Pink October: On a mission to empower women

Shaileen Jiwa has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry in both Kenya and Canada.

She is the first General Manager of the Gem Forest Hotel-MGallery collection, the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.

She initially worked at Trademark Hotel before Covid-19 struck and she relocated to Toronto. She later returned to take up her new role at Gem Forest Hotel, the sixth pre-opening hotel in her career.

“I came back to Kenya because of the people and the opportunity to practice experiential hospitality. My current role with this brand allows me to craft these moments, creating a journey filled with personal touches and thoughtful details. This approach allows me to connect on a deeper level and turn hospitality into an art that I do from the heart,” says Shaileen.

In a hotelier’s career spanning 18 years, Shaileen has found herself surrounded by men and each year she takes Pink October seriously.

She has worked all over the world, sitting at the head of some of the world’s most famous luxury gems. And in most of these high-profile meetings, women are often in short supply. Which is why she has been working tirelessly on initiatives to support and empower women.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been supported by men, it didn’t have to be that way, but again, how many women leaders have made it and stayed at the top?” Shaileen says.

Shaileen and her team planned a series of activities for ‘Pink October’, the breast cancer awareness campaign with the theme ‘Committed to Her’.

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One of the activities was a dining experience where women from all walks of life met, shared and were inspired by each other’s success stories.

“Pink October has been around for years. People just think of the pink ribbon. I think we should work beyond just raising awareness about breast cancer. I have this big dream that women can find a woman to empower. I want to help empower as many women as I can through collaborative efforts that help create support systems for everyone,” says Shaileen.

“We have also partnered with Eddah’s Hope Cancer Foundation, which will receive the proceeds from the month’s activations. This foundation is founded on the belief that raising awareness and providing education about early detection and prevention of cancer is the best way to stop the disease from taking lives. They are also dedicated to creating positive and enriching life-changing experiences for cancer fighters,” she says.

Shaileen says that when she started in the hospitality industry as a financial controller, it took her time to learn how to navigate as a woman.

“At some point, I felt sad that I hadn’t given another woman a chance. That is why, since taking up my new role as General Manager, I have been using my position to influence programmes that empower women,” she says.

She recalls moments when men looked down on her because she was in a position of power, a position they felt belonged to them. And it was in those moments that she learned to stand up for herself and refuse to look or feel vulnerable.

“You would feel that all these men around you thought you had come to take their power. When I went to those board meetings, I wore a dress to show that I was comfortable in that role as a woman. I am happy to see more women in positions of power and I am happy that they are helping other women get into power,” says Shaileen.

“We currently empower women every six months. The aim is to help them fit into different organisations and careers. It could be a domestic worker, a lawyer, a cleaner, anyone, it doesn’t matter. It is about identifying women who lack opportunities but have the talent and ambition to change their lives and the communities they live in,” she says.

She says her vision to see women succeed has been made easier by the fact that her current working environment provides an environment in which she can have a profound impact on women’s lives and amplify their voices throughout the year through her manifesto and partnerships with local NGOs.