The Castell Project, Inc. Promotes Deborah L. Cox to Vice President

 Deborah L. Cox 

ATLANTA, GA —Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry announced that Deborah L. Cox has been promoted to vice president. 

“Deb has been instrumental in helping Castell expand to where it is today, and we realize she is pivotal to continued growth as we work towards our goal of seeing at least one in three women at the C-Suite level within the hospitality industry,” said Peggy Berg, chair , Castell Project, Inc. 

 “Her background in strategic planning, equality issues and conflict resolution have made her an invaluable part of our organization. 

"As we have scaled programs and increased our outreach, her behind the scenes work has taken us from a start-up mentality to a well-organized machine.  The Board and I are confident Deb will play a critical role in realizing Castell Project’s  goal of a more gender-neutral workplace.

Peggy Berg

Prior to joining the Castell Project, Cox was principal of Interacting Dynamics, a full-service consultancy focused on strategic and influencer marketing, corporate communication and merger integration.   

 Previously, she was co-founder and principal of CoMass Group, an organization that designed and delivered programs to address issues of incivility and lateral violence within the healthcare community. 

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CHRIS DALY

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The Castell Project, Inc. Releases “Black Representation in Hospitality Industry Leadership 2020” Report

Peggy Berg

ATLANTA, GA, June 29, 2020—Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, today released the “Black Representation in Hospitality Leadership 2020” report. 

The statistical document reflects the industry prior to the ongoing pandemic.  Castell Project plans to release an updated report in January to show the impact on Black representation as the industry rehires.

“While Black women and men account for one in five hospitality jobs according to the US Department of Labor, our research found they are a mere one in 65 hospitality industry executives at the director level or higher.

"This is the public face of the industry shown on corporate websites,” said Peggy Berg, chair, Castell Project, Inc.  

“The hospitality industry has long told the story that anyone can start at an entry level position and reach leadership through sweat and hard work.  Unfortunately, the numbers do not show this to be true for Black employees.  

"We hope the statistics in this report will support negotiations and a real commitment to open opportunity to Black men and women.”

Three analysts captured information from the websites of hotel companies listed in the STR Directory of Hotel & Lodging Companies.  Each website was reviewed twice, and LinkedIn was used to verify some entries.

  Identification was made by visual inspection, and self-identification could vary.  Data includes 630 hotel companies drawn from 971 companies that are based in the U.S. or Canada.  The sample set has a minimum of five hotels and/or 700 rooms.  The dataset includes 6,302 people.

                Highlights of the report include:

• 84 percent of the 630 hotel company websites reviewed for this study do not show any Black executives on their websites, while only 102, or 16 percent, showed a Black employee at the director level or above.
• 
  
• Black executives represent 1.5 percent of hospitality industry executives at the director level or above on company websites, which is 12.5 times below their proportionate share of hospitality industry employment.
• 
  
• Compared to the hospitality industry, which shows 1.5 percent of executive roles being held by Black people, Korn Ferry reports that they hold five percent of executive positions across all industries and four percent of executive positions at S&P 500 companies.

“Diversity in leadership has not been a high priority for the hospitality industry,” Berg added. 

“With attention now, however, it can shape the future. 

"This means being mindful of the post-coronavirus racial makeup of organizations and implementing best practices modeled by leading companies that have successfully diversified leadership across the economy.”

A full copy of the report can be found on the Castell Project website at ww.castellproject.org.w

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CHRIS DALY

PRESIDENT

DALY GRAY PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.

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Mobile: 703-864-5553

chris@dalygray.com | www.dalygray.com

Heather McCrory Named Inaugural Castell Award Winner

Heather McCrory

ATLANTA, Oct. 3, 2019—Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, today named Heather McCrory, Accor chief executive officer of North & Central America, as the winner of its inaugural Castell Award honoring a woman leader in the hospitality investment arena. 

The award was presented to McCrory at the 2019 Lodging Conference held in Phoenix, Ariz., where she received a unique, handcrafted award designed by artist Brad McCollum representing the glass ceilings women rise through as they succeed. 

A seasoned professional with an extensive hospitality background spanning more than 30 years, McCrory joined Accor’s executive committee upon her appointment to CEO, North & Central America, in April 2019.

Patty Berg

In this position, she is responsible for the strategic direction of the global hospitality group in the region, with oversight of more than 115 hotels, 11 brands in 10 countries, 28,000 employees and more than $3 billion in revenue. 

She also serves as the executive sponsor for North & Central America for RiiSE, Accor’s international network to promote diversity that launched in October 2018.

“The work that the Castell Project is doing to assist women in securing one in every three leadership seats in the hospitality industry is encouraging, but we all still have a long way to go,” McCrory said.

"Gender inclusivity is a personal and passionate goal of mine, both for Accor and the hospitality industry at large.  While women make up more than 50 percent of the hospitality workforce, we need to have more females in the board room. 

"With organizations like the Castell Project in place, I am confident we will one day meet our diversity goals.  As numerous studies have proven, this benefits the industry and drives our collective performance.”

Accor’s Heather McCrory (left)  Receives 
the Inaugural Castell Award from Kirk Kinsell,
 board member and Peggy Berg, president, 
Castell Project, Inc.”

McCrory leads numerous initiatives as part of the RiiSE program, including a research project to understand why women are opting out of leadership roles and a formal mentorship program for women within the organization who have the potential and desire to be a GM within the next three to five years.

“The Castell Project received a wonderful roster of nominations describing deserving leaders and the impact they are having on coworkers – female and male – and how they are shifting the culture within their organizations,” said Peggy Berg, Castell Project president.

“Heather stood out as a powerful female making a difference in the industry. She understands wholeheartedly that as part of an international hospitality company, a more diverse team is a better performing team. Heather is an inspiration to other women as they find their own paths to success.”

 CONTACT:

CHRIS DALY

PRESIDENT

DALY GRAY PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.

620 Herndon Parkway, Suite 115 | Herndon, VA 20170

Main: 703-435-6293

Mobile: 703-864-5553

 chris@dalygray.com | www.dalygray.com

www.CastellProject.org

The Castell Project Releases Second Annual Women Speakers in Hospitality (WSH) List

Patty Berg

ATLANTA, GA,  Aug. 20, 2019—Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry released its second annual “WSH List,” a list of prominent female hoteliers and hospitality real estate executives ready with the background required to be dynamic speakers at the industry’s numerous events.

 
 List referrals are made complimentary to all conference organizers seeking to add diversity to their lineups of highly qualified and sought-after presenters.

“Less than one in six speakers at hotel investment conferences are women,” said Peggy Berg, president, Castell Project, Inc.  “This is out of balance when 21 percent of attendees, 52 percent of employees and 67 percent of the industry’s talent pipeline are women."

"Future-oriented leaders recognize the importance of leadership diversity to profit and talent acquisition in this highly-competitive market. Showcasing executive women on the podium is an actionable way for both conference organizers and firms to champion this critical industry need.”

Speaking provides recognition and opportunities to rising executives.  The Castell Project works towards a gender-inclusive balance of speakers that reflects both conference attendees and the industry.

               

The WSH list was distilled from lists of executives in the industry.  Women who wish to be added to the list may submit their name, contact information and speaking experience/background to pberg@castellproject.org.   

                For additional information, please visit www.CastellProject.org.

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Chris Daly, media

 (703) 435-6293

 chris@dalygray.com