Vince Johnson started out as a waiter before deciding that hotel management was where he wanted to be. After returning to college to focus his skills he worked in HR and operations for a number of hotel chains before landing his first general manager...
Former MasterChef winner James Nathan threw in his job as a barrister to pursue his passion for cooking and since appearing on the TV series in 2008, the 38-year-old has worked in some of the UK’s top professional kitchens and appeared at a number of...
After learning part of his trade under 'mentor' Andrew Fairlie at Hotel du Vin's Glasgow restaurant One Devonshire Gardens, chef Darin Campbell went off to London to work with Marcus Wareing and Eric Chavot. He's now back at the Glasgow...
The Royal Horseguard hotel’s new bar manager Neil Millington didn’t start out in the hospitality industry following three years at college, neither did he undertake an apprenticeship. At the age of 29 he was approached to leave his job as a cigar retailer...
Restaurateur Mark Wood spent three years working his way around the globe before returning to the UK to work in a number of London's top restaurants. He worked at several of Alan Yau's restaurants and studied for an MBA before landing the job...
Peter Wardley started out as a luggage porter before working his way through the ranks to become a hotel manager. He will open the Radisson Edwardian's latest hotel in Guildford in September as general manager.
The Dorchester's new Director of Group Sales and Events' 20-year career in hospitality has taken him from a country house hotel nestled in the Cotswolds to the luxury hotel sector in London. He was responsible for launching Gordon Ramsay Holdings'...
Despite arriving in the UK seven and a half years ago from Italy with no knowledge of the English language and no formal training, Michele Caggianese has managed to carve a successful career front-of- house in some of London’s top restaurants and hotels....
Hotel manager Anna-Marie Dowling tells BigHospitality how her endless energy drove her from the lowest to the highest positions in the hotel sector. Throughout her career she has managed hotels including Le Meridien Piccadilly and London’s Marriott County...
Despite excelling in academics, Hannah Bass, the operations director for burgeoning gastropub group ETM, always knew somehow that she’d end up working in hospitality. The group is now on the verge of launching two venues and a food and beverage offer...
Formerly head chef at Restaurant Tom Aikens, Julien Maisonneuve is now the new executive chef of the Booking Office bar and restaurant in Marriott’s latest London hotel opening, the St Pancras Renaissance, where he will work alongside Marcus Wareing’s...
It took Adam Simmonds 16 years before he accepted his first head chef position, but the now Michelin-starred executive chef of Danesfield House in Marlow claims his slow and steady approach has ultimately culminated in his success.
Once divided between cooking or gardening for a career, Allan Pickett, head chef of Plateau in Canary Wharf, has since retained a Michelin star, competed in international competitions and worked with the likes of Michel Roux, Chris and Jeff Galvin.
The head sommelier of Roux at the Landau is best known for his 27-year service at The Savoy with restaurant manager Franco Becci, but after a 38-year career in hospitality is set to retire next year.
Ashraf Saleh’s career began at eight years old stock taking for his family’s restaurant in Egypt. He is now head sommelier at Galvin at Windows and has aspirations of leading his own restaurant and hotel empire.
