Search Results

Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of SMEs are finding it increasingly difficult to retain valued staff in the current economic climate. Chief Executives and Managing Directors are feeling this most acutely, with three quarters (75 per cent) of the C-Suite finding valuable staff members harder to hold on to. This is according to the latest Opinium survey of 500 SME decision makers, conducted in August 2023 on behalf of Direct Line Group. Key Findings: Almost two thirds of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (64 per cent) are finding it difficult to retain valued staff in the current economic climate Hybrid/flexible working options are almost as important as salary and benefits when it comes to retaining or attracting talent Current economic uncertainty is stopping 39 per cent of SMEs from growing their business operations through recruitment When it comes to retaining key members of staff competitive salaries and benefits packages are still the most widely used method to keep employees satisfied, with 44 per cent of SME employers using this as their main tool in their armoury. However, this is closely followed by hybrid & flexible working with 41 per cent offering these working patterns, as it is widely considered a key factor when employees decide whether to stay with a firm or move. A positive and inclusive culture is also cited by 40 per cent as being key to retaining staff. Providing professional development opportunities, such as training and upskilling, is another mechanism SMEs use to keep employees engaged, with 39 per cent offering this as a form of talent retention. However, nearly half (48 per cent) of SME employers are finding it harder to allocate budget to upskilling and training the workforce in the current economic environment. It is not just retention that is a challenge. On average, 16 per cent of SMEs are finding it difficult to recruit the right people with this number rising to almost one in five (18 per cent) for firms between 10 and 249 people. The current economic uncertainty is prohibiting SMEs from growing their business operations, through hiring more staff, with 39 per cent citing this as being harder. Alison Traboulsi, Product Manager at Direct Line business insurance commented: “Attracting and retaining skilled employees can be challenging no matter what size your business is." "Competition for highly skilled talent is fierce and aligning to the needs and demands of a constantly evolving workforce can be tricky. Employers need to balance their recruitment strategy to enable them to attract the top talent alongside their retention strategy to ensure they keep their best employees. To do this they need to make sure their staff are engaged, motivated and committed to the organisation." "The areas to focus on that have the most employee appeal are salary and benefits packages, flexible working, a positive work culture, career development opportunities and a desirable work environment.” Further information about Direct Line business insurance's SME cover can be found here

In worshipping at the altar of the genius CEO, it could be argued by some that we’ve lost sight of what really drives an enduringly successful business. Collective Intelligence , written by co-CEOs Jennifer Sundberg and Pippa Begg, is a guide to building a business that’s fuelled by an intellectual power greater than any CEO’s. Drawing on their work with the world’s most demanding leaders, from Fortune 500s to NGOs, Collective Intelligence looks at this world through Sundberg and Begg’s unique lens to reveal surprising insights. They share first-hand accounts of business failure at the hands of the best and brightest. And they explore what helps big companies to stay nimble, debunking some of the common myths of Silicon Valley success. Hailed by #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel H. Pink as an “essential guide” for leaders, the book makes the case for systematically empowering everyone to think hard and act fast. And it shows how the most enduringly successful companies don’t rely on a genius CEO or a super-smart executive team but tap into vast reservoirs of brainpower from the boardroom to the shop floor. The book explores the three capabilities that underpin collective intelligence: critical thinking, great communication, and a focus on the problems and opportunities that matter most. The authors also share the detailed and actionable guidance they’ve given to their clients over the past 15 years, so others can build these capabilities too. Discussing their decision to write the book, Jennifer Sundberg says: “The unusual level of access we’ve had to boards and leadership teams has taught us a lot about what goes into creating an enduringly successful business. This book is our way of providing a glimpse into that world so that others can learn from both its successes and failures.” Pippa Begg adds: “If 15 years of working with boards and leadership teams has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t rely just on them. The best businesses empower everyone in their organization to do their best thinking and act on it. This book is about how every company, big or small, can strive to do that.” Danie H Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, Drive and To Sell is Human, says about Collective Intelligence : “Sundberg and Begg have produced an essential guide to help leaders tap their organization’s full potential by creating the conditions for critical thinking, clear communication, and nimble execution.”

