Women in Leadership (WIL) Initiative

Women in Leadership (WIL) is an EHL initiative with a focus on projects regarding women, and on a wider scale the initiative aims to promote leadership, culture, and policies that foster diverse, balanced, and people-focused environments. It strives so that our students, faculty, staff, and alumni can lead fulfilled professional and personal lives.

How it started

While walking through EHL’s corridors, Professor Kim noticed that the portraits celebrating the institution’s accomplished alumni were exclusively male, despite women making up more than half of the student body. This lack of representation of female role models became the inspiration for the Women in Leadership (WIL) Initiative, launched in 2018.

Purpose

WIL is a community-driven initiative founded by educators that serves as a thought leader in equitable talent development. WIL empowers individuals by setting an example, creating safe spaces for open dialogue and education, and fostering a culture of care, free from harassment, with the goal of achieving collective excellence.

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The WIL Team

Dr. Carole Ackerman

President of the Board of Directors of the EHL Group

Dr. Sowon Kim

WIL Founder & Associate Professor at EHL

Vanessa Balouzet

Chief Growth Office Officer

Joanna Blatter Minn

Mental Wellness Counsellor

Natalia Bovsovers-Carette

Lecturer of hotel management

Meloney Brazzola

Chief Corporate Communication Officer

Anca Gosling

Digital Education Manager

Barbara Martin

Head of Student Affairs

Veronica Mercier

Marketing Content & Communications Manager

Linda Papasidero

Culture & Leadership Transformation Manager

Anne-Laure Rey

Sustainabilityn Project Manager

Catherine Rey

Head of Business Development & Sales

Julneth Rogenhofer

Research Assistant

Insa Thalau

Head of Management Workshops & Seminars

Beatrice Venturini

Content Manager

Portfolio

WIL DAY

This annual event brings together selected students and seasoned professionals to exchange on a specific theme and celebrate the International Women’s Day.

WIL SHP

WIL has initiated the Sexual Harassment Prevention (SHP) program in 2019. It aims to prevent any form of Sexual Harassment and educate students on this topic and empowering women. The program is built on four pillars:

Communicating through awareness campaigns and roundtables led by the SHP Student Taskforce.
Educating bachelor’s students through mandatory in-person and online training prior to their AP2 and BOSC4 internships; master’s students via an asynchronous module.
Measuring the effectiveness of in-person and online training to ensure quality.
Acting through the confidential and accessible reporting channel SpeakUp.

More information

WIL Buddies

This bimonthly lunchtime gatherings are hosted by WIL members or features internal colleagues, or an external guest speakers on a specific topics. This program launched in 2021 creates a safe space, fosters belonging and the feeling of community among women in the workspace all while education on interesting topics such as investing for women.

WIL Horizon

WIL Horizon is a rotational two-way mentoring program with monthly sessions, creating new student–professional pairings each time. Since 2024 this program celebrates mutual learning, confidence-building, and meaningful connections.

WIL Network

The WIL Network is a paid membership open to women in hospitality and adjacent industries, providing access to a curated professional community within the EHL ecosystem. It fosters networking, professional growth and visibility. Stay tuned for more information, as this program will launch in 2026.

WIL Education

WIL Bridge is an AI-powered avatar that enables managers to practice difficult conversations through realistic simulations drawn from real hospitality leadership challenges.

WIL Social Impact Series delivers asynchronous training on sexual harassment prevention, diversity and inclusion, and anti-human trafficking accessible to operations staff, managers, and executives alike. Together, they equip professionals to lead responsibly, with people always at the center.

Impact

Through sustained reach and continuity, WIL strengthens EHL's human capital development, organizational culture, and institutional credibility.

Annual reach of over 2,000 students, staff, and industry professionals across the EHL ecosystem.
Eight years of continuity, demonstrating institutional embedding rather than one-off action.
Sustained engagement across multiple populations, strengthening inclusivity and a shared leadership culture.
Institutionalized prevention and education infrastructure, including mandatory training and a confidential reporting channel.
Coverage at critical educational and professional transition points, notably before internships and industry placements.
Participant feedback consistently reflects growth in confidence, awareness, and preparedness for people-related challenges.
Positions EHL as a thought leader in human-centered leadership and equitable talent development, advancing the conversation on the future of hospitality