Foxhills Club & Resort celebrated International Women’s Day and the women behind the thriving business in Surrey on Friday, continuing its ongoing commitment to the wellbeing and development of its team. The event featured a series of thought-provoking and inspiring panel discussions focusing on vital topics affecting the progression of women in the workplace, including culture, leadership, and work/life balance.
Female and male team members from across the Foxhills resort – including housekeeping, maintenance, spa, golf, gym, racquets, events, weddings, marketing, finance, HR, leisure and F&B – gathered at the event aimed to inspire, educate, and spark meaningful conversations about the unique challenges that women face in their professional journeys.
The panel included Alessandra Antonelli, Head of Marketing at Addison Lee, Alison King, CIPD, MD and Founder of Bespoke HR, Danielle Fletcher, Transactional Banking and Liquidity Director at Santander, and Raelene Antao, Global Head of Compliance and Governance at DVA Group, who offered practical advice and inspiration to the Foxhills team.
Discussions included understanding that success in business doesn’t hinge solely on following a conventional path. Instead, speakers encouraged embracing experimentation and imperfection, trusting your instincts, and being willing to take risks—whether that means stepping into leadership roles or simply saying yes to new challenges.
Raelene Antao shared: “It’s difficult to let go of perfection – say yes, embrace imperfection, and take on something new.”
In addition to encouraging personal growth, speakers reinforced the importance of believing in oneself and putting trust in yourself. Danielle Fletcher highlighted: “View each other as professionals, not based on gender.”
The discussion also touched on the balance between career and personal life, with speakers encouraging team members to set boundaries, to be fair, and treat others with respect. Understanding and mastering a craft was a key takeaway, highlighting the importance of continuous professional development, while others advocated for the value of work-life balance encouraging attendees to look beyond gender and build a strong support system.
Alison King reinforced the importance of mentorship and leadership highlighting the importance of learning from each other. She said: “Be a role model – learn from interactions and take inspiration from others to grow.”
The celebration left attendees motivated and equipped with new tools to succeed in their careers. Foxhills remains dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace, where all team members can thrive and achieve their full potential and is proud to have a 50:50 gender split across a workforce of 400 employees, including in management/head of department positions. It is living up to its brand mission statement of making colleagues feel ‘where you belong’ and its core HR values of ‘make a difference’ and ‘never stop learning’.