Plumpton College, the UK’s centre of excellence in wine education, training, and research, is delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Linter as the new Wine Director of Plumpton’s Wine Division. Linter brings a wealth of experience and accomplishments to her new role. Prior to joining Plumpton College, she served as the Managing Director and Head Winemaker at Bolney Wine Estate, where she achieved remarkable milestones that transformed the brand into one of the UK’s top ten wine producers. Under her leadership, Bolney Wine Estate pioneered a successful tourism model, leading the way as one of the first UK vineyards to do so. Linter’s visionary strategies resulted in a phenomenal increase in turnover by over 600% within a decade. Furthermore, she achieved a historic feat by overseeing the first-ever sale of an English wine brand to a major international sparkling wine group. In addition to her new role at Plumpton College, Linter continues her current role as the Chair of WineGB. Her dedication to raising awareness about English and Welsh wine is a hallmark of her career. Throughout the years, Linter has been an active participant in various groups and initiatives aimed at nurturing the industry’s growth and amplifying its recognition. Notably, she led Bolney to be one of the founding members Sustainable Wines of Great Britain during her tenure. This commitment led to the business achieving full accreditation for its eco-friendly approach. Expressing her enthusiasm for this new chapter in her career, Linter stated, “I am excited about the prospects of the ne xt phase in my journey and eagerly anticipate the fresh challenge that lies ahead. Leveraging my expertise and experience, I am eager to contribute to education and empower the next generation of wine entrepreneurs and winemakers.” Principal of Plumpton College Jeremy Kerswell commented: “I am confident that Sam Linter’s exceptional track record, unwavering dedication, and visionary leadership will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of wine education and innovation within our institution. Her appointment as the Wine Director reflects Plumpton College’s ongoing commitment to excellence and its mission to drive growth and innovation in the field of wine.”

A Scots teenager is aiming to become the youngest mountaineer to climb all 14 of the 8,000m peaks in the Himalayas. Alasdair embarked on this incredible journey when he was just 17, scaling the Lhotse and Makalu peaks in 2022 and an astounding ten more this year alone - The 29th September, he completed the Dhaulagiri, 8167m. He now has just two summits remaining in Tibet - Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. Alasdair, who has dual British and French citizenship, is determined to show the younger generation that 'Anything is Possible' and that anyone can Scale the Height Of Your Ambition.' Alasdair, who tirelessly worked and sought sponsors to raise funds to obtain the permit to conquer the 14 Himalayan peaks, created this expedition with the mantra: "Scale the height of your ambition." “This challenge has pushed me to surpass my physical, mental and emotional limits. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever known before. I have just two summits to climb, which I’m aiming to do in spring 2024. It’s been a lot of hard work but I’m extremely motivated because I’m doing what I love. I want to prove to my generation that with determination and optimism, anything is possible." "We all have the capability to achieve our dreams and you can seek to scale the height of your ambition.” As the project progressed, Alasdair went from strength to strength, shattering world records. Most tellingly, in just one year, he became the youngest mountaineer to have climbed the 5 highest peaks in the world and has achieved 4 Guinness World records. Picture this: Alasdair’s incredible journey saw him conquer five x 8,000-metre summits in Pakistan in less than 26 days this summer ! Alasdair reflects on his connection to the mountains, saying, "Being on the mountains has changed my life." He initially learned to ski in the Cairngorms in Aviemore, igniting a lifelong passion for mountains. As he explored Nepal and its towering peaks, he realised that merely reaching their summits wasn't enough -he needed to conquer all 14. With just two peaks remaining to complete his audacious mission, Alasdair's determination remains unwavering. He will do them in April next year. He's set to secure his place in the record books as the youngest mountaineer to scale all 14 of the Himalayan giants. This challenge, testing his physical, mental, and emotional limits, has become an integral part of his life, and he's resolute in achieving his dream. To date, here are all his ascents: Dhaulagiri 8167 m - September 29, 2023 Manaslu 8163 m - September 21, 2023 Annapurna 8091m - April 15, 2023 - holds the Guinness World Record for the youngest to ever summit it. Everest 8849m - May 16, 2023 Kanchenjunga 8586m - June 1, 2023 - hold the Guinness World Record for the youngest to ever summit it. Nanga Parbat 8126m - July 2, 2023 Gasherbrum G1 8068m - July 17, 2023 Gasherbrum G2 8034m - July 21, 2023 Broad Peak 8047m - July 25, 2023 K2 8611m - July 28, 2023 Lhotse 8516m - May 15, 2022 – he holds the Guinness World Record for the youngest to ever summit it. Makalu 8485m - May 24, 2022 It's worth noting that only a handful of individuals have ever completed the 8,000-meter peaks challenge. Still, Alasdair McKenzie is poised to etch his name into history as the youngest to accomplish this awe-inspiring feat, proving that with unwavering determination, one can indeed reach the highest summits of their ambitions.

