Dorien Dijkhuis  Wouter Noordijk

Michele Buck - Hershey's CEO
Michele Buck has been president/CEO of Hershey's, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, since 2017. In an interview she once said that there are five basic rules that underlie her career:

  1. “Fit is everything.” If you work for a company that shares your values and values your strengths, if there is a 100% fit, you will excel at who you are and what you can do.
  2. Manage your own career. Look for the experiences you need to become a great leader and/or CEO.
  3. Know yourself. Know your own strengths and hire people to complement your skills.
  4. Start each assignment with the thought, "How am I going to put my stamp on this?"
  5. Do what you love. Passion is contagious.

Since Buck’s appointment as CEO, diversity, equality and inclusivity has been a key focus at Hershey's. It is a priority at all levels of business. Thanks to this policy, the Hershey Company took the No. 1 position in Forbes' list of the "World's Top Female Friendly Companies" last November.

Sonia Cheng - CEO Rosewood Hotel Group
Cheng literally grew up in hotels. As a child she lived in the Regent Hong Kong, run by her father. Despite studying applied mathematics at Harvard, she followed in her father's and grandfather's footsteps when she was thirty and took over the helm of the family-owned Rosewood Hotel Group. In recent years, she expanded the hotel group, consisting of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Khos and New World Hotels & Resorts, with 34 hotels. In total, the group now contains 43 hotels. Another 25 will be added in the next three years. 

Her philosophy: the success of a company is always teamwork. And: true hospitality arises from entering into sincere relationships with colleagues, guests and cooperation partners. She advises her employees to treat guests and colleagues as you would treat good friends you receive at home. If you do so, you’ll surely do everything in your power to please that person. “You would already know what they like to eat, you would be able to gauge their mood, you would notice whether they are cold or hot without them having to tell you.” If you treat every guest and every employee that way, it creates magic,” says Cheng.

Lynsi Snyder - CEO In-N-Out Burger
Since the age of twenty-seven, Snyder has been in charge of the American hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger, the company her grandparents started in 1948. Her goal, she once said in one of the rare interviews she gives, is to raise her grandparents' high bar for herself as CEO in terms of quality and service. Speaking about her leadership style, she said she believes in ‘servant leadership’; a leadership philosophy where the ultimate goal is not to let the company grow, but to empower employees to do their job well. Despite this, or perhaps because of this philosophy, In-N-Out Burger grew to a company with more than 350 locations.

Snyder is self-made leader. She worked in the company from childhood and internalized the business by going through positions in all departments. She faced several setbacks in her life, including the death of her father, alcohol and drug addiction, and three divorces. She takes all these experiences with her in her position as CEO: “The things that I've been through forced me to be stronger. When you persevere, you end up developing more strength.”

Maggie Timoney CEO Heineken
Timoney has been the CEO of Heineken since 2018. About her appointment she says; it's not her gender that counts, but the results she’ll achieve. In an interview with NBC News: “I did not get this job because I am a woman. I got this job because I have left previous companies in a better place for having been there and that is what my job is today. I am a CEO that happens to be a woman, not a CEO because I am a woman.”

Timoney was born in Ireland, the youngest of four children, and played for the national basketball team. That's where her sense of diversity and team play comes from. “As CEO, I feel very comfortable in my role, letting different people lead at different times, because people all have different skills. That's the beauty of a team. Not everyone on the team can be a three-point shooter. You also need a point guard. You need a striker. The great thing about a team is that you can win games together.”

Offline: This content can only be displayed when online.

Not only in politics, but also in business, women are on the rise to the highest ranks. The road is long everywhere, The Green Hasson Janks food and beverage survey concludes, but it’s especially lengthy in the traditionally male-dominated world of food. Who are those leading women in food? And what is their philosophy? Food Inspiration lists four leading ladies in food.

Michele Buck © ANP

Sonia Cheng © ANP

ceo's in food
female 

inspiring figures

  4 min

Dorien Dijkhuis  Wouter Noordijk

Not only in politics, but also in business, women are on the rise to the highest ranks. The road is long everywhere, The Green Hasson Janks food and beverage survey concludes, but it’s especially lengthy in the traditionally male-dominated world of food. Who are those leading women in food? And what is their philosophy? Food Inspiration lists four leading ladies in food.

