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How can women thrive in the spirits industry?

More than 100 women working in drinks joined The Spirits Business and The London Edition for an insightful evening to mark International Women’s Day. Here’s what went down at a truly inspirational event.

IWD event women panel
L-R: Melita Kiely, Sophie Abrahamovitch, Lorraine Copes, Aaisha Dadral, Ambre-Jalisa van de Berg, Katina Aziz, Jules Marohl and Anne Lomas

*This feature was originally published in the April 2024 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.

“Trust your gut. Back yourself. Find your grit. And stop thinking everyone else knows better than you.” Wise words, indeed, from Aaisha Dadral, co-founder of Equiano Rum. In the lead-up to International Women’s Day (8 March) Dadral joined a powerhouse panel of women for ‘Raise a Glass!’, an International Women’s Day (IWD) panel discussion hosted by The Spirits Business and The London Edition. The event was sponsored by: Astraea Gin, Caleño, Equiano Rum, Lala Tequila, MayaJules Mezcal, Dusk, Be Inclusive Hospitality, Aresti, Benchmark Drinks for Kylie Minogue Wines, Eko Brewery, Faustino, Juvé & Camps, Little Pomona, and Double Dutch.

Dadral’s expertise was matched by: Ambre-Jalisa van de Berg, founder of Lala Tequila; Anne Lomas, hotel manager at The London Edition; Katina Aziz, co-founder of MayaJules Mezcal; Sophie Abrahamovitch, CEO of the app Dusk; and Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality.

More than 100 women who work in the drinks industry gathered at The London Edition to hear what the panel had to say. Far from being a vacant act of virtue-signalling for IWD, the all-woman events team at The Spirits Business endeavoured to create an evening that would leave attendees feeling empowered and better-equipped to pursue their professional ambitions.

More than 100 women who work in the industry were in attendance

Moderated by Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, the discussion covered myriad topics, from challenges facing women in the workplace to how women in leadership positions can better support more junior employees to achieve their career aspirations. In a world where women have long been kept out of the upper echelons of the business world, and taught to be self-deprecating, what key qualities do successful female leaders possess?

“Someone who is self-aware and understands that they don’t need to know everything to lead,” said Lomas. “Leadership is about understanding the resources available and having the confidence to use them (this builds a culture of curiosity and solution focus). When we focus on what we don’t know, you can lead from a place of fear rather than acceptance, understanding and curiosity. This invariably will have a negative impact on those around you and the culture of your business. Don’t beat yourself up. Make the mistakes, own them and then learn from them. Failure is the catalyst for success.”

But what about the women whose goals are to start their own brand, or business, or pursue a freelance career? With several founders on the panel, from brand owners to a hospitality-marketing app, the panellists shared advice for building a business from the ground up – starting with the warning “be prepared that it’s 90% bullshit”.

A message that stuck with Dadral during this discussion, was: “You have to be willing to roll your sleeves up. Every single one of my fellow panellists made this point, and it’s a valuable reminder of the reality of starting a business.

“We can romanticise entrepreneurialism, and with the help of social media it does look delightful. But you can be sitting on a panel talking to a room full of brilliant women one day and packing bottles up for sending out to clients the next. You have to show up with the same energy and commitment to both. Every day is different, and not every day is the fun stuff. So before you dive in, ask yourself the question: are you being realistic about what it needs, and are you willing to roll your sleeves up for the journey?”

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