Meet Jennifer DiPasquale, President & Co-Founder of Women in Retail and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, two organizations that offers women leaders the opportunity to network and foster leadership development.
Women in Retail and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality are leadership communities in which executive level female leaders connect with one another to advance to the next level, as well as mentor young females within organizations to progress up the corporate ladder. Jennifer DiPasquale runs the show at the Retail and Travel & Hospitality divisions of Napco Media, which were launched in 2014 and January 2021, respectively. The organization’s mission is to serve and champion women in the retail industry, as well as in travel and hospitality.
They offer their communities live and virtual events, research, podcasts, e-letters and social channels. The focus is mainly on leadership and executive professional development. As they interviewed leaders, the company noticed a gap in personal development. This is what led them to start the organization. Jennifer’s role involves finding and highlighting the leaders in the industry and helping them to develop their internal teams.
Talking about Jennifer’s organization, “Women in Retail and Women Leading Travel and Hospitality are exclusive communities of women executives at leading retailers and brands and travel and hospitality companies. Our mission is to foster leadership development for our members by providing an unparalleled mix of events, content, and elite connections. Our community is composed of successful, motivated, and passionate women from the entire retail and travel ecosystems who have a strong belief that investing in themselves and in other women is good business. From CEOs with years of experience to directors working their way up, the common thread is women coming together to learn from each other and help each other succeed.”
She notes that the decimation of women in the workforce due to the pandemic has put women in the workforce years behind. They also had to pivot from the live events that brought a major part of the revenue. They have switched to virtual events where the ladies can connect. This includes virtual exchanges and month-long leadership days, virtual events, inviting keynote speakers and networking sessions where women can connect community-wise. They have formed peer groups in retail and travel and brought CEOs and CMOs together to connect and prosper together. Jennifer gives the credit to their team that has pulled everything together, even during such challenging times.
The company thrives on a niche marketing plan. They connect with senior-level women who are also the decision-makers in their company. They share the resources with these leaders, who in turn amplify them within their organizations. It takes a lot of grassroots effort while seeking out these female leaders who can be part of the program.
Jennifer believes that the success of the circle is only possible when they listen to what these women want and need at the moment. Her team is constantly catering to their needs and finding out where they can be helpful. According to Jennifer, this is the beauty of the network. They are building a community of authentic leaders who can share what they are going through with ease. This has become even more important in the current scenario as the majority of these women work from home while also caring for their families and homeschooling their children. They have given these women a network and community to connect with, so that they don’t feel alone in their journeys.
Jennifer’s hard work and dedication have led Women in Retail and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality to thrive even during the pandemic. It is helping women in the leadership circles take steps towards their dream careers while supporting their fellow women in the process.