Workforce and Skills Event 2025

Katharine has worked at Travelodge since 2018. Katharine first joined Travelodge as Head of HR Business Partnering and in 2022 became People Operations Director. Katharine has been in the HR landscape for 15 years and in hospitality for many more, working previously for RBH Hotels and London & Regional.

Chris Eigelaar is Resort Director at The Belfry Hotel & Resort. Honing his business and commercial acumen with some of the UK’s most esteemed hotel brands, including DoubleTree by Hilton, Sofitel and Locke Hotels, he has over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry.

In 2018 he joined The Belfry as Resort Director, leading a dynamic team and steering the resort’s vision, strategy, and cultural transformation. During his tenure, Chris has navigated the resort through a significant property sale and spearheaded an £85million redevelopment project which will see the resort almost double in size. This includes the construction of a flagship new events space, The Masters Suite, with 149 brand-new bedrooms, and the building of a state-of-the-art Leisure Club.

A champion for the highest standards of hotel management, Chris prides himself on driving business performance and delivering results. Under his leadership, The Belfry has won over 30 prestigious awards, secured a contract to host The Betfred British Masters until 2026, been named in the Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2024, and experienced its most profitable year to date.

With a leadership style characterised by strong communication, visionary thinking, collaboration, and inclusivity, Chris has fostered a culture of excellence that motivates his team to consistently surpass expectations, and takes The Belfry from strength to strength.

Alison McGovern is the Labour MP for Birkenhead, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010. She currently holds the Government post of Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions).

Lynne joined Travelodge in 2017 as an Interim Employee relations manager. She became Head of People Services in 2019, and most recently in 2024 became Director of People Services and Inclusion. Lynne had over 15 years of experience before joining Travelodge, working previously for GI Group.

Melanie is the Chief People Officer (CPO) at Hollywood Bowl Group. Having joined the group as Talent Director in October 2012, she was promoted to CPO after the Company IPO and joined the plc board as an executive director in 2022.

Hollywood Bowl Group is the world's second largest ten-pin bowling operator and the largest operator in the UK and Canadian markets. We have more than 80 bowling centres, and over 3000 team members. We focus on developing and training our team members, supporting their wellbeing and fostering a diverse and inclusive company culture where they can thrive.

Melanie has over 25 years of HR experience across the leisure and hospitality sectors.

Justin joined the team in 2005 having previously worked in different roles within the hospitality sector. One of Justin’s career highlights was seeing the Company be acknowledged as a Sunday Times Best Big Employer (not once but twice).

He leads Elior's HR teams and has been integral in executing a successful people strategy to support the growth of the business. Justin is proud to lead a talented team who are committed to providing an environment where everyone feels included and has the support to deliver their ambition of enriching the lives of people everywhere, every day.

In addition, he has helped drive the transformation of learning across the Company with the introduction of a digital learning platform, making learning much more engaging and accessible. He is passionate about supporting colleague wellbeing and the mental health of teams and is a qualified mental health first aider himself.

Kate Nicholls OBE has been CEO of UKHospitality, the powerful voice representing the broad hospitality sector, since its inception in 2018. Kate previously worked as CEO and Strategic Affairs Director of the Association of Licenced Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

She sits on the Government’s Tourism, Hospitality, and Food & Drink Sector Councils, where she represents the wider hospitality and tourism sector. Kate is also the Chair of the Institute of Licensing, a board member of Best Bar None, and a trustee of Hospitality Action and Springboard.

Kate initially worked as a researcher in the House of Commons and European Parliament on food, employment and environmental policy before joining Whitbread to work in Strategic Affairs. She is a graduate of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Kings College London.

Dan joined Langdale Leisure in 2008 as Director of Sales and Marketing, returning the business to profitability and part of the team which delivers sustainable solutions and supports local communities.

Dan is also the Chair of Cumbria Tourism and is active in developing and supporting a sustainable visitor economy. Dan was also part of the team that developed the Lake District UNESCO World Heritage Site branding, interpretation and engagement activity with visitors and communities.

Dan can often be found out enjoying the Lake District on his mountain bike always with a pub stop at one of the areas fine refreshment options. When not exploring the local trails, Dan can be found biking and snowboarding in the winter

Nina joined Dishoom in 2014 as general manager of their biggest and most ambitious site, Dishoom King’s Cross. She was promoted to openings manager then area manager, overseeing successful launches in Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham as well as London. She was part of the team who steered Dishoom through covid and was the driving force behind the delivery of over 100,000 meals to the NHS and rolling out Dishoom’s at-home offer. In 2021 Nina was promoted into the senior leadership team as operations director, and now oversees Dishoom and Permit Room's 13 restaurants, 11 delivery kitchens, and ecommerce operations, with responsibility for a team of nearly 2,000 people.

