I am Naureen Ahmed, founder of Inspiring Women in Hospitality. Community builder, gender balance advocate and a respectful rebel.

By the time I was 10 I had already lived in four different countries, so going into hospitality was a very easy decision for me. When I arrived at EHL, Hospitality Business School in Lausanne for my undergraduate programme, I found where I belonged.

I said 'yes' to the first job that was offered to me and I moved to London. I worked at the Landmark London Hotel for a just under four years in operations. Then I joined STR, where I grew my career over the next 12 years. I had various roles during this time - analyst, product development, branding, marketing, etc. I had the opportunity to learn the hospitality industry from a macro and global perspective. When I started STR, it was an unknown company in the industry and I am proud to have brought it to the brand it is recognised as today. During this time I developed my own leadership style and built a multicultural inclusive team culture.

Throughout my near 20 year career in hospitality I have meet amazing women in our industry. Yet I felt we did not have enough visibility for our voices to be heard. So I created the 'Inspiring Women in Hospitality' podcast to share the stories and inspire both women and men in our industry. They inspire me to do more to champion women in our industry.

Then in September 2023 I launched the Inspire Community to bring women together to build a solid foundation of women supporting women. Monthly zoom calls with structured discussions of your career development and issues that impact women in the workplace.

Women have so much to offer and the research shows that a diverse team make better decisions and profitable workforce. I am on a mission to grow a global community of women, develop our influence and build a pipeline of future female leaders for our industry.

My values: Respect, Joy, Curiosity, Diversity, Freedom

My purpose: To shine the light on women in hospitality.

Who inspires me: YOU