Hilton Worldwide Reveals Survey Results and Organizes Conference Addressing Women in Leadership

SHANGHAI, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Hilton Worldwide's Women in Leadership Committee in Greater China and Mongolia (GCM) released the results of a nationwide survey of its female workforce in China. In conjunction with the survey results, Hilton Worldwide organized a "Women in Leadership" conference that was attended by 175 delegates from its China hotel leadership and high-performing female talent.

Hilton Worldwide's "Women in Leadership" initiative reflects a promising outlook in China for female employees, where the number of women in leadership positions recently doubled, with 51 percent of those roles now held by women.[1] Chinese women also dominated Forbes Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen list this year, outnumbering women from all other Asian countries.[2]

"In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, utilizing all human capital, social and economic assets are crucial for success. Furthermore, studies consistently demonstrate that diversity of opinion and experience creates a positive and measurable improvement on a company's performance," said Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific for Hilton Worldwide. "To this end, we committed to the UN Women's Empowerment Principles a year ago, to promote equal opportunity for women. We are identifying high-performing, high potential female team members with the aptitude and interest to rise through the ranks, and seek to create an even more conducive environment in our hotels for women to lead and be role models for others."

In February 2015, Hilton Worldwide's "Women in Leadership" Committee in Greater China and Mongolia (GCM) engaged an independent third-party agency, Shi Bisset & Associates, to conduct a survey among 5,700 of its female Team Members across 52 properties in China.

Top line observations from the survey include the following:

• 64 percent of survey respondents said that "demonstrated commitment to equality at the executive level was an important factor affecting women's career progression in China's hospitality industry".
• 60 percent of survey respondents noted that "strong career planning tools are crucial for realizing professional aspirations".
• 50 percent of survey respondents expressed that "supportive systems for promotion and mobility are important".

The survey results largely underscore Hilton Worldwide's talent development strategy to foster a culture where its team members - both men and women - feel valued, respected and encouraged to reach their full potential.

The training and development needs of its team members are identified by providing structured learning opportunities where appropriate and offering the right tools for developing effective career paths. Globally, Hilton Worldwide's Executive Committee Diversity Networking Program and Women's Leadership Development Program provide informal and structured opportunities for the company's next generation of leaders to increase their access to mentoring by company executives.

"Women talent seek a supportive system for promotion and mobility, and Hilton Worldwide is continuously looking to create a conducive environment that promotes women in leadership," said Lawrence Lee, Vice President of Human Resources for Greater China & Mongolia at Hilton Worldwide. "To this end, Hilton Worldwide has in place networking and mentoring programs for women, as well as a Gender Equality in Leadership Committee dedicated to better understanding the needs of our women talent in this region." 

The "Women in Leadership" conference held today aimed to inspire Hilton Worldwide's women talent and leaders to be proud of their role in driving the company's business and positive impact in the world. The conference also presented valuable opportunities to share knowledge, stimulate discussion, and exchange ideas surrounding Hilton Worldwide's pursuit of organizational excellence, talent development and equal opportunity.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. For 95 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences. The company's portfolio of twelve world-class global brands is comprised of more than 4,300 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 715,000 rooms in 94 countries and territories, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonors®. Visit news.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, flickr.com/hiltonworldwide, and linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.