Female Founders

Where are they now?

It’s fair to say in recent years, several drinks companies have made clumsy attempts to ‘celebrate’ IWD. Without substantial action to tackle the inequalities the day annually reveals, highlighting the day with glib marketing campaigns seems depressingly disheartening. For example, any bar that simply names a cocktail, oh I don’t know, the Emmeline Pankhurst, should have to immediately erect a billboard with some sobering statistics on, right above their bars.

In recent years, the annual ‘celebrations’ have got a little better and a little more useful, for example with cocktails that highlight female talent within the industry. Which is much better. Past initiatives such as ‘Choose to Challenge’ carry a little more weight. The event from the ‘Celebrate Her’ initiative aimed to “elevate women in hospitality”, with financial support and career development opportunities, challenging people to call out gender bias and inequality within hospitality.