hotelmanagement.net – Kristie Goshow has worked in travel and hospitality for more than 20 years, holding roles in everything from airlines to restaurants to hotels. In those roles, she said, she has benefited from “many wonderful leaders and mentors—all of whom were male.” While she appreciates their support, she acknowledged challenges like “the deaf ear in the boardroom,” when a woman shares an idea that yields no response, only to hear a male counterpart share the same idea five minutes later. “And it’s a resounding audience win!” Despite these challenges, Goshow believes that hospitality is a tremendous industry for women. “The core of hospitality is empathy, caring and relationships.” Empathy and belonging were once seen as a weakness for women, she added, but these can be a great strength in hospitality. “Unfortunately, we are woefully underrepresented at the CEO level and that must absolutely change.” According to a report by the Castell Project, there is one female hotel CEO to 17.3 male CEOs. “While these are not reassuring statistics, we now have the attention and support of many industry bodies, including the AHLA via their ForWard initiative.” Goshow hopes to be a “prominent torch bearer” for the industry. “We all have a role to play in building the future of travel and hospitality,” she said.