*Long read
Always helping us reach our goals is Marie Clare Watson – Head of Procurement at Apex Hotels. Known to her colleagues as MC, this fabulous female studied Hotel Management for three years at the University of Dundee before starting her management career in hotels in Glasgow. After 10 years, MC moved into the wholesale food industry before being welcoming back into the hotel world at Apex Hotels. Having been in the role for five years, one of MC’s best pieces of advice is to ‘never stop learning’. MC certainly practices what she preaches as she graduated with a Procurement Diploma during the Covid-19 pandemic and has recently secured a sustainability scholarship with HIT Scotland. She even wrote and published her own cookbook during lockdown to be shared with friends and family.
What’s your next goal, business or personal?
‘As leader of the sustainability ESG steering group and having recently led all nine of our hotels towards attaining the Silver Green Tourism Award, the next obvious goal is to go for gold! The cogs are in motion for this and with constant and continual sustainable operational updates on the way, I can’t wait for it to all pay off in the end.’
Who is your inspiration in life?
‘My first inspiration was my grandmother. She taught me how to cook and bake at a young age which is when my passion for food was ignited, and it’s went on to become an industry I’ve worked in for 35 years. My mother was another inspirational influence. She supported and pushed me while allowing me to thrive and succeed in my own way – she made me who I am today. Lastly, and a little further out the family circle, my old flute teacher inspired my determination and practice, she was a perfectionist! I like that I’m inspired mostly by the people close to home. How I see it is, they’re just ‘doing life’, inspirationally.’
Helping our business to survive a global pandemic, Hannah Chillingworth is our Finance Manager who has had a fruitful and diverse career. Growing up on an English countryside farm, Hannah spent her childhood helping her family bed the sheep and cattle, baling, turning the hay and keeping the house. Despite being the only girl, she took pride in working together with her family to get the jobs done. She then went on to study Business and Accounting at Edinburgh University before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant which, in her words, ‘opened so many doors’ in her career. She then took some time out to travel South East Asia and work in Australia where she got to see some amazing places and meet many extraordinary people. Upon her return, she traded in milk for beer with a move to drink giants, Heineken, before moving to the digital marketing sector to gain more experience within finance. Apex Hotels has been her first role within the hospitality sector.
What’s your next goal, business or personal?
‘Family, friends and work life balance are really important to me and making the most of life. In the workplace, my goal is to always be that person who encourages and supports other women around me, particularly those establishing themselves whilst supporting their young family - learning to juggle the priorities is tough! Not only those with young families, but also those with so much potential, those who may not have the confidence or see it in themselves. A little encouragement can go a long way. At home, as they get older, it’s my goal to encourage my kids to go after whatever they want in life and take the opportunities that come their way.'
Who inspires you in your career?
‘I’ve worked with many inspirational women throughout my career who have immeasurable drive and determination. I find a lot of inspiration from all of the hard-working and dedicated staff, but particularly my female colleagues. Apex sets an example to other businesses when it comes to women in the workplace, having a strong female presence in senior positions, who support and guide others to be the best they can be.’
The lady who makes sure we conduct business ethically and within laws and regulations whilst taking point in the governance of our ESG steering group is our Head of Risk & Compliance, Alison Moir. Alison started her career in hospitality while studying for a degree in Human Sciences. Working at her student union and local restaurants and bars sparked a love for being part of a team, creating connections and being in a career full of camaraderie - something that hospitality and tourism has in abundance. After her studies, Alison moved into the hotel sector and quickly worked her way up to General Manager. Continuing to learn, Alison studied for various qualifications under The Institute of Occupational Safety, The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health and The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, amongst others, which have given her a solid foundation within Hospitality Risk.
What’s your next goal, business or personal?
‘When looking to the future I don’t fixate on promotion or a need to be viewed as successful. I look at the areas I am interested in, where I can help, what I love to do, alongside where my strengths are. My focus is on personal growth, family, relationships, and the next exciting and interesting opportunity that lights a bit of a fire within me.’
What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?
‘I’m fortunate to work in such an equality focused and balanced company with some fantastic role models, but globally not everyone is able to say this about their workplace or society as a whole. This makes what we do, how we act and the importance of always striving for balance important. Whatever you want to achieve is important whether that is career or personal in focus. For anyone who finds them useful, here’s a few things I picked up along the way:
You don’t need to make your mind up straight away, try things on to see if they fit.
Don’t quieten your voice because you don’t think people want to hear it; if they don’t listen try to look at different ways to say it.
Your opinion and expertise counts.
Be balanced, you can have it all but it’s up to you to set what ‘all’ is.
And most importantly support each other! Be each other’s cheerleader.’
You can’t have a hotel without guests and this wonderful woman ensures they have the best experience. Kim Wilkinson is our Group Director of Sales and is responsible of delivering excellent events and stays for our guests. Kim took a unique pathway to her current role by first training as a para legal in conveyancing. She quickly moved on to a more customer facing role as well as part-time job in a hotel. She was so impressive in her hotel job that she was offered a full-time position as sales manager, targeting corporate clients and agents. Through her work and connections with the business arm of VisitScotland, Kim was introduced to Apex Hotels and was quickly offered a role as Sales Manager at the new, purpose-built Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee. In her 20 years at Apex Hotels, Kim has been promoted several times and now proudly heads up the Sales Division team.
What’s your next goal, business or personal?
Like most the last two years have been a bit of a rollercoaster, so for me it’s about rebuilding our teams and getting the business back to pre-pandemic results.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
‘Michelle Obama – I think she has an interesting back story, is true to her convictions and says it like it is.
Pink – I bet she has some amazing stories to share, and she also seems really kind, grounded/relatable despite her fame and fortune.
Rosa Parks – To learn more about the women behind the Montgomery Bus boycott, there was so much to Rosa than this and I would love to hear it from her directly.’
Happy International Women's Day!