Marston's celebrates its future women leaders
Pub group Marstons has seen four of its female senior managers named as finalists in an inaugural awards.
The WeQual Awards recognise the contribution that women make in businesses and are aimed at tackling slow progress in appointing women in FTSE 100 and 250.
The four finalists all work in senior management roles across different areas of the Wolverhampton-based firm, which has pubs across the West Midlands.
They include Nicola Arrow, head of food category management; Sharon Singh, head of operations for Pubs and Bars; Amelia Cree, head of marketing for Pubs and Bars; and Maria Franklin, head of HR business partnering.
Combined, the Marston’s finalists oversee 1,000 pubs and 12,500 employees across the UK.
Amelia said: “It is such an honour to be named alongside three of my colleagues as finalists in the WeQual awards. This is a great opportunity to be at the forefront of change and I am so proud to be standing amongst some amazing women doing incredible things in business.”
Ralph Findlay, CEO of Marston’s, added: “Marston’s has always strived to push the boundaries in not only business but also in cultural change. We are really proud to be one of two companies to have four finalists – that is a real testament to the work and commitment shown by Nicola, Maria, Sharon and Amelia and I wish them all the luck at the awards.”
Judged against six attributes – drive, leadership, integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability and knowledge of the business, the finalists have shown not only a personal career commitment but also an invested interest to grow the representation of women at executive level. Their entries were also marked blind with no name or company revealed.
As revealed by the government-backed Hampton-Alexander Review, the need for change is still apparent as despite growing calls for change, women still only represent 25 per cent of the Combined Executive Committee and Direct Reports across the FTSE 250.
A majority of new appointments to senior roles continues to be men. Whilst the review is a birds-eye view of the entire corporate industry, Marston’s says it continues to be one of the key drivers in the industry that champion the equality of women and are proud of where the company stands following ongoing internal reviews and a public deep analysis of Gender Pay Reporting.
The winners will be announced at the award’s dinner on September 26. Hosted by Sandi Toksvig OBE and with Dame Inga Beale as guest speaker, the awards will host 300 senior executives.
