Inspiring Women in Hospitality

Hosted by Naureen Ahmed

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Episodes

249

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Naureen Ahmed shares stories of inspiring women from the hospitality industry. Why they got into hospitality, their career journey so far, their learnings and who inspires them.

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60 recent

August 17, 2026Episode 22226 min

#222 Veronica Asthana: To gather the audacity of an Indian woman

🎙 On this episode we hear from Veronica. She is the founder of a hyper local brand in India called "Local Lok". But her first business idea was to be a chef, driving a food truck selling local food. Even though she did not come from a family of entrepreneurs, they instilled in her the vale of education that led her to hotel school in Switzerland and exposed her to working with different nationalities. She had a fantastic experience working in Qatar during the football world cup, before returning to India. She realised she was not meant to be part of a corporate machine and wanted to make a greater impact doing something of her own. She wanted to create an inclusive, open and empathetic ecosystem that she had not seen in other workplaces she had experienced. 🤗 What can you reach out to Veronica for?: To gather the audacity of an Indian woman. Open to talking to anyone with a lot of passion. 🤩 Who inspired Veronica?: Her grandmother. A medical worker, a single mom and on the weekend she would teach kids.

August 10, 2026Episode 22135 min

#221 Judith Owens: Its important to be visible and for people to know that you are approachable

🎙 On this episode we hear from Judith. She is the CEO of TBL International and Titanic Belfast. She started her career in hospitality via the events industry and her career has really been at the forefront of seeing Belfast be reshaped as a destination for tourism. She started her events career in the Waterfront Hall as an AV technician and left as interim Managing Director. Having left school at 16, later on in her career she went back to education as she realised that she needed that formal and structured education in business to help progress in her career. She now supports those stars in her organisation and it is a joy to see them flourish as they pursue their educational goals. She shares with us the impact the Titanic Belfast has had on the economy in 15 years and also restored a sense of civic pride in Northern Ireland. Like many guests on my show she had a powerful, strong and confident female mentors at the start of her journey and has guided her along her career. 🤗 What can you reach out to Judith for?: Particularly those in early career in hospitality and tourisms, reach out to Judith and ask her questions. She loves talking about the opportunities and diverse roles you can have in our industry. Especially to answer this question: How to get into the industry? 🤩 Who inspires Judith: Two people involved with the Guiness Storehouse: Paul Carty and Catherine Toolan

July 27, 2026Episode 22024 min

#220 Abigail Tan: Stick to your values, that is how you will find peace

🎙 On this episode we hear from Abigail. Born and raised in Malaysia, then following her education in the UK she ended up staying for 23 years. She is a third generation family business of building hotels, so hospitality was always in her blood. She worked as the apprentice to the CEO of the UK properties they owned and got involved early on in the family business. In fact her first project for the family was when they bought tow hotels in New York and had to set up the brands for the hotels - St Giles. Alongside learning the business, each of her experiences taught her how to be a leader and that it learning to be calm and centre herself, that shaped her leadership. In fact it was her mentor who taught her that when it comes to leadership, stick to your values, that is how you will find peace. And now she is ready to embark on a whole new journey to expands her leadership within the family business as she returns to Malaysia. 🤗 What can you reach out to Abigail for: She loves a conversation, especially if its about hospitality. 🤩 Who inspired Abigail? : Her mentor Kent. Her team. Her friends running different charities.

July 20, 2026Episode 21924 min

#219: Amelia Perez: Always put yourself out and there and keep an open mind.

🎙 On this episode we hear from Amelia. Strategy and investor relations manager at Serene Capital. She started in consulting, then moved to development and now working on the owner side, which has given her a real holistic view of the industry. She comes from a family of doctors in Guatemala and while it was assumed she would follow the medical path, the decision to come into hospitality was unplanned, yet inspired by understanding how tourism can impact an economy. And then she had to pitch to her parents that moving across the world to pursue an education in Australia was a good idea. When its comes to her career opportunities she credits it to always putting herself out there, keeping an open mind and being clear with yourself about your non-negotiables. She is one of the co-founders of YHL with a desire to get people to connect and bridge the gap to build a strong network within the same age group. 🤗 What can you reach out to Amelia for: Honest conversations about where they are in their careers 🤩 Who inspired Amelia? - Gilda Perez-Alvarado from Accor - Jennifer Davey from Horwath - Jael Fischer from Six Senses

July 6, 2026Episode 21823 min

#21 8 Ruwani Weerasinghe: Dont be pushed around by fears in your mind, by led by the dreams in your heart

🎙 On this episode, we hear from Ruwani, Director Asset Management and Acquisition, La Vie Hotels & Resorts She describes herself as helping people make better investment decision. She grew up knowing that she was going to be in banking, so much so she landed her first banking role at the age of 18 in Sri Lanka and it was during this time she was exposed to fantastic female role models that helped her have a different mindset towards her career. It attributes strong self-belief for the success she has experienced in her career and it was instilled in her as a 14 year old child when she made her first wish/vision list. Not only did she work hard, which instilled in her confidence, she also made sure that the right people knew her through relationship building and working on herself every single day. 🤗 What can you reach out to Ruwani for: • Mentor for people who are starting out in their career journey. • Investors or developers who want to partner with La Vie 🤩 Who inspires Ruwani? : People, places, smell, feel and touch.

