Hyatt has launched two initiatives including Women@Hyatt, a globally dedicated Diversity Business Resource Group, and the Inspirit Mentorship Program, created and exclusively in the EMEA region, to support female colleagues to feel a sense of belonging and be inspired in their daily roles.

Now in its sixth year in EMEA, Women@Hyatt supports Hyatt’s regional diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) mission through cultivating and maintaining an active network; fostering a culture that supports a gender diverse and inclusive workplace and supporting the needs and advancement of women at Hyatt.

With 29 branded properties in the Middle East, Hyatt is committed to championing women across different roles within the region, including those of leadership and setting a benchmark across the industry.

The company’s purpose is to care for people so they can be their best, which is reflected in Hyatt’s 2025 DE&I Goals, setting out three main areas to accelerate the organization’s progress towards advancing diversity and inclusion efforts. This includes doubling the representation of women in senior management roles at Hyatt, across the region and globally.

Katrin Melle, Regional Vice President of DEI and Talent, Europe Middle East and Africa, Hyatt, said: “It is truly inspiring to see the growth of Women@Hyatt and the Inspirit Mentorship Program across the EMEA region. Diversity and inclusion is at the core of Hyatt’s values, and I’m proud that our teams bring our commitment to life, continuously working together to embrace equity and empower female leadership growth at Hyatt.”

Women@Hyatt
Women@Hyatt is a global initiative designed to accelerate and increase professional growth opportunities for female employees at Hyatt. Founded in 2012, the initiative has seen significant growth in activity during 2022-2023 in the EMEA region. At present, there are six active ‘Chapters’ in the region including UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, KSA and Jordan; spearheaded by female employees with many male allies. Women@Hyatt Chapters are country-based, city-based, or functional focused networking groups supporting women and are based on voluntary formation and participation.

The goal of the program is to foster a culture that promotes professional and personal growth opportunities for women.

Women@Hyatt in EMEA is spearheaded by several key figures who play an active role in introducing new policies, organizing events and coaching sessions, and raising awareness of the platform within Hyatt’s key territories in the region.

Britta Leick-Milde is the General Manager of Hyatt Centric Jumeirah Dubai. She is an active mentor in the Inspirit Mentorship Program and a participant in Women@Hyatt, which through she has introduced new initiatives and resources for female staff, including extended maternity and paternity leave options to provide new parents with ample bonding time with their children.

A Hyatt stalwart, Diksha Singh, General Manager of Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotels & Residences Emirates Pearl has dedicated almost two decades of her professional life to working for Hyatt. Singh has continuously worked towards imbibing the Women@Hyatt ideologies and goals, implementing several of them at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi.

At present, 42% of the hotel’s leaders are female, indicating significant progress towards achieving the target. These leaders include Hina Khatri, Marketing and Communications Manager, Neelanjona Gupta, Director of Sales and Marketing, Ekaterina Levchenko, Director of Human Resources, and Training Manager, Wendy Richards.

Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotels & Residences Emirates Pearl, along with the other Hyatt branded hotels in Abu Dhabi, recently signed a pledge to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). The aim is to advance gender equality in the UAE’s workforce by focusing efforts on increasing the representation of women in leadership roles, to ensure their full and effective participation at the highest levels of decision-making.

Inspirit Mentorship Program
A core component of Women@Hyatt in EMEA is the Inspirit Mentorship Program, a bespoke mentoring program for female employees at Hyatt in the region. The INSPIRIT-Country program was launched within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi at the end of 2022, with Jordan launching soon. Currently, there are 18 colleagues from the Middle East Region in the regionally run INSPIRIT Program for female leaders.

The program is segmented into regional ‘Chapters’; divisions focusing on the mentorship of female Hyatt employees within a country or city, depending on the level of Hyatt’s presence in each location. It is geared towards junior members such as team leads, supervisors and coordinators. Activities include coaching sessions, training and development opportunities, to advance the team members towards leadership positions.

Ruba Taha is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Grand Hyatt Amman in Jordan. An award-winning hospitality professional, Ruba is also the Chapter Chair for Women@Hyatt in Jordan. One of her main achievements is to apply for menstrual leave as an official monthly two days off for the women working in Grand Hyatt Amman. The hotel team also received a 2022 award from the UN Women’s WEPs program (Women’s Empowerment Principles) for their best practices, recognising all their efforts made towards women empowerment.

Lizet Gritsenko is the Director of Human Resources at Park Hyatt Doha and an active participant In the Inspirit Mentorship Program. Currently in her second year of the program, her mentor is the General Manager of Andaz Prague, Doris Hecht, whom she credits with providing tangible support and guidance towards her career progression. A passionate advocate for Women@Hyatt, Lizet was also recently appointed as Co-Chair-Awareness for the program’s Qatar Chapter.

Also involved in the program is Anna Liebiedieva, the Front Office Manager at Park Hyatt Doha. One of the very first participants in Qatar, Anna’s mentor is Peggy Duval, Director of Learning and Development, France, Hyatt.

Building a culture where all colleagues feel a sense of belonging and empowerment is at the core of Hyatt’s business model. Through the Women@Hyatt initiative and Inspirit Mentorship Program, Hyatt is building a new generation of female leaders to usher in a new era in hospitality in the Middle East.  – TradeArabia News Service