Kirsty Swan is a Senior Associate with RWK Goodman. As an experienced solicitor, Kirsty helps employers in the hospitality industry by providing practical and understandable legal advice on all areas of employment law affecting the industry. This includes day-to-day HR queries, settlement agreements, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, TUPE clauses for commercial agreements, staff handbooks and more. Kirsty has regularly appeared in the Employment Tribunal, and appeared in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, giving her advocacy experience which greatly assists her case preparation in defending claims.

Kirsty has 10 years’ experience in Commercial law, which gives her vast experience drafting legal documents and contracts, dealing with pre-action and litigation, as well as advising business owners, senior leadership teams and Human Resources professionals. Kirsty is entrepreneurial, having previously ran her own successful law firm practice. She therefore understands the challenges faced by business owners in managing businesses and staff in the hospitality industry

Given Kirsty’s experience in employment law, she has advised on BBC Bristol radio answering employment queries and appeared on BBC’s Points West, and she has discussed discrimination for ITV West Country.

Lotte started working in hotel and restaurants from a young age, and after completing her International Hospitality Management degree, she joined Marriott in Amsterdam through an internship and completed Marriott’s Global Leadership Development Program. This program stayed near and dear to her heart, taking on the task to centralize the recruitment process for this program across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, whilst visiting many hotel schools across Europe to support and meet students.

 Currently, Lotte focuses on career-starting programs for Marriott hotels in the UK, Ireland, and Iceland, including the post-graduate program, apprenticeships, and pre-employment training. Whilst also working with all hotel teams to foster relationships with local schools, colleges and universities.

Passionate about making career opportunities accessible to all, she is dedicated to showing youth what a wonderful career paths hospitality has to offer.

I have been involved in the Hospitality Industry since I was 16 years old, starting my career in 1981 as a waiter working at the Station Hotel, Inverness. Progressing my career through to being a GM with Whitbread (Beefeater & Premier Inn), Greene King and Vaux Breweries.

During my time in Hospitality, I was always keen to develop team members. Taking my Assessing and internal quality qualifications in the 90’s stirred my interest in adult education and work based vocational development.

In 2012, I started work in the world of Apprenticeships for Elmfield Training, assessing Hospitality, Customer service and Management. I joined a North-Provider in 2014, where I gained experience in managing a team of Assessors and IQA’s.

In 2018, I joined Parkdean Resorts to help shape the apprenticeship offering and becoming an Employer-Provider in 2019.

I have been managing the Apprenticeship Provision for PDR since 2021. During this time, we have slowly been building our provision as an Employer-Provider to having 100 people currently on Apprenticeship Development Programmes, in our Kitchen and Leadership Academies.

As a National Employer, we also provide development programmes to team members in Scotland and Wales through nominated providers. Building a culture of training and development has been crucial to retaining team members within the business.

In 2022, I joined various Trailblazer groups to review the Hospitality Standards, working alongside other employers, Training Providers and EPAO’s we are in the middle of reforming Hospitality Standards for the Hospitality Industry. I have chaired the Production Chef review and currently chairing the Senior Production Chef review.

Following success with the pilot project in Manchester starting in 2021, Hospitality Connect is being adopted as a project model across the UK with Laura coaching regional associations and careers teams to launch their own school partnership programme. With a background in careers education projects, mentoring, membership and a specialty in industry links Laura cares deeply about social value and the part that employers should play within their local educational establishments.

With 20 years in hotel operations and over 13 years leading People functions at renowned organizations, Andi is passionate about creating opportunities for individuals to thrive in the vibrant world of hospitality.

Through her work with Hospitality Connect, and beyond, she has forged innovative partnerships with schools, colleges, and SEND centres, providing meaningful workplace experiences that inspire and equip young people for careers in hospitality. By reshaping perceptions of the industry and championing diversity and inclusion, Andi has helped connect hundreds of students with impactful opportunities that build confidence, skills, and pathways to success.

Recognized on numerous occasions for excellence in careers education and employer partnerships, she is driven to make hospitality a career of choice while fostering cultures where people and businesses can flourish.

Angela is the Principal Lecturer for Tourism and Visitor Economy Management at the University of Cumbria.  An experienced and innovative academic leader with a passion for both industry and education she started her career in hotels, making the transfer to lecturing in her mid 30s. Since then she has worked in the UK and in the international higher education sector in Dubai, Switzerland and Paris obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused on the strategic management of human capital and the potential impact on business performance in 2018.  Angela is currently responsible for the visitor economy and chartered manager degree apprenticeship portfolio at Cumbria and works with a number of strategic partners to support skills development at both regional and national level. 