Maggie Timoney CEO Heineken
Timoney has been the CEO of Heineken since 2018. About her appointment she says; it's not her gender that counts, but the results she’ll achieve. In an interview with NBC News: “I did not get this job because I am a woman. I got this job because I have left previous companies in a better place for having been there and that is what my job is today. I am a CEO that happens to be a woman, not a CEO because I am a woman.”

Timoney was born in Ireland, the youngest of four children, and played for the national basketball team. That's where her sense of diversity and team play comes from. “As CEO, I feel very comfortable in my role, letting different people lead at different times, because people all have different skills. That's the beauty of a team. Not everyone on the team can be a three-point shooter. You also need a point guard. You need a striker. The great thing about a team is that you can win games together.”

Michele Buck - Hershey's CEO
Michele Buck has been president/CEO of Hershey's, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, since 2017. In an interview she once said that there are five basic rules that underlie her career:

  1. “Fit is everything.” If you work for a company that shares your values and values your strengths, if there is a 100% fit, you will excel at who you are and what you can do.
  2. Manage your own career. Look for the experiences you need to become a great leader and/or CEO.
  3. Know yourself. Know your own strengths and hire people to complement your skills.
  4. Start each assignment with the thought, "How am I going to put my stamp on this?"
  5. Do what you love. Passion is contagious.

Since Buck’s appointment as CEO, diversity, equality and inclusivity has been a key focus at Hershey's. It is a priority at all levels of business. Thanks to this policy, the Hershey Company took the No. 1 position in Forbes' list of the "World's Top Female Friendly Companies" last November.

Lynsi Snyder - CEO In-N-Out Burger
Since the age of twenty-seven, Snyder has been in charge of the American hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger, the company her grandparents started in 1948. Her goal, she once said in one of the rare interviews she gives, is to raise her grandparents' high bar for herself as CEO in terms of quality and service. Speaking about her leadership style, she said she believes in ‘servant leadership’; a leadership philosophy where the ultimate goal is not to let the company grow, but to empower employees to do their job well. Despite this, or perhaps because of this philosophy, In-N-Out Burger grew to a company with more than 350 locations.

Snyder is self-made leader. She worked in the company from childhood and internalized the business by going through positions in all departments. She faced several setbacks in her life, including the death of her father, alcohol and drug addiction, and three divorces. She takes all these experiences with her in her position as CEO: “The things that I've been through forced me to be stronger. When you persevere, you end up developing more strength.”

Michele Buck © ANP

Sonia Cheng - CEO Rosewood Hotel Group
Cheng literally grew up in hotels. As a child she lived in the Regent Hong Kong, run by her father. Despite studying applied mathematics at Harvard, she followed in her father's and grandfather's footsteps when she was thirty and took over the helm of the family-owned Rosewood Hotel Group. In recent years, she expanded the hotel group, consisting of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Khos and New World Hotels & Resorts, with 34 hotels. In total, the group now contains 43 hotels. Another 25 will be added in the next three years. 

Her philosophy: the success of a company is always teamwork. And: true hospitality arises from entering into sincere relationships with colleagues, guests and cooperation partners. She advises her employees to treat guests and colleagues as you would treat good friends you receive at home. If you do so, you’ll surely do everything in your power to please that person. “You would already know what they like to eat, you would be able to gauge their mood, you would notice whether they are cold or hot without them having to tell you.” If you treat every guest and every employee that way, it creates magic,” says Cheng.

  4 min

Offline: This content can only be displayed when online.

Sonia Cheung © ANP

ceo's in food
female 

Overview magazines

Food Inspiration Magazine is the online magazine for foodservice professionals in search of inspiration and innovation. With the magazine we collect, enrich and spread inspiration. The free subscription magazine is published eight times per year and is an abundant source of inspiration for food and hospitality professionals. Our readers can be found in the U.S., Northern Europe, Latin America and Asia.
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