The Ada Coleman Project is a virtual hub devoted to the women in the hospitality industry, founded by Kristine Bocchino and Kaitlin Wilkes. A new platform aimed to provide the springboard for new talents.
Ada Coleman Project, a New Networking Formula
«Working in a hotel, bar or restaurant means caring about the wellbeing of the guests as well as us professionals». This is the soul of The Ada Coleman Project, a virtual hub launched on 30 April last year set up by Kristine Bocchino and Kaitlin Wilkes, which aims to broaden awareness of what women can give to the hospitality industry.
Named after Ada Coleman, bartender and manager of London’s Savoy Hotel in the early 1900s, her persona embodies the platform’s goal of creating the opportunity that changes your life and places you in the right professional channels thanks to the potential of the web and the professional relationships forged by the two founders.
More Than a Database
Both Kristine and Kaitlin have successful careers behind them: the former as beverage director for the Four Seasons chain in the US and now an entrepreneur; the latter with her own consulting business and a background as a bartender.
Aware of the importance ofoperating in an environment that is constantly evolving and often lacking in female figures at the top of the pyramid, the two partners wanted to «create a virtual place to highlight the professionalism of women. Their absence in strategic corporate and institutional roles, in masterclasses or as jurors in international competitions is objective, but providing an answer to this shortcoming is not obvious. We could create a simple database and upload it online, » Kristine points out, «but for us another aspect was indispensable: each female professional had to and must be valued for her talents and unique qualities. To achieve this, we had to find out why this was happening. We talked to bar show organisers, bar owners, and major beverage companies in order to realise that the answer we wanted to give the industry was: ‘wewill find the professional you need’».
The Ada Coleman Project’s Rising Stars
The next step was to create a virtual space that would gather a selected number of female professionals, but also news, interviews and debates. For Kaitlin, these are basic aspects, because: «we want to support all female colleagues, making them feel comfortable in achieving important roles. And this kind of confidence can only come through knowledge. To all these women, we would like to say that we cannot tell them how they should feel, but the Ada Coleman Project can provide the springboard with which they can put their talents to good use».
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Image courtesy Ada Coleman Project
