There are just three days left to nominate for this year’s Shine Awards – the only awards that celebrate the achievements of women working in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, and the individuals and businesses that actively support gender diversity in the industries.
This year's awards, run by performance and talent management expert, People 1st in partnership with The Caterer and Travel Weekly, include two brand new categories - Chef of the Year and Apprentice of the Year. Nominations for the Shine Awards will close at 5pm on 23 June and can be made now at www.theshineawards.co.uk.
Last year’s winners included restaurateur, author and TV presenter, Prue Leith, leading chef, Chantelle Nicholson and Rocco Forte Hotels’ Irene Forte.
There are ten Shine Awards open for entry in total:
- Rising Star
- Mentor of the Year
- Innovator of the Year
- Ambassador of the Year
- NEW – Apprentice of the Year
- NEW – Chef of the Year
- Best Initiative to Retain and Develop Women
- Best Place for Women to Work
- Woman of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement (nominations by expert panel)
The Mentor of the Year and Ambassador of the Year categories are open to both men and women, in recognition of the essential role men have to play in changing workplace cultures, supporting female talent and developing more gender-diverse teams.
People 1st chief executive, Simon Tarr, says the two new awards have an important role to play in helping raise visibility of female chefs and hospitality apprentices. He commented : “With the UK suffering a chronic chef shortage, it’s more critical than ever before that we attract and develop more women into the profession, and we felt it was important to shine a light on the fantastic female chefs who are already blazing a trail in the industry.
“At the same time, new employer-led apprenticeship standards and the recent introduction of the apprenticeship levy means that apprentices are playing an increasingly vital role in our industry’s future, and are becoming an important route for attracting women into the sector. We’re already hearing some fantastic success stories from our employer network, and we looking forward to reviewing the entries!”
The award winners will be unveiled at a black-tie dinner at 8 Northumberland Avenue in Central London on 16 October. Tickets will be available for purchase on the awards website at www.theshineawards.co.uk.
