Fifty inspiring women in foodservice recognised at ACE International Women’s Day event

The Association of Catering Excellence (ACE) is to recognise 50 inspiring women in the foodservice industry at a lunch today to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD).

The event will be held at the Princess of Shoreditch in London, led by head chef and ACE patron Ruth Hansom, and will raise money for industry charity Hospitality Action.

The guests were chosen by the ACE board based on criteria including impact on the industry, support to ACE and the industry during Covid, career achievements and peer recognition.

The guest list included Wendy Bartlett, executive chairman at Bartlett Mitchell, who is also speaking at the event, as well as UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls and The Caterer managing editor Lisa Jenkins.

Sarah Prentice, chairman elect of ACE, said: “I am delighted that in this section of hospitality women play such a prominent role and we are at our highest level ever in the history of the society, which started in 1935 as the Industrial Catering Association. I am proud to be the third female in succession taking on the role of ACE Chair.”

Jill Whittaker, managing director at HIT Training, which is sponsoring the event, will be speaking about the opportunities for training and development of females in the sector.

The attendees will include:

• Bee Armstrong, Genuine Dining Company
• Wendy Bartlett, Bartlett Mitchell
• Suzie Boyd, Troika
• Niccola Boyd Stevenson, Panache Consultancy
• Fiona Boyd-Thorpe, Boyd Thorpe Consultancy
• Gaye Bullard, Aramark
• Sarah Burgess, KFF
• Jessica Clark, BaxterStorey
• Linda Cregan, ISS
• Lin Dickens, Bartlett Mitchell
• Clare Downes, Enhance
• Jane Dyer, Stern Consultancy
• Jeni Edwards, IJEss Consulting
• Ann Elliot, Ann Elliot Hospitality
• Tracey Fairclough, TAF Catering Consultancy
• Karen Fewell, Digital Blonde
• Mary Jane Flanagan, MJ Inspire
• Kerry Ford, Chartwells
• Morag Freathy, Eurest
• Caroline Fry, Thomas Franks
• Rebecca Harris, Green & Fortune
• Jules Heckman Hughes, Smart Group
• Deborah Homshaw, CH&Co
• Lisa Jenkins, The Caterer
• Lucy Knowles, Holroyd Howe
• Sarah Jayne Law, KFF
• Sharon Linney, Vacherin
• Gemma Lynch, Sodexo
• Natalie Mainwaring, BaxterStorey
• Sarah Miller, BaxterStorey
• Helen Milligan-Smith, Aramark
• Danielle Mitchell, Genuine Dining Company
• Debra Morrell, Bidfood
• Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality
• Jules Ogier, Troika
• Simona Oproiu, Graysons
• Sarah Prentice, Blue Apple
• Penny Richards, Caterlink
• Diane Rollinson, CH&Co
• Jane Sanderson, the Clink
• Sara Senior, Restaurant Associates
• Wendy Sutherland, consultant
• Sue Thompson, Restaurant Associates
• Katy Thompson, CH&Co
• Jenny Walklate, Enhance
• Zoe Watts, Bennett Hay
• Jill Whittaker, HIT Training
• Janet Wigley, Aramark
• Emma Williams, Green and Fortune
• Louise Willis, LWPA Solutions

Women who were also invited but unable to attend included UAL’s Jane Donachy, Alison Heyman, Elior’s Catherine Roe and Julia Edmunds, the Savoy Education Trust’s Julia Sibley, Julie Ennis from Sodexo, Artizian’s Alison Frith, and Amanda Ciraulo from Aramark.