Awarded recently as the best company for women by Fairygodboss, the largest female career community where highly motivated women go to share authentic work and life experiences, Hilton now reiterates its commitment with #WomenAtHilton, a bold strategy to achieve gender parity at leadership levels.

With a workforce of more than 400,000 team members in 113 countries and territories around the world, representing more than 170 nationalities, Hilton has been the catalyst of many overarching programmes designed to help individual career paths and aspirations, regardless of gender, background or role.

DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka is a prime example of #WomenAtHilton at work as the hotel is run, both commercially and operationally, by female leadership.

“Same opportunities based on merit.”

This is evident in the recent appointment of Carey Osborne as the general manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka, Malaysia. Carey most recently served as the GM of Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa, Thailand. An almost 20-year hospitality veteran, she began her career with Hilton as human resources manager with the Fiji Beach Resort & Spa managed by Hilton in 2006 and was promoted to operations manager a year later. From there, she held management positions as the director of operations at Hilton Cairns, director of operations at Hilton Surfers Paradise in charge of opening, brought the DoubleTree by Hilton Brand into Australia as cluster hotel manager for two DoubleTree by Hilton properties in Darwin, GM of Hilton Darwin, pre-opening GM of Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon, and most recently, GM of Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa.

When asked, Osborne said: “Being with Hilton affords the same opportunities based on merit, achievement and hard work – there are simply no barriers. My aim is for DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka to be the hotel of choice in Melaka, not only for accommodation, but for meetings, events and special occasions as well.”

More than executive members, regular mentorship for emerging female leaders who are diverse in functional areas, geographic locations, and expertise are conducted on a regular basis.

Samindri Liyanage, commercial manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka, joined Hilton as a C&E executive 12 years ago and rose up the ladder to eventually become the director of sales at Hilton Colombo, her most recent stint before a move to Malaysia in December 2018. Through her years in Hilton, she said: “The best thing about working for this dynamic company is that women have a voice within the Hilton family. We are allowed to aspire as well as inspire.”

NorSahara Ahmad, operations manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka just passed her five-year tenure in June 2019. She said: “My opinions matter and were never discriminated. The company supports me in my career path, equips me with learning and development programmes to prepare me for the next level to achieve my career as well as personal goals.”

By embracing female leadership in important, decision-making roles, DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka is setting the precedent for many young women looking to grow their careers while also seeking a work-life balance.