Her Story
About Emily
Emily Sutton serves as General Manager of a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. With seven years of experience in the hospitality industry, she began her career as a hostess and advanced through multiple roles, including cook and assistant general manager, before her promotion to General Manager two months ago. Sutton earned her undergraduate degree in hospitality administration from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, graduating second in her class, and completed an MBA at the University of North Alabama approximately two years ago. She excels at managing people and credits her success to hard work, dedication, and integrity, including doing the right thing even when unobserved. Sutton values leading with kindness, a principle instilled by her father, and she is committed to helping others advance in their careers. Through her company, she volunteers with an animal rescue organization, local fire departments, and a local pride group. Her long-term goal is to take on broader leadership roles and inspire more women to become leaders in the hospitality industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What do you attribute your success to?
I believe all my success comes from some hard work, dedication, and the integrity of doing the right things even when nobody's looking. That has gotten me to connect with a lot of people with the same growth mindset and a lot of leaders where I can learn from.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The one line that will stick with me forever is that what my mentor or the restaurant owner that I work for once told me, once you get to where you want to be, turn around and help the person behind you. So I try to pass that on as much as possible.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My best advice would be, you know, be kind to others. It isn't an easy industry as you think it to be... keep an open mind... be the best version of themselves, and always be truthful.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being just a female leader in this hospitality industry can be quite challenging, especially with the work-life balance, and then the hours... But some of the other opportunities would be - I would love to see more female leaders in this industry. That's my biggest goal.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I was taught by my dad that I'll always be kind to people, lead with kindness, and everything else will come along, and so far it has been working for me ever since I started my leadership role.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.