Women in Tourism Appoints New Board Directors
As Women in Tourism nears its third anniversary the organisation is delighted to announce new appointments to its Board as it looks ahead to a period of growth and development.
Founded to motivate, encourage, inspire and support women within the tourism sector into positions of leadership, this morning it was revealed that four new Directors have been appointed to the Women in Tourism Board.
The new appointments are from a cross-section of the tourism economy and each new Director will lead on a specific area of work. While Women in Tourism continues to grow in membership and ambition, today’s announcement also coincides with the introduction of two new roles; that of Regional Development Lead and International Chapter Development.
The new Directors are:
- Lindsay Neilson – International Chapter Development Lead
- Alyce Paton – Treasurer
- Sally Rae – Membership Lead
- Kerry Watson – Regional Development Lead
Susan Russell, Chair of Women In Tourism, said: “Today’s announcement is an exciting moment for the next phase of Women In Tourism’s development. From our early days as a small committee, I’m thrilled to lead our Board of sixteen passionate and ambitious women as we drive forward the organisation on behalf of our members across Scotland.
The introduction of the new Regional Development and International Chapter roles are reflective of the needs of our members and our collective ambition to be recognised as a world-leading sector. I’m thrilled to welcome our new Directors to the Board, and we look forward to working with colleagues across the industry as we enter 2020 and grow the organisation further.”
More Information
For more information regarding the new appointments, please contact Susan Russell: susan@womenintourism.co.uk
About Women In Tourism
Women In Tourism launched as a membership organisation in March 2017. Annual membership costs £40 and offers the initial benefits of:
- Discounted Women In Tourism (and partner) events
- A 60-minute mentoring session with a woman within the sector
- A skillswap, with members offering an in-kind skills in return for advice or business services from another member
- A dedicated app
Director Biographies
Read full director biographies on the WIT blog.
Lindsay Neilson, VisitScotland
Lindsay’s career has been entirely focused in the tourism and hospitality sectors, spanning both private and public sectors and work both in the UK and Europe. Since 2007 she has developed her career at VisitScotland; her current role in the Business Events team has responsibility for growing corporate meetings & events and incentive programmes into Scotland from the UK and targeted international markets. Lindsay is a recent graduate of the award-winning Destination Leaders Programme.
Alyce Paton, Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
Alyce is currently the Visitor Experience Manager at the award-winning Camera Obscura and World of Illusions visitor attraction in Edinburgh. This involves management of all aspects of the visitor experience; including strategic planning, budgeting and KPI setting and operational management of the technical and guiding teams. Her career in tourism in Edinburgh over the past eight years has included studying for and receiving an MBA from Edinburgh University, winning a prestigious HIT Scholarship and being awarded the ASVA (Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions) Rising Star Award.
Sally Rae, Eden Scott
Sally’s work in the hospitality and tourism industry spans over thirty-five years, supporting its growth in cross-sectoral roles, largely based in Scotland. With an early career including leading sales teams within hotels, conference venues and for industry suppliers, Sally has spent the last twelve years, nine with Eden Scott, finding the very best talent for Scotland’s world-renowned tourism businesses. Sally sits on the ASVA (Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions) Board and is passionate about mentoring, inspiring and developing future tourism leaders.
Kerry Watson, University of St Andrews
Kerry has over twenty years’ experience working in the tourism industry, mainly in the sales and marketing promotion of Scotland as a Business Events destination. After spending fifteen years at VisitScotland in the Business Events team, her current role as Sales Manager in the Accommodation, Conferences and Events team at the University of St. Andrews oversees the marketing and sales activity of all of the University venues and accommodation, as well as supporting academics in the bidding process to bring conferences to Scotland and to host them at the University of St Andrews.
