From waiting tables to heading up HOSPA: Jane Pendlebury shares her inspirational story this International Women's Day

Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, has officially been at the helm since 2016. This includes steadying the hospitality ship throughout COVID and advising restaurants and hotels across the turbulent years that followed. Here, she shares her amazing career story, hospitality sector wisdom, and how building personal relationships is as important to success as business acumen. 

Working across every area of hospitality and having frontline experience is how I’ve developed a broad knowledge of my industry.

I studied for a BSc in Hospitality Management back in the 1980s, and from there, threw myself into the industry. Having taken roles waiting on tables and in bars, I then worked for DeVere Hotels at The Royal Bath in Bournemouth. It was during my time here that I worked across nearly every department – which helped me accrue knowledge that I still draw on to this day. Later, I ran the front desk at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, did a stint conference organising for an agency, before moving into hospitality technology. That’s where I found my niche, initially advising on property management systems and point of sale, then later specialising in revenue management solutions. It all served to give me a broad knowledge base and appreciation of the tech stack and specific pressures on hotel teams to deliver top service to guests. 

While I became CEO of HOSPA in 2016, I’d contributed as a volunteer for several years before this

Back when HOSPA was still known as BAHA (British Association of Hotel Accountants), I was a member/sponsor, working with their CEO on sponsorship packages as well as being part of the name-change working group. I was a regular volunteer at the conference, looking after delegates and getting to know many of the people there. In 2014, when the newly renamed HOSPA decided to outsource its membership and events function, I was in a position to step into the management contractor/consultant role. Then two years later, when the CEO resigned, the Board voted me in, and I was more than ready to step up.

At HOSPA, we do more than pay lip service to professional development, we’re putting it at the centre of what we do – and encouraging women to make the most of these opportunities

All of HOSPA’s professional development programmes are available online, which means they’re flexible and can fit around busy schedules. Professional development isn’t just about career progression; it helps people perform their job better, builds confidence and opens doors to new opportunities. For women – who can sometimes lack that self-belief in a male dominated industry at senior level – having the additional skills and knowledge behind them can make a big difference to their future career.

Every day, the HOSPA team is trying to address issues of gender inequality and unacceptable behavior

Hospitality, as an industry, tends to employ more women than men. However, as you climb the career ladder, the gender-success ratio and balance flips with females being underrepresented in high-level positions – and that’s something that needs addressing. Of course, there are some fantastic female general managers across the UK, as well as some well-known senior female leaders running some of London’s most prestigious hotels. We’re making progress, but there’s still work to do when it comes to ensuring true equality and equity at the upper-most levels. 

Then there’s dealing with unacceptable behavior towards staff, which can come from any angle including from bosses, colleagues, guests and even suppliers. This is something we take seriously at HOSPA, and we’re there to respond and listen to incidents of workplace bullying. The Worker’s Protection Act has put into place some legislative measures, but I’m very aware that controlling guest conduct is tricky to navigate.

I love what I do and where it can take me, but equally I love to give back.

I love this industry. The diversity and cohesiveness of hospitality are second to none and I enjoy all the different aspects. I find financial reporting particularly fascinating – especially tax – and if I had to choose another career, that might be it. 

What makes my role such a pleasure are the people, the teamwork, and the beautiful surroundings we sometimes find ourselves in. Hotels are where people come to escape the humdrum of daily life. Those of us embroiled in the industry appreciate that we’re very fortunate to have this as our day-to-day environment.

I also have a yearning to support prisoners back into daily life post their stay at His Majesty’s pleasure. There are two companies within hospitality that do great jobs in this area. One is the Clink charity – I had the privilege of visiting a women’s prison in Send near Woking, where they were using prisoners to help cultivate fresh fruit and vegetables within the grounds. That was a real eye-opener for me. The second charity is Only A Pavement Away, which specialises in recruiting from prisons and getting ex-offenders roles within hospitality. I’ve dedicated my entire career to hospitality, and I couldn’t imagine walking away now.

The Government, regardless of who is in power, must consistently support and understand the needs of our sector

Hospitality is and has been under appreciated by successive governments. The NIC threshold increase is a clear indication of that – costing millions of pounds in many hospitality businesses. This will put some out of business – it’s as simple as that. The introduction of the bed or tourist tax is not going to encourage overseas visitors – and the removal of tax-free shopping for overseas guests did nothing to support the industry. 

The sector gets taken for granted, and perhaps that’s because it’s generally made up of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rather than conglomerates with a large lobbying voice. But it is the uniqueness and quirkiness of the independently owned pubs, cafes, guest houses and hotels that make Britain British – and I think we overlook that at our peril. We’ve been repeatedly squeezed while the loss of freedom of movement when we exited the EU was a major blow to the industry, which we’re still struggling to bounce back from. The successive knocks since, such as the pandemic, haven’t helped. I’d implore this government to recognise the enormous value we bring to the economy and work with us to ensure we can continue doing so.