SkyCity Adelaide catering for more female inclusion

SkyCity Adelaide is leading the way in changing traditional industry perspectives.

SkyCity Adelaide managing director Avril Baynes and casino dining operations manager Jessica Ayliffe. Picture: Russell Millard

Leadership roles in many industries are dominated by men but, in hospitality, the tide is turning.

The shift is particularly evident at SkyCity Adelaide, where 70 per cent of food and beverage leaders and 50 per cent of gaming managers are female.

Last year, Avril Baynes became SkyCity Adelaide’s first female managing director after forging a hospitality career in the NT, where she first joined SkyCity Darwin after co-owning Bojangles Saloon and Restaurant in Alice Springs.

“This industry is certainly a trailblazer as far as changing those very traditional perceptions about who should be in leadership roles,” she said.

Ms Baynes believes women’s collaborative spirit, attention to detail and intuition are factors that make them naturally suited to the customer-focused hospitality industry.

Among them is casino dining operations manager Jessica Ayliffe, a self-confessed people person, who said opportunities had opened up during her hospitality career, most of which had been spent at SkyCity.

She held restaurant and café manager roles at various SkyCity outlets before moving to her current position in 2023.

“When I first started over 20 years ago, it was certainly more male-dominated in management, but not so much now,” she said.

“You absolutely have to put in the hard work, but you are rewarded with opportunities, and I’ve also had very good support.

“I think when you work hard and prove yourself, and you appreciate the great team around you that will lift you up, promotion is often the outcome.”

SkyCity Adelaide also has female-focused support initiatives such as its Winning Women program, providing networking, education and fundraising opportunities.

These include a life-stage wellbeing program to help male as well as female employees better understand menopause, while the program also supports external causes, such as Dressed for Success, assisting unemployed and underemployed women.

This year SkyCity Adelaide is the proud major sponsor of the Woman of the Year Awards as well as its Hospitality Hero award.

“It’s incredibly important to SkyCity and to me personally that we take this opportunity to elevate the stories of the incredible trailblazing women that it highlights,” Ms Baynes said.

“I think it’s critical for other women to see this recognition and to help carve a pathway for them to also excel.”

Originally published as SkyCity Adelaide catering for more female inclusion