People on the move: January 2023

Gusto Italian​
Gusto Italian has appointed former head of brand marketing at Revolution Bars Group’s Revolución de Cuba Kat Schofield as its new head of marketing. Appointed by CEO Matt Snell, Schofield will ‘bring a new level of expertise to the group’s digital offer, helping to drive personalisation’. “Kat is an experienced marketeer who already has a deep understanding of and affinity with our brand,” Snell says. “She is a serious foodie and we look forward to seeing the direction she will take our food offer. She has driven the marketing functions for national brands and we can’t wait to see the benefit this level of experience will bring to our marketing activity and the leadership team at Gusto Italian.” Founded by by Jeremy Roberts and the late Tim Bacon in 2005, Gusto Italian currently operates 13 restaurants. 

Incipio Group​

The Libertine and Pergola operator Incipio Group has appointed Cormac Rawson as its operations director. Rawson, who has over 25 years’ experience in the trade, joins from Young’s & Co where in his role as operations manager oversaw the running of 16 sites including The Ship in Wandsworth, The Dog & Fox, Wimbledon and The Windmill, Clapham. He joins the eight-site group at a ‘pivotal’ time as the company begins a new phase of expansion with plans to open several more sites in 2023. 

Searcys​

Events caterer and restaurant operator has appointed Martin Dibben to the newly created role of head of Champagne. Having previously worked with the group on the events side of the business for five years, Dibben will be responsible for the wine lists across Searcys’ portfolio whilst leading on Champagne experiences and masterclasses. With a hospitality career spanning 30 years, Dibben started in the Royal Household in the food department and then joined Prue Leith for nine years, where he was promoted to operations director. He has since overseen a number of high profile London venues including his own restaurant Dibbens, which launched in Smithfield Market in 1999. 

Côte​
Côte has confirmed that former Megan’s managing director Sarah Hills has joined the business as its new chief operating officer. Hills has been working in the business part-time but will go full-time from March. She will be responsible for operations, people and supply chain at the national French brasserie chain. Following her departure from Megan’s last summer Hills has been working on the development of Lounger’s Brightside concept, which will now be overseen by Antony Doyle (see below). Meanwhile Tamsyn Allington, formerly people and communications director at St Austell Brewery, has joined Côte as people director. Currently she will be working for Cote on a six-month interim basis, with potential for the role to be made permanent.

Chestnut​

Fast-growing East Anglia-based hospitality brand Chestnut has strengthened its finance team as it prepares for more growth. Garrath Fulford joins as CFO having worked within the banking, finance, and accountancy sectors for over 30 years, holding a range of roles with UBS, JP Morgan and RBS. Ted Child join Chestnut at the end of the month having spent the past 13 years working in the pub industry. His previous experience includes finance positions at Greene King and Punch, where his roles included heading up evaluation and assessments of potential JVs and acquisitions, design and management of capex models and transforming internal operational systems and processes. Chestnut currently operates 16 pubs across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk. 

The London EDITION​
The London EDITION has appointed Paul Walters as its new general manager. Originally from Australia, Walters has been based in London for over 10 years where he previously held the position of General Manager at Kimpton Fitzroy London and The Langham London. Walters has considerable experience of working in a number of diverse other destinations including Sydney, Bali, Hong Kong and Mexico, with brands including Principal and W Hotels. “After being a fan for so many years, I am very excited to now be a part of the EDITION brand and looking forward to this new chapter,” he says. 

JIJI​

Islington restaurant JIJI has appointed Michael West as its new operations director as it looks to expand. West is best known for his time with Jason Atherton, where he oversaw much of the chef’s The Social Company as executive general manager. JIJI is the creation of restaurateur, Janina Wolkow, founder of contemporary Japanese restaurant Sumosan. On Esther Anne Place, just off Upper Street, JIJI blends Middle Eastern and Japanese flavours in ‘casual yet refined space’. 

Kimpton Fitzroy London​
Luxury Bloomsbury hotel the Kimpton Fitzroy London has appointed Russell Ford as its new executive chef. Ford has previously worked at other London hotels, including The Marylebone Hotel and The Kensington Hotel in the same role. “It is a real pleasure to have Russell join the Kimpton team and lead the way in the next chapter of our culinary journey. It’s an exciting time for the hotel and we look forward to developing our guest experience further,” says Kimpton Fitzroy London general manager Gareth Walsh. The hotel has four restaurants and bars: Galvin Bar & Grill, Fitz’s, Burr & Co. and Palm Court.