Today, people across the world are coming together in different ways to acknowledge and celebrate International Women’s Day. Observed across the globe since the early 1900s, International Women’s Day recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
I couldn’t think of a better way to recognize the contributions and achievements of women in our Company than sharing the personal stories of our pioneering women leaders. On this International Women’s Day, I am excited to share this month’s episode of
Epic By Nature: Trailblazers where we explore the unique journeys of some of our female leaders in Operations. Having successfully navigated their way to the top of traditionally male dominated areas of our business, these women have changed the face of an industry and paved the way for those coming behind them.
Launching POWDER – Providing Opportunity for Women through Diversity, Equality and Respect
Coming on the heels of an unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality, safety and justice, International Women’s Day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. At Vail Resorts, I am very proud of the investment we have made in our women leaders, and our progress to date, but we know that more needs to be done to fully realize the power of a diverse organization.
In 2015, women leaders from every division across Whistler Blackcomb came together to ask this very question, “How do we do better?” Driven by their passion to find an answer, the Women of Whistler Blackcomb (WOWB) led a cultural shift within the resort, impacting hiring practices, scheduling, development, advocacy, education and recognition.
Now, under the sponsorship of Lynanne Kunkel and Pat Campbell, we are taking steps to replicate the success of WOWB across the enterprise, to bring men and women together in every region to learn, discuss, and solve issues and opportunities related to gender diversity. Therefore, I am thrilled to be launching
POWDER - Providing Opportunity for Women through Diversity, Equality and Respect, a new program which aims
to foster an inclusive culture that attracts and retains a broad range of exceptional talent and promotes diverse leadership growth opportunities.
This spring, POWDER Steering Committee members, made up of men and women across all of our North American regions, will engage champions at each resort to lead and mobilize local POWDER teams. Regional introductory kickoff events will be held in the coming weeks so you can learn more.
We will keep you posted on progress as we build out the program for a full launch this summer. I’m personally committed to gender equality and the open dialogue about our progress, the challenges and the small steps we can all take every day, to keep driving change.
Happy International Women’s Day!
