Female CEOs in the hotel industry

Kathleen Taylor, CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, has resigned from the job after three years.

What's the big deal? Now, there's even fewer female leaders in the hotel business, according to a Hotel News Now article. Sure, it's definitely news that a major CEO has resigned - but the article is so concerned that now there are less female leaders.

But really, what's the big deal? Why are we so concerned with females having leading roles in the workforce? Instinctively, naturally, in our DNA, men are "breadwinners" and women take care of the home and children. Occasionally, they switch roles, but overall, that's just the way it is. Women naturally aren't dominating, powerful, business-minded creatures. And that's okay. Why must we masculinize women? Why are we so obsessed with making men and women gender-less and neutral? Since men are the dominating, powerful ones, it makes more sense to leave those kind of roles up to males. Women are softer, gentler, empathetic - which is why they make excellent school teachers, nurses, and caregivers. We should play to our own natural strengths.


These are some of the leading women in the business:

Denise Coll, president of Starwood’s North American division;
Angela Brav, CEO of Europe for InterContinental Hotels Group;
Liia Nou, senior VP and CFO, Pandox AB;
Sophie Stabile, global CFO, Accor;
May Wu, chief strategy officer; Home Inns & Hotels Management; and
Nancy Johnson, executive VP of development for Carlson Hotels, who also served as chairwoman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association in 2012.

Good for them that they are successful and making big bucks! It takes hard work, but let's just remember that success doesn't always mean leading a business. Success also means teaching young children to tie their shoes, or taking care of a home all day.