
“I am passionate about encouraging people from all backgrounds to work with us” Victoria Erasmus, Owner, Glen Mhor Hotel & Director, Uile-Bheist Distillery
Twenty-four years ago my husband and I, without any prior knowledge, ‘bought a hotel in the country’. At the time I was teaching in Inverness and my husband worked in IT. The first place we bought in Pitlochry came with a lot of challenges, but it also taught us a great deal, and in the process, we fell in love with the hospitality industry.
Although I had no previous experience running a hotel, I found the qualities I gained from teaching – problem solving, flexibility, resilience – were transferable. Over two decades our business has grown and now includes multiple tourism businesses, including the award- winning, Glen Mhor Hotel & Apartments and the Uile-Bheist Distillery and Brewery in Inverness.
While growing the business I have understood the opportunities we can offer young people and the impact tourism can have on the surrounding area. I have developed a strong sense of purpose and I am committed to fostering a culture of sustainability and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organisation.
I am passionate about encouraging people from all kinds of backgrounds to work with us. We do that by sculpting jobs around individuals and their lives; I call it sensory recruitment. I have four children, one of whom is neurodiverse, and during my time teaching, I worked with many at-risk young people, including young offenders. I saw first-hand how challenging it can be for them to start a career. Our programmes are designed to boost self-confidence and include apprenticeships, opportunities to upskill and a high level of flexibility.
With the hospitality industry facing a skills gap, this approach makes good business sense. If you are serious about an inclusive approach, you need to be mindful of the lived-experience of your existing and potential employees. Are they caring for someone at home? Do they feel in a minority? Do they struggle with anxiety? Our annual anonymous work-life balance survey provides valuable insights into what our employees need. That way I can put strategies in place which are meaningful. When it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion, I would urge IoD business leaders to be brave and take the first step. Mistakes are inevitable, but they are part of the learning process. Set goals then take one or two small steps towards making changes; the investment and effort will increase efficiency and improve productivity.
At Glen Mhor, our ethical approach includes reducing our carbon footprint, and I am incredibly proud that we’ve taken the entire hotel and distillery off the gas grid, saving around 250 tonnes of carbon annually. With the help of a government grant, we constructed a River source heat pump that connects shallow water wells along the banks of the River Ness to a single energy centre. This modern, reliable system provides all our heating and hot water, including for our distillery and visitor centre, while future-proofing the business and offering a sustainable solution.
Being a female business leader in the Highlands of Scotland can be lonely and when you add in a global pandemic, high interest rates and skills gaps it can feel very challenging. I went looking for support and found it at the IoD. I relieve stress by talking to people around me who are at the same senior level and who are facing similar issues, regardless of business sector. Somehow things don’t seem so bad when you know everyone is struggling! The local IoD leadership listen and are super supportive and they also advocate for Highlands and Islands which is so important for local business.