June 1, 2026Episode 21727 min

#217 Wendy Shi: Hospitality sits between people and capital

🎙 On this episode we hear from Wendy. She is CFO and executive VP of a hospitality group listed in Japan. In university she studies cultural management and history, and she started her career as a co-founder for a young adult summer school. And it was here she discovered the importance of understanding finances to make decisions for the business. So she re-educated herself as a CFA and CPA. Which then landed her a role in real estate and during this part of her career she was exposed to the hospitality industry. And or those who do not want to become CFO but also want to have a good grasp on the financial of a business, she recommends using AI as a tool to not only increase your efficiency but also broaden your horizon. I love how she says that AI can be the study partner, but they can never be the teacher. She very openly admits that she did not have a career plan, but she is grateful for it because it go her to where she is today by staying open to opportunities. She shares with us her experience of moving to Japan as a young female foreigner, which was hard to begin with but now she has found her footing bother personally and professionally. What can you reach out to Wendy for: • About Japan, hotel and real estate market. • Going through a career transition Who inspires Wendy? : Other people's strengths

May 4, 2026Episode 21630 min

#216 Carmen Hui: Design this next horizon to be more energy accretive

🎙 On this episode we hear from Carmen. She introduces herself with these three words: Curious, catalyser and connector. The three C's for Carmen. She was always good at math and started her career as an investment banking business analyst and it was during a tax structuring project that she was introduced to the world of hospitality. And till this day she says her tax colleagues are her favourite people to work with. She credits mentors and sponsors who created space for the pivots in her career by giving her stretch opportunities. Her pivots have taken her from Morgan Stanley, Host Hotels, Booking.com to now to my favourite, her Power Pause. When it comes to mentorship she says, "ask", work your network and find the common value or cause, And when starting a new opportunity, approach it with curiosity, ask lots of questions and listen. 🤗 What can you reach out to Carmen for?: Business going from start up to scale up. Challenges closing the innovation gap with AI. Engaging people through change and storytelling. Great food, travel and dance! 🤩 Who inspires Carmen: Her mother.

April 16, 2026Episode 1314 min

#13 Naureen's journey: Why Sydney, why now, why me?

Why me, why Sydney, why now? In this special solo episode of the Inspiring Women in Hospitality Podcast, Naureen shares the story behind Inspire Influence Live ANZ, taking place on 30 April at the InterContinental Sydney. From her journey across Asia and Europe, to building a career in hospitality, revenue and data, to ultimately founding Inspiring Women in Hospitality, Naureen reflects on the experiences that shaped her mission to champion gender balance and support the next generation of leaders in the industry. She also shares: why Sydney felt like the right place to bring this workshop to life how the advisory board helped shape the content the gaps and opportunities identified for women in the ANZ market why financial fluency, confident communication and authentic networking became the pillars of the day and why learning to harness her own voice was the turning point in her career This episode is for anyone curious about the heart behind the workshop, the purpose behind the platform, and what attendees can expect to gain from joining us on 30 April. To learn more about Inspire Influence Live – ANZ or secure your place: https://www.inspiringwomeninhospitality.com/events

April 13, 2026Episode 21530 min

#215 Julie Ockerby: When striving for potential, create your own benchmark

🎙 On this episode we hear from Julie, director at WMK Architecture. And did you know that she started her working life as a nurse? Listen to the whole story to find out how she ended up in hospitality and director of a design firm. And what I loved about her story is how she shared that she was destined for a career lifestyle and the many people who inspired her along the way. She shares very honestly that some of the career choices she made was to fit her life around her work as a single parent, so she designed to make it work for her. It was a risk she took, with her own choice and enjoying each experience. 🤗 What can you reach out to Julie for: A non-judgemental chat. A safe space to talk about your "club sandwich of fears" 🤩 Who inspires Julie: a group of women who have become each other's advisory board

April 8, 202615 min

# 214 Fungai Van Der Valk: Real success is when I produce a leader

🎙 On this episode we hear from Fungai. She came into hospitality when she started working in it during her studies and then she ended up staying. Because she saw the diversity of career paths she could have within hotels and the opportunity to travel. She eventually found her calling in the numbers side of the business and has made a career in finance. She also credits the relationships she built at work and good mentors, who created safe spaces that helped progress her career. 🤗 What can reach out to Fungai for? • Early career advise • You can also get her book "Ladies hear me, I am done" 🤩 Who inspires Fungai - different leaders who supported her at different stages at her career. And her own experiences inspire her.