Women’s Foodservice Forum Background
Entering its 20
th year, the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) has led the industry’s efforts to develop
gender-balanced leadership talent for all segments of the foodservice and hospitality industry –
operators, manufacturers/suppliers and distributors.
The WFF was formed in 1989 by a group of 14 women with a radical
notion for the times of developing leadership talent and ensuring career advancement of executive
women in the foodservice industry that remained highly male-dominated – particularly within its
leadership ranks. This was also during a time when best practices were driving gender-balanced
leadership in other industries.
Since then, our membership has grown to 3,700+ members. The
organization is now headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and managed by a professional on-site
staff.
Since its inception, WFF has made important differences in both the
professional lives of individuals and the foodservice industry at large. Through leadership
development events, programs and services, WFF provides its members with the tools needed to make a
positive difference in their careers and within their organizations.
WFF designed and shaped its programming so that members, at all
levels including Emerging Leaders, Emerging Executive Leaders and Executives, can build the skills
industry leaders look for based upon the WFF 10 Core Leadership Competencies, a list of
competencies for foodservice professionals that was created with input from foodservice industry
CEOs.
WFF has recorded the progress of female executives through exclusive
commissioned research projects over the years and continues to identify solutions and resources,
for both individuals and organizations, to advance its mission and Elevate Women Leaders in our
industry. We will continue to share the success stories of those executives who have benefited
from their experiences with the WFF and the impact on their organizations.
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