Ann Peggy named as most influential woman in Kenya’s hospitality industry

PRIDEINN PARADISE’ GENERAL MANAGER ANN PEGGY RISES TO THE TOP OF HER PROFESSION

(Posted 23rd October 2019)

PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort and Spa General Manager, Ms. Ann Peggy has been named Kenya’s most influential woman in the hospitality business by CEO Global.
During an awarding ceremony at The Boma Hotel, eleven women made their debut on CEO Global Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government list this year.
Notable women from Kenya include Suzanne Wokabi of Suzie Beauty, Mary Muthoni of Women in Business Kenya and many others.
“Winning this award wasn’t an easy task, the hospitality industry, unlike other industries, historically has had a scarcity of influential women among its ranks. Fortunately, this is now changing, with many more women in the types of positions,” said Ms. Peggy.
Ms. Peggy won the award out of her exemplary work in the hospitality sector and notably being the only female General Manager leading a 5-star hotel in the country.
“There are very few female GMs in this sector. The first challenge is time, as this job demands a lot of working hours and an irregular working schedule. It is sometimes difficult for women to balance personal life and work, but it is also very possible,” said Ann the country award winner.
Mr. Hasnain Noorani , PrideInn Managing Director broke the gender barriers by hiring for the first time a female head for PrideInn’s prestigious PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort & Spa in Shanzu and Ms. Anne’s dynamic leadership abilities and passion for the role has been instrumental in delivering a great product and outstanding service to guests at the 5 star resort.
There is also negative perception towards women in the hospitality sector. “There is this perception that women have to sacrifice their careers to take care of their families. Women, especially African women, need to take care of children, family, housework after working hours. But truth is managerial positions are jobs great for women, because women tend to be detail oriented and also very hardworking ,” she added.

Ann was selected for her achievements and track records of success. She represented the diversity within East Africa’s hospitality business landscape by transforming hotel enterprises.
CEO Global dispels the notion that Africa has a scarcity of innovative and progressive leadership talent. “There are tremendously inspirational stories at the core of each winner’s professional and personal life story. I am really very privileged to interact with these individuals. They deserve the admiration and respect they are afforded, particularly Lifetime Achievers who have often been absolute pioneers in their field,” said Annelize Wepener, Chief Executive for CEO Global.

Companies report that they are highly committed to gender diversity. But that commitment has not translated into meaningful progress. The proportion of women at every level in East Africa’s corporate has hardly changed. “In today’s business environment there is a lot of pressure on women to both conform and perform. If you want to be viewed as a success you need to deliver on the business objectives of your employer and ensure your work performance measures up to established benchmarks – even exceeding them where possible,” concluded Annelize.

ATCNews extends warmest congratulations to Ann Peggy on this auspicious occasion!