From the Editor: Celebrating Women

March 8 marks International Women’s Day. To honor it, I checked in with Therese Gearhart, president and CEO of the Women’s Foodservice Forum in Dallas, to find out how the foodservice industry has changed over the years as it relates to women, her advice for those looking to enhance their leadership skills and what excites her the most about the future.

“We’ve seen encouraging progress in the representation of women in leadership positions across the foodservice industry,” Gearhart says. “More companies are recognizing the value of developing strong leadership teams and are taking actionable steps to support women’s career growth.”

But challenges remain. “Women, especially women of color, continue to be underrepresented at senior levels,” Gearhart says. “The impact of the pandemic also disproportionately affected women in the workforce, highlighting the need for sustained efforts in leadership development and workplace flexibility.”

Leadership development is one of WFF’s key offerings. For those looking to enhance their skills, Gearhart gives the following advice:

Invest in continuous learning. “Leadership is a journey, not a destination,” she says. Seek out development programs, mentorship opportunities and industry events where you can sharpen your skills and expand your network.

Embrace courage and take risks. Step into a new leadership role, advocate for a promotion or launch a new initiative.

Develop executive presence. “Leadership isn’t just about expertise; it’s also about how you show up,” she says. “Communicating with confidence, making data-driven decisions and leading with authenticity all contribute to executive presence.”

Gearhart sees a collective momentum building, and that’s what excites her the most about where women are heading in the foodservice industry. “Women are advocating for themselves and each other in ways that are shifting the industry for the better,” she says.

Speaking of courage, I invite you to turn to our latest Kitchen Design feature to learn how Jill Anderson of Rippe Associates tackled one project’s design challenges.

ALLISON REZENDES
Editor-in-Chief
arezendes@fermag.com

3 THINGS

THREE FACTS ABOUT WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

In their 10th annual Women in the Workplace report, released in 2024, LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co. point to the following findings:

• Over the past decade, there have been important gains for women at every level of the corporate pipeline. Most notably, at the senior level, women make up 29% of C-suite positions, up from 17% in 2015.

• Women still face headwinds early in their career. In 2018, for every 100 men who received the first promotion to manager, 79 women received the same opportunity. In 2024, that number was 81.

• There’s room for improvement as far as women’s experiences. “Women continue to see their gender and race as barriers to advancement, and women today are no more optimistic about how their gender will impact their career advancement,” the groups state in a release.