What She Became

“What do you want to be when you grow up?

This is a common question for adults to ask children that can be met with a range of responses which often change year to year, or for some children, month to month. Nearly 400,000 baby girls are born in the UK every year. These tiny babies will grow up to become doctors, lawyers, actresses, baristas and so much more. 

While historically, women have suffered gender discrimination, significant wage disparities when compared to male counterparts, and an overall lower rate of employment, these gaps are diminishing over time. In 2023, over 70% of women of working age are now employed and the wage disparity has lessened to an average of 2.8% difference in pay in the UK. 

As a company, Crerar Hotels takes pride in the number of women at executive levels within our company. Over 80% of the Crerar Hotels Group Executive Team is comprised of strong, empowered women. In honour of International Women’s Day, we have asked a select few of our powerhouse women to share a photo of themselves from their younger years to tell us ‘what she became’. 

Laura Dunphy, Learning & Development Director

Laura Dunphy was recently appointed Director of Learning & Development for Crerar Hotels. 

For the past three years, Laura has worked at the Cameron House as Head of Learning and Development, playing an instrumental part in the resort achieving a five-star status from the AA. In 2022, Laura achieved The Caterer Acorn Award which recognised the top 30 most talented hospitality leaders under the age of 30.

Jodie Wright, Commercial Director

Jodie, who joined Crerar Hotels in 2020 with more than 17 years of experience within the industry, was recently awarded the title of Revenue Manager of the Year at The Hospitality Professionals Associates (HOSPA) HOSPACE 2023 Conference which looks to highlight inspirational leaders from all corners of the hospitality industry in the UK from technology to revenue management.

Since joining Crerar Hotels three years ago, Jodie has been promoted from Group Revenue Manager to Commercial Director due to her instrumental role in the revenue management of the company and her contribution to the commercial achievements of the company.

Jodie also has a wealth of experience in the hospitality and leisure industries with previous roles at Marriott Hotels, Specialist Leisure Group and Titanic Hotel.

Alison MacLeod, Director of Marketing

Alison joined Crerar Hotels in early 2021, and has played a major part in transforming the company’s brand position post-lockdown, and completely refreshing its marketing operations. 

As Marketing Director, Alison leads the marketing team and oversees the marketing, brand and communications strategy for the Group and collection of hotels. 

A past winner of the Marketing Leader of the Year with Marriott International, Alison travelled the world, working in positions across Abu Dhabi and Dubai with projects in Doha, Bahrain and Istanbul, before returning to her native Scotland.

 

As a group, Crerar Hotels is passionate about maintaining a safe, supportive environment around our venues and our group office. As we continue to grow, we strive to provide a higher-quality work environment for all our employees. 

If you are interested in joining us, see what positions are available around our locations here: https://www.crerarhotels.com/crerar-careers/.