Lexington management trainee wins Olive Barnett Award 2009
Lexington Catering employee and Springboard ambassador Benjamin McEwen has won the 2009 Olive Barnett Award - awarded to an individual under 30 who has shown excellence working in a customer facing role in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries.
McEwen, 23, a graduate management trainee at Lexington, was given his award on Monday at the Langham Hotel in London. As winner he receives a two-year £1,750 career development grant from the Savoy Educational Trust and will spend a week at the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland.
He said: "Winning the Olive Barnett Award spurs me on to do even more in spreading the word about this fantastic industry and reaffirms for me that the career path I have chosen is absolutely the right one. I am wholeheartedly passionate about it."
Judges for the awards, originally created by Savoy Gastronomes and now organised by Springboard UK, whittled down 80 entries from across the industry to eight finalists before choosing McEwen as their winner.
Two runners up, Mike Swadzba, 29, assistant manager at Jumeirah Carlton Tower Sarah-Elizabeth Winterton, 25, management trainee at Brown’s Hotel, each receive a development grant of £1,250 and £750 respectively per year, for two years donated by the Savoy Educational Trust and will each attend a short course at the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne.
Entrants had to submit a 750 word essay on how they would enhance customer service and protect the business they work for during the credit crunch and recession. The eight finalists were then set a series of challenging interviews, tasks and presentations over the final judging weekend.
The eight finalists were:
Tim Bode, 22, banqueting head waiter at The Park Lane Hotel
Amy Kate Dignon, 22, boathouse manager at De Vere Cameron House
Borja Eraso, 26, assistant revenue manager at InterContinental Park Lane
Mark Francis Field, 27, operations manager at Carlton Club
Benjamin McEwen, 23, graduate management trainee at Lexington Catering
Mike Oliver Swadzba, 29, assistant manager at Jumeriah Carlton Tower
Viktoria Trosina, 23, sales co-ordinator at InterContinental London Park Lane
Sarah-Elizabeth Winterton, 25, management trainee at Brown’s Hotel
