledge and working hard to fill them.
It is this attitude that inspires her, and she supports her staff to do the same.
Beth applied for the scholarship with the hopes of improving her mentoring capabilities as it is something close to her heart.
Joanna Hobson
Venue: Harrigan's Cameron Park
Role: Head Chef
A mother of five, proud wife of a Firefighter, and Head Chef, Joanna’s main role is providing food services for the Roche Group at Harrigan's that all staff can be proud to be a part of.
Joanna believes she can achieve this by leading her team through continuous learning and development, ensuring that there is consistency in ingredients, preparation and respect for quality simple, well-presented food that exceeds expectations.
She is grateful and honoured to have secured this scholarship and it is her belief that attitude reflects leadership.
It is Joanna’s wish to continue to lead by example and develop a stronger team of chefs not only for Harrigans at Cameron Park and Roche Group, but for the industry overall.
Her hope is to gain skills through the scholarship program that she can share with her team while also becoming a better chef and leader to those who strive to reach their potential as well.
Helinka Adamson
Venue: Lakeside Village Tavern
Role: Licensee
Helinka is a devoted hospitality enthusiast with a fervent passion for the hotel industry. Having been in the industry since high school, she is now the Licensee and part-owner of Lakeside Village Tavern.
In this role, Helinka has the responsibility for overseeing all facets of the business and is eager to gain new insights, knowledge, and skills that will empower her to lead more effectively and make a meaningful difference in both her personal and professional spheres.
From this scholarship program, she hopes to gain access to valuable resources, mentorship, and educational opportunities that will further enhance her personal growth, leadership skills, and knowledge within the hospitality industry.
Georgia Butterworth
Venue: The Stag & Hunter Hotel
Role: Restaurant & Functions Manager
Georgia is Restaurant & Functions Manager at The Stag & Hunter Hotel and hearing what last year's scholarship participants learned about themselves and the industry, specifically where they saw their futures since being in the program, really resonated with her.
Having been in hospitality for 17 years, Georgia has seen and experienced first-hand how hard it can be for women to see themselves as leaders, teachers and innovators.
But for the last 5 years, she has felt privileged to work for two amazing people who have taught her that this is possible. She has also worked for, and alongside, some amazing women who have inspired her.
Georgia is now looking forward to learning more about herself as a manager and where she can improve, as well as gaining new skills that will help her progress within the hospitality industry.
She is looking forward to taking the valuable information learnt from this program and not just applying it to her role, but passing it on to younger staff members and watching them become inspired as well.
2023 Inaugural Women’s Scholarship Recipients
AHA NSW - Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch President Mick Starkey with scholarship recipients Stephanie Grace, Emily Box, Kat Marples and AHA NSW Membership Liaison Officer - Mid-North Region Jaimie Rayment.
Pippi’s at the Point Licensee Stephanie Grace, Maryville Tavern General Manager Emily Box and O’Hara Hotels Hunter Valley Regional Coordinator Katherine Maples have been named recipients of the Australian Hotel Association NSW – Newcastle Hunter’s inaugural Women’s Scholarship.
The program is designed to shine a spotlight on women’s careers in hospitality and offer a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills and industry network connections.
Beginning in May and running for six months, the program will be led by former Solotel CEO and industry powerhouse Justine Baker and author, international business leader and strategy consultant Gill McLaren.
“By becoming a recipient of the scholarship, I hope to learn more about different styles of leadership, becoming a mentor, creating a support network of successful women in the hospitality community and continuing to grow and learn more as an individual,” Pippi’s at the Point’s Stephanie Grace said.
The scholarship is the first of its kind for AHA Newcastle Hunter and was well received by the local hospitality industry with the number of applications exceeding expectations.
“This is something that’s been in the works for years,” AHA NSW – Newcastle Hunter Sub-branch President Mick Starkey said.
“In hospitality, we give so much back to the wider community and I’m really glad to see us now also giving back to the people who make our industry great.”
“In hospitality, we give so much back to the wider community and I’m really glad to see us now also giving back to the people who make our industry great” AHA NSW - Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch President Mick Starkey
Maryville Tavern’s Emily Box said being selected will provide a huge step forward in furthering her career in the hospitality industry.
“The knowledge will be invaluable and I’m also incredibly excited by the networking opportunities this experience will provide.”
While Katherine Maples from O’Hara Hotels said she is looking forward to growing her ability to mentor the industry’s next generation.
“I have a passion to mentor young leaders and to further my knowledge and become a better leader myself,” she said.
“Understanding different leadership styles and how to better impact young leaders is very important to me and I’m looking forward to growing my understanding and ability in that space.”
While the inaugural program was aimed at supporting women in hospitality, members of the AHA NSW – Newcastle Hunter Sub-Branch committee will also look at offering additional opportunities to both men and women working in the local industry.
“Off the back of how popular this program has been we will definitely look at running the Women’s Scholarship again next year,” Starkey said.
“But it’s also important to make sure we’re providing support for the industry overall, so we’ll be looking to add opportunities for both men and women to participate in courses and other programs that increase their skills and confidence and hopefully encourage them to consider a long-term career in hospitality.”
2023 RECIPIENT PROFILES
Stephanie Grace
Venue: Pippi’s at the Point
Role: Licensee
Reason for Applying: I applied for the program as it is a great opportunity for personal growth and new opportunities. Since this is the first time this scholarship has been offered, I was excited for the chance to participate and learn more from Justine Baker, Gill McLaren and the other successful candidates.
Ideal Outcomes: By becoming a recipient of the scholarship, I hope to learn more about different styles of leadership, becoming a mentor to the future of hospitality, creating a support network of successful women in the hospitality community and continuing to grow and learn more as an individual.
Emily Box
Venue: The Maryville Tavern
Role: General Manager
Reason for Applying: It would be an incredible opportunity to further my career in hospitality and the knowledge and opportunity which will come from this will be invaluable. I’m also incredibly excited by the potential networking opportunities this might bring.
Ideal Outcomes: By participating in the program I hope to increase my skills and ability to be a better leader for my team. I also look forward to gaining greater knowledge and experience that will help me further my own career. It will be great to meet inspiring and successful women and influence others in regard to how great and rewarding a hospitality career can be.
Kat Maples
Venue: O’Hara Hotels
Role: Hunter Valley Regional Coordinator
Reason for Applying: I have the privilege of overseeing eight hotels in my area, taking care of everything from daily operations to marketing and compliance. This role has created a passion to mentor young leaders and I would like to use the skills I learn as part of the program to further my ability to become a better leader.
Ideal Outcomes: I hope to gain a greater understanding of different leadership styles and learn how to better impact young leaders. One of my professional goals is to encourage and inspire the next generation of men and women who enter our industry with the goal of making it their long-term career.