A Male CEO's Perspective On Women In The Hospitality Industry
AHLA's Kevin Carey says the industry's success is linked to women.
The issue of gender diversity and representation is not new. Nor is it unique to the hospitality industry. However, despite progress within the industry towards gender diversity and equality over an extended period, gaps remain at both the global and national level.
ForWard is helping women advance in their careers.
Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation CEO and President & AHLA COO recently spoke about the important contributions that women make in the hospitality industry, the need for additional female representation and the important role that the Foundation's ForWard initiative is playing in helping women advance.
Prior to joining AHLA, Carey served as an executive at American Express Company and American Express Global Business Travel. Most recently, he was managing director and head of the Americas region, responsible for the largest strategic customers and revenue generating region in the global business travel joint venture company.
AHLA is a leading voice representing every segment of the hotel industry including major chains, independent hotels, management companies, REITs, bed and breakfasts, industry partners and more.
He has considerable experience across the travel and hospitality industries through his service as a board and executive committee member for numerous travel and tourism industry associations, including U.S. Travel and the Travel Business Roundtable.
Women make up more than half of the hospitality workforce.
In a real sense, women are the hospitality industry. They make up more than half of our workforce and bring exceptional talent, innovation, and leadership to every function and key role of the business. Women are serving as general managers, making group sales, planning meetings, overseeing the housekeeping and food & beverage staffs, and are involved in every other aspect of hotel operations and above property roles. Unfortunately, though, they are not as well-represented in the C-suite, but those numbers are improving. On a personal level at AHLA, I work closely with an extraordinary team of women who are driven, results-focused, and who lead key functions and departments in both the association and the Foundation. Their work doesn't just move our mission—and by extension, the industry—forward, it shapes it. The industry's success is inextricably linked to the strength and dedication of women at every level.
The AHLA Foundation offers ongoing support for its members.
At the AHLA Foundation, everything we do is about supporting the people who make this industry what it is. That includes making sure women have every opportunity to grow, lead, and succeed—especially when it comes to advancing into executive roles.
Our Foundation's ForWard initiative is one of the most impactful ways we're doing this. ForWard has become a cornerstone of our work to help women advance in hospitality. It's all about creating access—through professional development, networking, mentorship, and by increasing visibility for women leaders across the industry.
We've built it in close partnership with AHLA and a group of incredible leaders who have dedicated their time to driving real, lasting change.
ForWard has become a cornerstone of the Foundation's work.
The growth of ForWard has been inspiring to watch. We see a clear hunger in this industry for spaces where women feel supported, seen, and set up to lead. ForWard fills that space and meets that need. It continues to grow because the mission matters.
Another area we're particularly focused on is ensuring women are well represented across all of AHLA's governance groups. And in this respect, 2025 marked another year of progress as 11 women assumed leadership roles in AHLA's Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the Foundation's Board of Trustees. There are now 30 women who hold leadership positions in AHLA governance groups—a new record. We expect to build on this progress over time.
The bottom line is when we invest in women leaders, our entire industry benefits.
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