March has arrived and with it comes the opportunity to celebrate Women’s History Month. In our Trailblazers series, we will be celebrating the contributions of women to the foodservice and retail industries and the inroads they have made in leadership positions across well-known corporations. Our series will chronicle some of the most prominent women in retail and foodservice and how their leadership has helped reshape their respective brands and develop the industry as a whole.

Boardroom seats and executive positions have often been occupied by men in the past, yet there has been significant progress over the years and more women are acquiring these positions than ever before. Not all of these new executives are from outside the company either, many are internal hires that showcase the pathways that have been forged to allow upward mobility for women at any position. In the retail industry 13 female CEOs were appointed out of 42 total hires in 2022. That is an improvement over the 4 out of 18 CEOs a year prior.

There are also several resources created by women and for women in the retail and restaurant industries. The Women’s Foodservice Forum offers membership and the opportunity to advance in the workplace. They hold an annual leadership conference and are sponsored by corporations like Sysco and The Coca-Cola Company. One of the counterparts in the retail industry is the Women in Retail Leadership Circle. They also offer events for executives to connect and create new opportunities along with some of their corporate sponsors including QVC and Kohl’s. These collaborative efforts not only connect leaders across different backgrounds, they also help hold corporations accountable for their hiring practices. Corporations that have made pledges to invest in the leadership of women have had to ensure they are meeting those goals on a yearly basis.

Women in leadership positions have increased over the years and we hope to see even more advancement this year. Many of the women being promoted to these positions are fresh faces and can bring new ideas to the table. Innovation and new technology are the only ways for retailers and restaurants to thrive in the future and the diversification of executive positions is a way to ensure that each company is on the cutting edge. We hope you join us this month as we celebrate trailblazers across consumer industries and what they could be accomplishing this year.