The Women 1st Conference, which will be hosted by editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post UK, Carla Buzasi, is aimed at female managers, entrepreneurs and those aspiring to leadership positions who want to take their careers to the next level. It will offer an exciting programme of motivational speakers, practical workshops with world-class training professionals and opportunities to network with like-minded individuals.

Women 1st is the thought leadership, training and mentoring programme, developed by sector skills council, People 1st, to help women working in hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism achieve their career aspirations. While 58 percent of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism workforce is female, only six percent of board director positions are held by women. In passenger transport, just 22 percent of the workforce is female. Women 1st has supported over 800 women with tailored training and mentoring support since its inception in 2009.

Jill McDonald says: “Leading a workforce of more than 87,500 at McDonald's, I know how important it is to tap into talent and support every employee to reach their full potential. Women 1st has an impressive track record of helping women in our industry to achieve their career ambitions, so I'm delighted to be able to share my personal journey of success in the hope that it will inspire others who are looking to take their careers to the next level.”

Jill, who was listed as one of Women 1st‘s Top 100 most influential women in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism in 2011, joined McDonald's in 2006 as chief marketing officer UK and Northern Division. In 2008, she was voted “Marketer of the Year” by the Marketing Society when her remit included marketing, product development, customer innovation, business strategy and insight and leadership of McDonald's Olympic 2012 sponsorship in the UK.

Sharon Glancy, founder of Women 1st, concludes: “Jill is an inspiration to us all and we feel privileged to have her as a speaker at the conference. With a significant number of employers reporting difficulty recruiting managers with the right skills, helping both men and women maximise their potential is crucial to ensuring the future success of UK Plc. This event will provide a fantastic opportunity to help women who aspire to leadership positions develop their skills and become the leaders of tomorrow.”

The Women 1st Conference has attracted support from a number of high-profile figures. Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, Labour Party leader, commented: “I'm delighted to support the inaugural Women 1st Conference. It has never been more important to make sure that women have the best possible chance to fulfil their potential. Conferences like yours are an important part of making that happen by supporting the next generation of female managers, entrepreneurs and leaders.”

Tickets for the event are available at: people1st.co.uk/conference-tickets