Dang Pham, an executive project chef for leading caterer, Lexington, has graduated from the award-winning Ethnic Future Leaders Programme (EFL).
The programme, run by WiHTL, aims to improve ethnic diversity in leadership through identifying and investing in employees from diverse ethnic backgrounds who demonstrate leadership potential, and supports their progression into more senior roles across the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail sectors.
Pham, executive project chef for Lexington, was nominated for the position by his line manager and managing director, Matt Wood. Having personally experienced racism whilst growing up, Dang was motivated to participate in the program, forging new connections with professionals from similar backgrounds across the industry.
WiHTL is the only Collaboration Community devoted to increasing equity, diversity and inclusion of its dedicated sectors and its mission with Diversity in Retail is to support companies across the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail industries to create diverse and inclusive workplaces , and to positively impact five million employees globally by 2030.
The EFL programme provides participants with many benefits including:
- Membership to a lasting alumni network
- Opportunity to experience reverse mentoring with senior leaders
- Guidance from industry leaders and external experts
- Personal support for career development and progression
Commenting on this achievement, Dang Pham said: “I feel very proud to have gained a place on the EFL programme. Lexington is an inclusive organisation that has always supported my personal development, and I welcome this opportunity to develop my skills and career prospects further by engaging in this exciting leadership programme.”
Matt Wood, managing director of Lexington Catering said: “We are delighted that Dang will have access to the benefits that this prestigious EFL programme provides. We are committed to ensuring that Lexington is a diverse and inclusive organisation to work for and to ensure that all our colleagues have every opportunity to progress in their careers.”
WiHTL nurtures collaboration across the industries it represents to create opportunities to interact and identify best practices in the HTL sector. It supports organisations to build a diverse talent pipeline through cross-industry Leadership Development Programmes.