Ten-Point Pledge for Women in Hospitality: What It Means for Professional Kitchens

Women in hospitality took a significant step forward at the HRC Show in London, as a new Ten-Point Pledge was unveiled to improve workplace culture, career progression and gender equality in professional kitchens. Read on to find out what the pledge covers and how your business can show its support.

A new industry-wide Ten-Point Pledge designed to champion women and strengthen workplace culture across hospitality was unveiled at this year’s HRC – Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show, held at ExCeL London from 30 March to 1 April 2026.

Our co-founder, Mex Ibrahim, attended the panel discussion on 30 March where the pledge was introduced. Titled On a Knife’s Edge: Why Women’s Futures in Hospitality Matter, the conversation brought together senior voices from across the industry to explore the progress that has been made for women in hospitality – and the work that still needs to happen to ensure more women can thrive and progress in professional kitchens.

The panel behind the pledge

Among the speakers was chef, author of A Woman’s Place is in The Kitchen and restaurateur Sally Abé, who last year united 70 women chefs to co-sign an open letter calling for greater gender equality and representation in the hospitality industry.

The letter along with the many experiences shared by women working across the sector – sparked much wider discussions about working culture in kitchens and restaurants, ultimately leading to the creation of the new pledge.

Joining Sally on the panel were Gemma Evans-Hurley, head of culinary at Compass Group; Odette Schwartz, chief people officer at Ottolenghi Group; and Will Beckett, chief executive of Hawksmoor. The session was chaired by hospitality entrepreneur Justine Murphy.

Together, the panel discussed how hospitality businesses can continue to evolve – from supporting talent at every stage of a career to building inclusive workplaces where more women can progress into leadership roles.

During the discussion, Sally highlighted the scale of the challenge facing the industry.

“Less than 5% of head chefs are women,” she said. “To make change, we have to call out exactly what’s wrong. We have to make people aware, especially because so much of this comes down to unconscious bias.

“Things like the 10-point pledge, or writing that open letter, can actually make people stop and think: ‘Hang on a second – I’ve done that,’ or ‘I’ve noticed that,’ or ‘I’ve seen sexism in the kitchen.’ And it encourages them to feel prepared to speak up about it.”

The Hospitality Industry Ten-Point Pledge

The pledge calls on hospitality leaders and businesses to commit to practical actions designed to improve workplace culture and support career development across the sector. Several of the points directly reflect the experiences women have shared with Women In The Food Industry over the years. These include:

• Zero tolerance on harassment, bullying and discrimination
• Fair pay and equal promotion pathways
• Safe, respectful and properly managed workplaces
• Supporting flexible ways of working wherever possible
• Supporting pregnancy, parenthood and return-to-work transitions
• Increasing awareness around women’s health, from menopause to mental wellbeing
• Active mentorship, sponsorship and leadership development
• Inclusive recruitment and unbiased progression
• Funded training, skills development and confidence-building
• Driving sustained progress in the representation of women in head chef and senior kitchen leadership roles

Hospitality businesses wishing to support the initiative can register their backing via the pledge page on the HRC website.

You may also like – A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen – Panel Event & Book Signing, Women’s Safety in Hospitality – Creating Safer Spaces, and London Premiere of A Fine Line Movie – The Fight for Equality in Professional Kitchens.