Guests will enjoy lunch at The Princess of Shoreditch with a menu created by head chef and ACE patron Ruth Hansom. She has already achieved a lot in her career including taking the title of Young National Chef of the Year and cooking on the Great British Menu.

Hansom said: “It is a privilege to be able to welcome so many leading women in hospitality to our restaurant and to be part of this important event. I’m proud to be Patron of ACE and feel organisations like this have a vital role to play in supporting the industry as we work through these challenging times. Collaboration and networking is key in the face of adversity and there’s no doubt this event will be truly inspirational.”

International Women’s Day is a global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The ACE event will include guest speakers including Kate Nicholls OBE, Wendy Bartlett MBE and Jill Whittaker who will share their career stories.

During the event vital funds will be raised for charity Hospitality Action, which has supported so many industry peers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sarah Prentice, vice-chair of ACE, added: “This celebration is something I am extremely passionate about as it’s vital we recognise the huge contribution these female leaders bring to our industry. After the last 20 months, it’s exciting to be organising functions of this scale and I can’t think of a more important topic to be at the centre of this event.

“ACE has always been at the forefront of promoting women in hospitality as we have been steered by some fantastic female Chairs in recent years including Jeni Edwards, Gaye Bullard and our current leader Sue Thompson. Congratulations to all the women who will discover an invite on their desks or doormats in the next few weeks; we can’t wait to celebrate together in March.”