Institute Fellows in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Willie Willie McCurrach FIH and Norman Springford FIH have been awarded OBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Curriculum head of food at City of Glasgow College, Willie McCurrach FIH (pictured above), was awarded the OBE for services to education in the hospitality industry. He said the honour was “absolutely incredible”.

“I’ve been in the job for 50 years and I still love it. I love seeing the students move forward and I enjoy nurturing their skills while they’re here. Seeing their knowledge develop and being able to work with such incredible staff is the real honour.”

McCurrach has been working at the college since 1978 and in that time has mentored hundreds of students – including Scotland’s National Chef and MasterChef 2016 winner Gary Maclean. He has made pancakes for HRH Prince Charles and won countless awards including the industry’s most prestigious accolade, the Catey Award.

Norman Springford FIH, executive chairman, Apex Hotels, was awarded an OBE for services to the Scottish tourism industry. Apex Hotels is a Company Patron of the Institute of Hospitality.

Springford said: “Our company was founded on the principle of good old fashioned hospitality and service with a smile. Fast forward 22 years and we still remain as committed as ever to extending a warmer welcome to every guest in all of our hotels.

“The success of the Apex brand comes down to the tremendous work of the amazing, talented and dedicated people working across the group. I am humbled to receive this honour which is testament to a huge team effort.”

 

Institute of Hospitality Awards 2018 Winners

280 hospitality professionals came together this week (19 June) to celebrate the very best in people development at the Institute of Hospitality Annual Dinner & Awards.

(For coverage of the Hospitality Assured Awards, click here)

Talent Development Team of the Year – BaxterStorey
Sponsored by Tchibo

BaxterStorey’s nine-month graduate programme fast tracks candidates into managerial roles. Now in its seventh year, it receives over 500 applications from hospitality graduates per year, proving how popular and recognised the programme is.

In 2017, BaxterStorey launched its newest training initiative: the Service Academy. Designed to ensure hospitality staff across the business are equipped with skills and confidence to provide a service to rival that of a five-star hotel, the initiative is the first of its kind within the hospitality industry. It was developed by graduate Gabrielle Le Roux AIH who successfully completed the WSET Wine Educator programme and led the application for BaxterStorey to become the first UK Contract Caterer accredited to deliver WSET courses. This also makes her the first APP educator within the foodservice industry, and she is responsible for running the training available to all 8,500 BaxterStorey staff.

Best Student Placement of the Year –  PPHE Hotel Group
Sponsored by Pitmans Law

PPHE Hotel Group’s you:niversityplus undergraduate placement programme has been crafted into a learning curriculum specifically designed to support the students’ development and journey in accordance with the Springboard INSPIRE kite mark. PPHE has engaged with several UK and Netherlands based universities, including Surrey, Bournemouth, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Birmingham, Chester, Sunderland, and Stenden Hotel School.

Sixteen successful students (out of 140 applications) went through the selection process.
Regional training manager Paresh Vara said: “Inducting our students in the right way was important to us. We wanted them to feel welcome and know that they had made the right choice by joining our company. We designed a ‘Fresher’s Week’ full of great induction activities, starting on their first day with our company induction workshop: Connect!

“A Whatsapp group was created prior to the arrival of the students. We also provided them with an induction workbook, the Discovery Book to track their learning and serve as a reference tool throughout the placement. Their Fresher’s Week also consisted of a hotel welcome, a “get to know London”, using Twitter and Instagram to snap #landmarkselfies. Their week ended with a treasure hunt across the London hotels.”

Best Graduate Scheme of the Year – Hilton UK & Ireland
Sponsored by Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne

 Hilton UK & Ireland’s Management Development Programme was introduced in 2012 with the objective of developing the future talent pool for operational roles (assistant/departmental manager). The overall aim is to cultivate and prepare individuals who have the potential and drive to reach at least departmental manager status within 18 months. Their experience includes two nine-month hotel placements in the UK covering two main areas in each placement (F&B and front office), five residential workshops and two business-driven projects.

The graduates are assigned a hotel senior leader as mentor and also have a ‘graduate group leader’ who oversees four or five of them as a peer-group to provide additional support, guidance and direction. Since the programme’s inception in 2012, it has successfully filled 58 leadership positions.

Outstanding Contribution to the Industry – Enam Ali MBE FIH
Sponsored by JING

Enam Ali MBE FIH is among the most prominent British Asian personalities and the man behind revolutionary change in the curry industry. He began his community work by establishing numerous trade associations in the 1990s and published the industry’s first and leading trade publication, Spice Business Magazine, in 1997. Subsequently he founded the Annual British Curry Awards in 2005 which is dubbed as the ‘Curry Oscars’. He is also the founder of multi award-winning restaurant Le Raj and recently established a training restaurant Le Raj Academy @ NESCOT college. Alongside this, Ali has developed outstanding relationships in the political arena as a member of the Home Office Hospitality Advisory Panel. In 2009 Enam was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his services to the Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant industry.

Judges Special Achievement Award – Robert Richardson FIH and The Grand, Folkestone
Sponsored by Planday

Peter Ducker FIH, chief executive, Institute of Hospitality, commented: “Robert has demonstrated a tireless energy and determination to support colleagues, using creative and inspiring methods to attract and retain an engaged and enthusiastic team despite not having the funds and support of a big brand behind him.”

