My background

My passion for the hospitality industry started while working in a local Italian restaurant where I decided on a career in this industry and studied Hotel and Catering Management at Nottingham Trent University.

Following graduation and armed with lots of ideas and enthusiasm I headed for London and joined BierEx, a small chain of Belgian Beer bars owned by Pubmaster. This valuable experience taught me a lot when it came to how to manage the demands of long hours, a dynamic team and the financial challenges of a P&L.

I joined Caffe Uno as an Assistant Manager in Richmond. This was a great learning experience and dealt with all aspects of running a busy restaurant. I learnt a great deal about business, from stock reconciliation through to cost control and staffing costs. Working in this vibrant and exciting restaurant was great and gave me my first understanding of what motivates a team.

Following this I went on to join fledgling UK franchise of Au Bon Pain, a hugely successful company in the US. My willingness for responsibility resulted in being quickly promoted to Manager of the Strand and subsequently the contract at Deutsche Bank.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working in the industry but in 1999 I thought it was time for a change and joined hospitality recruitment company Chess Partnership where I was instrumental in developing the bar and restaurant division. I quickly built up a strong client base and thrived on the energy and vibrancy of the market. The people I met were great and placing talented individuals has always given me a real sense of achievement.

In 2001 I was promoted to Account Director for the Bars and Restaurant Division. Working closely with regional offices in Nottingham and Manchester as well as London, we worked hard to deliver for the clients who had put their trust in us. The ethos of developing strong working relationships with each client and really listening to the needs of each operator is something which I pride myself on now. I am proud of what I achieved at Chess and am very grateful to have worked with a terrific team.

ICB Recruitment is a new and exciting venture and I look forward to working with the team at Corney & Barrow.