I started work at Parkdean Resorts aged 18, in 2018, as seasonal team member also studying at Newcastle Uni. I worked at Whitley Bay Holiday Park in all areas of hospitality but quickly realised that I especially liked covering in the kitchen.

After graduating I was offered the chance to work as a Bar Supervisor at Whitley Bay, for a summer season. During this time, I started to do more covering in the Kitchen and really enjoyed this side of the business. At the end of that season, I was offered the opportunity to develop my career further through an Apprenticeship development programme. I chose to further develop my career in the Kitchen on a Production Chef Qualification.

I have completed my Level 2 programme attaining a Distinction Grade, which I was really happy about and have moved onto doing the Senior Production Chef Qualification to help me further in my career.

The apprenticeship training I have received has been excellent. I get regular one to one support from my Apprenticeship Training officer, in house training from my Head Chef and the opportunity to lead in the kitchen. Recent in-house competitions have seen me win awards and showcase my cooking abilities.

I am now working towards my Level 3 and fully intend to develop my career further at Parkdean working towards being a Head Chef. I feel this is what Parkdean really excels at, as the culture is one of supported training, personal and professional growth. My skill set is growing, as is my confidence and leadership skills. They are a company that do value their staff.

With over two decades of leadership and management experience across the education, business development, and recruitment sectors, Daljit Singh Bains has cultivated a reputation as a strategic innovator and a results-driven professional. Currently serving as Director of Business Development and Partnerships at West London College, Daljit leads all aspects of employer engagement, apprenticeship development, and income generation. His work involves responding to labour market demands and creating bespoke opportunities for businesses while driving the College’s growth through strategic partnerships.

Born in Paris, Nicolas Perdrier has been working as part of the hospitality world for over 15 years, holding previous positions in high end restaurants across Europe. Fluent in French, Spanish and English, Nicolas’ past roles include F&B Manager, Restaurant Manager, and Operations Manager around top venues in the UK.

An integral part of Simon Rogan’s restaurant group for seven years now, Nicolas oversees the group's flagship three Michelin-starred restaurant, L'Enclume, ranked number one in the world by La Liste in 2023 and 2024, alongside the group’s four other UK venues as Operation Director. In the last three years Nicolas has challenged himself by doing a degree apprenticeship in Chartered Management alongside his work. Nicolas played a major role in leading the team training within the group’s three Hong Kong venues and has taken a lead operational role in international events across the group.

My name is Mary Campbell, and I am Head of Food and Nutrition at Canons High School.

My specialism is teaching Textiles, previously I have worked for many years in the industry as pattern engineer in the design team.

I have a degree in Design and Technology and a Masters in Education. Which I studied for in order to teach textiles in secondary school
In 2018 I change my journey to teach food, which I’ve enjoy teaching. My vision for food is for the children I teach to develop a healthy relationship with food, their health, wellbeing and the overall ability to cook to enhance their lives in their educational years, home life and into adulthood.

Food is a subject that has links across the curriculum which sequentially can raise students’ confidence in their professional learning and giving added value to their progress.
I tell my student that food and nutrition have many avenues that can lead them into a successful career throughout hospitality and catering, in hotels, the health sector and even take travelling to experience new foods, cultures, flavours and see how ingredients are magically turned into nutritious flavoursome dishes.

I am enthusiastic about continuous professional development in teaching and learning, to be up to date not just on pedagogy but in the field of developing practical skills and knowledge in the world of food and cooking.

Vince Kelly is the Manager of the Mayor’s Hospitality Skills Academy at Westminster Kingsway College, leading initiatives to bridge skills gaps in the hospitality industry across London. He collaborates with key stakeholders, including the GLA, UK Hospitality, and DWP, to establish universal entry standards and create career pathways, particularly in public sector catering and front-of-house roles.

As Culinary and Sustainability Director at Culinary Medicine UK (CiC), Vince champions the Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet framework, integrating sustainability and nutrition into chef training. His work extends to accrediting catering companies on their ability to provide healthier, more sustainable meals. Passionate about innovation in food education, Vince is dedicated to shaping a more resilient and skilled hospitality workforce.

Stewart Gee is Head of Individual Dispute Resolution at Acas, a service which handles over 100,000 requests for Individual Conciliation each year. Stewart is focused on maximising the effectiveness of Individual Dispute Resolution and supporting organisations to make the best use of Acas services, and where possible, enable them to resolve their own disputes without the need for conciliation. Stewart has worked for Acas for over 20 years and has previously headed up its guidance and Helpline functions.

Andy is a partner and head of the Employment team at Boyes Turner, having specialised in employment law for over 20 years. He advises clients in a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including human resources support, providing employment support for mergers, acquisitions, and disposals, employment tribunal litigation and negotiating and drafting executive service contracts.

