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Well, that's usually a winning approach with large groups of professional women in BC. Not.
A B.C. resort executive who made a blatantly sexist comment during a supposed tribute to women at an industry conference has apologized and resigned from multiple boards, but some who were in the audience say there's still a much bigger problem to tackle.
Vivek Sharma, CEO of Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in the Columbia Valley, made the remarks at the opening of the B.C. Tourism and Hospitality Conference in Richmond on March 9.
According to people who attended the conference, Sharma asked the women in the room to stand in honour of International Women's Day, but then after a round of applause told them to "go clean some rooms and do some dishes."
Trina Notman, vice-president of marketing and communications for Accent Hotels and Hotel Zed, was in the audience, and remembers hearing a collective groan at that remark.
"It was shocking. It was embarrassing — he was literally laughing at us. It felt terrible," she told CBC News.
It took nearly a week for Sharma to apologize publicly for what happened.
He said sorry in a statement released by the B.C. Hotel Association on Tuesday, saying he "deeply" regretted his "insensitive and inappropriate comments."
"Not only did my words cause distress for several women in the audience but I also offended many other delegates," he said.
Sharma announced he was resigning from his positions on the boards of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C. (TIABC) and the B.C. Hotel Association (BCHA).
The B.C. Chamber of Commerce says it has also accepted Sharma's resignation from its board of directors, and according to his LinkedIn profile, he is no longer on the advisory council for Thompson Rivers University's School of Business and Economics.
A B.C. resort executive who made a blatantly sexist comment during a supposed tribute to women at an industry conference has apologized and resigned from multiple boards, but some who were in the audience say there's still a much bigger problem to tackle.
Vivek Sharma, CEO of Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in the Columbia Valley, made the remarks at the opening of the B.C. Tourism and Hospitality Conference in Richmond on March 9.
According to people who attended the conference, Sharma asked the women in the room to stand in honour of International Women's Day, but then after a round of applause told them to "go clean some rooms and do some dishes."
Trina Notman, vice-president of marketing and communications for Accent Hotels and Hotel Zed, was in the audience, and remembers hearing a collective groan at that remark.
"It was shocking. It was embarrassing — he was literally laughing at us. It felt terrible," she told CBC News.
It took nearly a week for Sharma to apologize publicly for what happened.
He said sorry in a statement released by the B.C. Hotel Association on Tuesday, saying he "deeply" regretted his "insensitive and inappropriate comments."
"Not only did my words cause distress for several women in the audience but I also offended many other delegates," he said.
Sharma announced he was resigning from his positions on the boards of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C. (TIABC) and the B.C. Hotel Association (BCHA).
The B.C. Chamber of Commerce says it has also accepted Sharma's resignation from its board of directors, and according to his LinkedIn profile, he is no longer on the advisory council for Thompson Rivers University's School of Business and Economics.