Rolls-Royce recently announced a further key milestone, a world industry first, has been achieved in its hydrogen research project. Both Rolls-Royce and its partner easyJet are committed to being at the forefront of the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft, including those in the narrow-body market segment, from the mid-2030s onwards. Now, working with Loughborough University in the UK and the German Aerospace Centre Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR), Rolls-Royce has proven a critical engine technology that marks another significant step in the journey to enabling hydrogen as an aviation fuel. Tests on a full annular combustor of a Pearl 700 engine at DLR in Cologne running on 100% hydrogen have proven the fuel can be combusted at conditions that represent maximum take-off thrust. Key to that achievement has been the successful design of advanced fuel spray nozzles to control the combustion process. This involved overcoming significant engineering challenges as hydrogen burns far hotter and more rapidly than kerosene. The new nozzles were able to control the flame position using a new system that progressively mixes air with the hydrogen to manage the fuel’s reactivity. Rolls-Royce is pleased to confirm that combustor operability and emissions were both in line with expectations. The individual nozzles were initially tested at intermediate pressure at Loughborough’s recently upgraded test facilities and at DLR Cologne before the final full-pressure combustor tests took place at DLR Cologne. Last year, easyJet and Rolls-Royce also set a world first by successfully running a modern aero engine, an AE2100, on green hydrogen at Boscombe Down, UK. These recent tests mean the combustion element of the hydrogen programme is now well understood, while work continues on systems to deliver the fuel to the engine and integrate those systems with an engine. Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Rolls-Royce, said: “This is an incredible achievement in a short space of time. Controlling the combustion process is one of the key technology challenges the industry faces in making hydrogen a real aviation fuel of the future. We have achieved that, and it makes us eager to keep moving forward. I want to thank easyJet, Loughborough University and DLR for their dedication and support to reach this milestone.” Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said: "We believe hydrogen is the future of short-haul aviation and the success of this test and progress being made demonstrates that this is becoming ever closer. We remain optimistic that it will play a critical role in helping us achieve the ambitious goals we set out in our net zero roadmap." Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Loughborough University, said: “In conjunction with its partners, the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology (NCCAT) at Loughborough is delighted to have supported the landmark testing and development of advanced aerospace fuel spray nozzles utilising hydrogen fuel. This is a major advance towards net zero aviation." Markus Fischer, Divisional Board Member Aeronautics of DLR, said: “This is an outstanding success story and we are more than happy to have contributed our hydrogen testing capabilities. It was very exciting supporting this technology journey and seeing the burner technology mature in various rigs at our Institute of Propulsion Technology. This underlines again DLR’s capabilities in complex applied research and the achievement, at such a high pace, was supported by our experience in real-scale testing of ground-based gas turbines.” The technologies tested at Loughborough and DLR will now be incorporated into the learning from the Boscombe Down tests as Rolls-Royce and easyJet prepare for the next stage of testing – a full gas hydrogen ground test on a Pearl engine. That will in turn lead to a full ground test on a Pearl engine using liquid hydrogen – both easyJet and Rolls-Royce have a shared ambition to then take the technology to flight.

Businesses must adopt new ways of thinking to fully understand the threats posed by climate change and to create more effective, impactful ways of reducing their carbon footprints, according to new research from Imperial College Business School. The study, conducted by Dr Simone Cenci and Matteo Burato of the Leonardo Centre for Business on Society at Imperial College Business School, explored how organisations currently think and act in regards to tackling climate change, and their effectiveness in aligning their emissions with global climate targets. They worked alongside Dr Samuel Tang of the Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London and Dr Vincenzo Vastola of Montpellier Business School. The researchers analysed climate change action data gathered by the CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) – a leading non-profit international organisation that systematically collects information on organisations’ carbon management processes and outcomes via surveys. They reviewed evidence from 622 large publicly-traded companies across 32 countries, working in the energy, industrial, material and utilities sectors, between 2012 and 2020, reviewing emissions targets, total greenhouse gas emissions, supply chain policies, product development and emissions reporting. “It is well recognised that lowering greenhouse gas emissions to a level compatible with the climate targets set by the Paris Agreement requires significant changes in behaviour and attitudes towards environmental issues by both individuals and organisations,” says Dr Cenci. “The problem is in the way organisations approach solving such challenges, with a narrowly-focussed view meaning many initiatives fail to deliver the level of success needed to reach set national and global targets,” he continues. The solution, he and his colleagues suggest, lies in adopting a ‘system thinking’ mindset. System thinking explores how individuals can make and understand the connections between a set of events and how they link to their own experiences. This allows them to understand the impact of their own actions and make positive changes to their behaviour. Existing research has found that an individuals’ capacity to understand the effect of climate change and to adapt their own behaviours to address it requires the development of specific cognitive abilities, such as system thinking. “System thinkers recognise that their behaviour is embedded in complex socio-economic systems and that natural and social phenomena result from constant dynamic and multiple interactions between the social economic and natural worlds as opposed to a sum of siloed processes.” Dr Tang explains. Their results revealed that the organisations which already exhibited system thinking traits were able to achieve superior environmental outcomes in comparison to others with similar asset characteristics and policies in place, reporting lower greenhouse gas emissions. The research, suggests that, to more effectively combat climate change; organisations need to build Organisational System Thinking into their core processes and functions. By recognising that their operations are often out of alignment with their own and wider sustainability goals, and are affected by multiple societal and environmental factors, the research shows that companies can make a greater, more authentic impact – aligning their emissions pathways with those expected by the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, as individual system thinkers also appreciate that the relationship between themselves and the wider world is ever changing, they recognise that the solutions they put in place need constant refocus and adaptation. Such an approach, Dr Cenci notes, would allow organisations the flexibility and proactivity many are currently lacking. “Meeting global climate targets, such as those set by the Paris Agreement depends on the actions and behaviours of industry. Therefore, understanding which factors drive the necessary internal changes in management practices that can help companies reduce their emissions is crucial to designing better incentive schemes, such as targeted environmental policies and market-based solutions that can help countries meet their nationally determined contributions,” Dr Cenci concludes. Whilst governments across the globe have already included system thinking training in educational curricula, these findings, the researchers say, hold important considerations for business leaders. Policies aimed at fostering system thinking within companies could provide a much-needed nudge toward making truly effective changes in organisational sustainability behaviour.