Andy’s clients include national and multination organisations, and he provides international support for clients with cross-jurisdictional issues through Boyes Turner’s network of partner law firms. He focuses on providing practical advice, seeking to identify pragmatic and commercial solutions to his clients’ needs, and provides training to in-house legal advisors and HR professionals, as well as drafting and presenting bespoke training seminars and workshops for clients.

Andy is ranked in Chambers & Partners and recognised as a Next Generation Partner in Legal 500. Clients say about Andy “his knowledge, interpersonal skills and ability to engage with all levels of people within the business is simply outstanding…I know he will always give me the right answers and not just what I want to hear” and describe him as a “trusted adviser to our in-house legal team and our HR department. He provides pragmatic advice in a user-friendly manner. We know that we can rely on Andrew for our most urgent, complex and sensitive matters.”

Claire began her career in the hospitality industry in 2001, joining Nando’s operations team when the business had just 35 restaurants, mainly in London, and around 1,500 Nandocas (Nando’s name for its employees).  In 2004, Claire transitioned into the People team, focusing on embedding and expanding Nando’s talent and skills programmes. She has witnessed and contributed to the business’ growth to now being over 490 restaurants across UK and Ireland, employing nearly 20,000 Nandocas.

Today, Claire is the strategic partner to the UK&I operational team, looking after the whole employee lifecycle.

Director of Quality Micaela Barlow has worked in Further Education for 21 years starting as a Programme Leader and Course Tutor in dental nursing and then delivering Early Years to pre-16s for a local college.

She experienced her first Ofsted inspection in 2004 and fell in love with the inspection regime and world of Quality from that moment on. For the last seven years, she held the position of Head of Quality at HIT Training Ltd before joining the board of directors in 2023.

Working across hospitality, management, social care and childcare, Micaela drives continual improvement of HIT’s learning delivery so that apprentices and their employers not only get a great experience from learning and engaging with HIT, C2C and EDN, but also see the benefit of the new skills and knowledge they receive and put into practice.

“Apprenticeships provide a unique way of learning and prove there are no barriers to achieving,” says Micaela. “They really are the best part of our education system.”

Micaela has steered HIT through two Grade 2 Ofsted inspections, implemented a rigorous staff development programme and introduced a SENCO lead attracting learners to HIT who would not otherwise have joined programme without additional support.

When not working, Micaela takes her Labrador dog Wilson for long walks, reads two books a week and regularly swims.

Operations Director Mike Worley is living proof that dreams can come true.

Mike has worked for HIT Training since the company began in 2006. He set up the South West region and became Operations Director in August 2013.

Growing up, he wanted to be a chef.

Then, after a night covering a restaurant manager, he realised how important great teamwork is and decided to pursue a career in management. He was just 17.

Mike’s strong teamwork ethos is a critical element of HIT’s success.

During the pandemic, Mike oversaw the transformation of HIT's apprenticeship programmes, taking delivery online within three weeks of the first lockdown.

“It was a case of rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done,” says Mike. “It really was a huge, collaborative team effort.”
Mike chairs the learner board and develops and mentors HIT staff to ensure consistent high quality training.

“I have the pleasure of working with everything to do with the learner and it is hugely rewarding,” says Mike.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and member of the Institute of Directors.

He was the first boy to take O-level Food and Nutrition at school.

His daughter was the first HIT baby born when the company formed in 2006 and he’s a qualified football coach.

Lucy works in a jobshare with Angela Fairchild and is based in Sanctuary Buildings, London. They took on this position in summer 2024 and have responsibility for the work-based skills strategy which includes Skills Bootcamps, Apprenticeships and the new Growth and Skills Levy offer.

As a jobshare partnership of over 10 years, Lucy and Angela bring over 2 decades of policy experience from across the Department for Education. As Senior Civil Servants their previous roles have included the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below and leadership of the Post-16 Access, Participation and Admissions Division where they had oversight of a range of Skills Group policies including:
- Post-16 participation (including NEETs);
- Growth of young people’s participation in apprenticeships;
- Admissions to and participation in higher education; and
- The DfE contribution to the NHS long-term workforce plan.

Janneke Skilling is the People Shared Services Director at UK pub company and brewer, Greene King.

Janneke oversees the Employee Relations, People, Data & Insight and HR Services teams to lead the business’ people experience digital transformation, focussed on providing slick, right first-time processes, mechanisms, query management and reporting insight, which can be leveraged by Greene King team members.

With more than 20 years’ experience within the hospitality sector, Janneke also leads Greene King’s employee-led inclusion group, Greene Sky, which focusses on supporting women within the business.