The following organisations were Highly Commended by the judges.

Best Graduate Scheme Highly Commended – Concord Hotels

Best Student Placement Highly Commended – The Ritz 

Talent Development Team Highly Commended – Good Hotel London

The Institute of Hospitality Annual Dinner & Awards 2018 were generously supported by the overall sponsor workforce collaboration software company Planday. The other event sponsors were Meiko and aslotel. The venue sponsor was Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

The judges were Angela Maher, Head of Hospitality School at Oxford Brookes Business School; Wendy Sutherland, Managing Director, Ramsay Todd; Alex Wilson MIH, House Manager at Rocco Forte Hotels.

If you would like to register your interest in entering the 2019 awards or attending the event please email your contact details to events@instituteofhospitality.org and we will keep you updated.

Thanks to all those who attended and shared the event via social media. Follow the conversation #IOHAwards on Twitter – @IoH_online

 

 

 

Institute of Hospitality Northern Ireland Awards for Professionalism. Winners Revealed

The Institute of Hospitality Northern Ireland Branch has revealed the winners of the 23^rd Institute of Hospitality Awards For Professionalism at a glittering event recently held at Titanic Belfast.

The highly coveted awards recognise talented individuals who have contributed to their business and the industry over the past year.  For 2018 there were 21 categories with four new categories including; Duty Manager of the Year, General Manager of the Future, Human Resource Manager of the Year and Unsung Hero.

This year saw a record number of entries with the independent judges citing this year as being extremely competitive with a very high standard of professionalism demonstrated by candidates.

The 23^rd Institute of Hospitality Awards For Professionalism winners are:

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year Award sponsored by People 1st
Rachel Carson – Ballyrobin Country Lodge (pictured above)

Human Resource Manager of the Year sponsored by Gen Tech
Stefanie Brooks – Hastings Culloden Estate & Spa (above)

Business Development Manager of the Year Award sponsored by Johnsons Coffee
Caitriona Lennox – Mount Charles Group (above)

Hospitality Management Team of the Year sponsored by firmus energy
Bull & Ram (above)

Independent Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Molson Coors
Roisin McErlean – The Tipsy Bird (above)

Duty Manager of the Year sponsored by McAlindon Wines
Jose Castano – Hilton Templepatrick (above)

Contract Catering Chef of the Year sponsored by Irwin’s Bakery
Friederich Machala – Sodexo (above)

Restaurant Chef of the Year sponsored by Henderson Foodservice
Paul Cunningham – Brunels Restaurant Newcastle (above)

General Manager of the Future sponsored by Tourism NI
John Paul Taggart – Odyssey Bowl (above)

Unsung Hero of the Year sponsored by Net Affinity
Laura Wilson – Sodexo (above)

Student Management Potential Award sponsored by Stephens Catering
Thomas Stinton – Ulster University Business School (above)

The further winners are as follows:

Contract Catering Manager of the Year sponsored by Deli Lites
Caroline McClelland – Mount Charles Group

Supplier of the Year sponsored by NIMMS
Leah Robb – Robb Brothers Wine Merchants

Restaurateur of the Year sponsored by Hugh Jordan
Daryl Shields – Bull & Ram

Front of House Manager of the Year sponsored by Avvio
Lucy Waugh – Bullitt Hotel

Lecturer of the Year sponsored by Institute of Hospitality
Sharon Rolt – Belfast Met

Hotel Chef of the Year sponsored by Get Fresh
Conor McClelland – Rayanne House

Hotelier of the Year sponsored by MKB Law
David Morrison – Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel & Lodges

Coffee Shop / Café Manager of the Year sponsored by Lynas Foodservice
Cathy Moore – Loaf Café Bakery

Housekeeping Manager of the Year sponsored by Lilliput Services
Michael Joseph – The Old Inn

The Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by NI Jobs was presented to Denis Broderick (pictured above) for his commitment and innovative approach to achieve the very best for the industry and the support he provides to those around him.  The Institute of Hospitality President’s Award was presented to longstanding Northern Ireland committee member Michael Cafolla for his dedication and service to the Institute of Hospitality over the years.

Chair of the Institute of Hospitality Northern Ireland Branch, Marianne Hood FIH commented: “We are delighted to reveal the 23^rd Institute of Hospitality Awards for Professionalism 2018 winners. Over the years the awards have increasingly become an important event for individual industry professionals in Northern Ireland.  Not only do they recognise talented individuals, who have contributed so much to their business and the industry over the past year, but demonstrate a clear commitment to developing and maintaining professionalism within this fantastic sector. We are indebted to a range of long-term, credible sponsors and partners and we thank them for their continued support without which the awards could not happen. We are also indebted to our dedicated voluntary committee who are committed to supporting our industry.  We also congratulate our longstanding committee member Michael Cafolla who received the President’s Awards in recognition for his dedication and service.”

Peter Ducker FIH, Chief Executive of the Institute of Hospitality, added: “Over the past 23 years the Institute of Hospitality NI committee has constantly raised the profile of the awards, making them more popular and prestigious than ever. The committed team provides an excellent awards process and event which promotes professionalism and encourages continued professional development within the industry. We congratulate all of the winners and thank them for helping to raise the standards of professionalism within hospitality.”

For further details, visit Facebook InstituteofHospitalityNI,
Twitter @IOH_NI #IOHNI18.