with Val Upfold

In this episode, hospitality connector Val Upfold shares how to excel in a male-dominated industry and what she learned while progressing in her career. Val offers expert insights on how to find allies and mentors both within and outside of your place of work, and how to pre-plan for challenges as well as come up with solutions for problems.

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Valerie Upfold has worked in the hospitality industry for several decades, in both hotels and restaurants. She has worked in Canada and Australia in various capacities including Restaurant Manager, Sommelier and HR Director. Val also worked with Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality for 15 years – five in a Manager and Sommelier role at the acclaimed Canoe Restaurant in Toronto, and ten as the HR Director for the company. Starting the HR department from the ground up, Val developed all of O & B's HR processes including training and development programs, succession planning and complete recruitment strategies, helping take them from 100 employees to over 1500. In addition, Val conducts Food Television casting, with an eye for placing the best talent in front of the camera. She has now been recruiting in hospitality for 10+ years and offers HR consulting, making her a go-to for some of the hospitality industry's most known and loved brands.

Her knowledge of the hospitality industry and the people in it is unparalleled, and she lends her knowledge to both Centennial College and George Brown College, sitting on the hospitality school advisory committees. Val has lectured at the University of Guelph's HAFA program and has spoken at a wide range of industry events across the country. Val donates her time, through the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), toward economic and social change by supporting the hospitality sector in developing markets.

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