“Before joining this course I was unsure of what the purpose of it all was, now 6 months in I understand the purpose was "ME" becoming a stronger version of myself and standing in my truth. I now have the ability and confidence to move forward in my organisation knowing I have the support. Being a part of this course has changed my way of thinking and now my life.”  

C5 Delegate

This latest group were welcomed to the kick-off session by WiHTL & DiR Founder and Chair, Tea Colaianni and Joanna Kurowska, VP & Managing Director UK&I, IHG Hotels & Resorts, who explained how she had benefited from learning gained with WiHTL & DiR which had given her the confidence to find her voice and her self-belief.

Joanna said: “It is an opportunity not only to find your own voice, but also to find your own belief. And to find this, the strength and something that sits in you that no matter what others say no matter what others think, no matter what you think other people perceive, you will not bend — you will stand proudly, because you are here for a reason.”

This was followed by an Alumni panel hosted by Amanda Scott,  featuring Sherry Ndala, Apprenticeships Manager at JD Group, Shahbaz Barkatali, Allocation Manager at Stagecoach and Oscar Foster, Director of Market Research and Insights, at IHG Hotels & Resorts. The panel spoke of their experiences on the EFL Programme, their reverse mentorship sessions and gave the latest delegates advice on making the very best of this award-winning leadership development programme.

Sherry said: “The peer groups — you have to utilise. This is probably one of the first times you're gonna feel like ‘wow’, it's like somebody's in my brain and feeling how I feel on a daily basis. It was so refreshing. It was sitting in a room of people where you think this is how the majority feel at work all the time. It was unbelievable”.

Shahbaz said: “Once you start experiencing it, it can be life changing, and the support is there for you while it is a really good programme.”

Oscar said: ”I think it’s something that will probably take me out of my comfort zone. I think the expectation is that it should be quite new, and it should be slightly uncomfortable but in a positive way. That's how you learn and grow.”

After hearing a programme overview, delegates heard from Georgina Warren, Global DE&I Director at IHG Hotels & Resorts who discussed her career and ambitions, and the importance of role models in paving the way for others.

Georgina said: “I said ‘yes’, all the way. What that ‘yes’ helped me to do was discover me, discover who I was, what gave me purpose, what I wanted to do. And when I could discover myself, and I could shout about who I was and tell people who I was, I could speak to my leaders and say, ‘this is what I want, this is what I can do, this is what I need to develop’. But if you don't keep saying ‘yes’, you just get stuck. No one can discover you until you do — so, exploit your talents, skills and strengths and make the world sit up and take notice.”

Before a networking season to round off this introductory session, Tea Colaianni added her own reflections on Georgina’s words about the importance of saying yes to opportunities and taking on new challenges through doing something not previously undertaken.

Watch our video of the kick off here or for more information on the Ethnic Future Leaders Programme click here.

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