Manchester based HMG Paints, had two reasons to celebrate at the recent British Coatings Federation (BCF) Awards. The family business took home two of the top awards on the night; Marketing Campaign of the Year and the Excellence in Training Award. "As a family-owned business, we take immense pride in receiving these awards, particularly when considering the formidable competition among the industry's major corporate players," noted Steve Crossman, Chief Operating Officer of HMG Paints. "This double honour is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our entire team at Riverside Works." The first award collected by the team was the Marketing Campaign of the Year award for the company’s industry first AI-Generated Colour Range. The AI Colour Range was launched back in March and utilised ChatGPT to create a range of colours and theme for the range. The companies use of Artificial Intelligence didn’t stop there as they used AI Image Generators to create a number of the visual assets to support the campaign which was then supported by organic traditional marketing methods. The judges recognised the campaign for showcasing cutting edge technologies in a traditional industry, along with a unique selling proposition that could potentially revolutionise how paint collections are created and marketed in the future. “We’ve only got a small team and limited budget so we have to be truly innovative on how we utilise our resources to stand out in a competitive marketplace. To pull this whole campaign together within two days between the two of us in the office and launch it just shows how companies can utilise AI to disrupt marketing and traditional industry activities,” commented Paddy Dyson, HMG Marketing Manager. “We’ve worked with brands and other people in the industry who’ve spent months working on such projects and not seen anywhere close to the results we’ve achieved. We’re very lucky to have a supportive board who allow us to innovate and try out new ideas.” The second award of the night came for the companies Training Scheme. Named the ‘Company of HMG Training Programme’ the initiative utilises the generations of knowledge within the business to create tailored programmes. Staff from across the business engage in training that is tailored for their role and has been developed by senior leaders within the business. HMG take a continuous improvement approach to training and development and the implementation of new modules is a continuous cycle within the business to ensure they keep up with the latest technological trends and industry developments. The judges of the awards commented that the entry stood out due to the company’s focus on using skilled staff to identify existing training gaps is an innovative approach that is often missed by many companies. Then recognised the collaborative cross company approach to generate new training videos which has seen significant business benefits. “To be recognised for our investment in training is a great honour and is something everyone in the entire business plays a part in and buys in to” added Neil Dawes who collected the award on the evening for HMG. “Since 1930 training and developing our own staff has been a core value of the business and putting our training programme together has been a collective effort from all areas of the business.” The awards in their 13th year, saw over 200 attendees to celebrate the best of the British coatings industry. HMG Paints, founded in 1930, are now the UK’s leading independent paint manufacturer, who’s paints and coatings are supplied to a number of industries including Industrial, Commercial Vehicle, Decorative, Agricultural and Defence amongst others. The awards cap off a fantastic year which has seen them also crowned the Family Business United Manufacturing Business of the Year award and be finalists in the BusinessDesk North West Business of the Year awards. You can find out more about HMG Paints at www.hmgpaint.com .

Vineyards are the fastest-growing edible agricultural crop sector in England, according to recent statistics issued by DEFRA (Defra Agricultural and Horticultural Survey). These recent figures show that grapes now represent 36% of England’s soft fruit crop (which saw a sector growth rate of +21% in the last year), with strawberries and blackcurrants in second place at 21% each. This figure is set to grow further as the UK wine industry body, Wines of Great Britain ( WineGB ), has reported a 74% growth in vine plantings in just five years to 4,300ha. This trajectory is set to continue as plantings are expected to reach 7,600ha by 2032, yielding a potential 24.7mn bottles (WineGB Industry Report, June 2023). WineGB has also set out an ambitious long-term sustainability programme to measure and reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and regenerate the natural environment to enhance biodiversity throughout Britain’s vineyards. The growth in vineyards has heralded the emergence of Wine Tourism as an important attraction for domestic and inbound tourists. Many vineyards offer experiences such as tours and tastings, and an increasing number have cafés, restaurants and even accommodation. As Britain’s wine harvest is underway, this latest data further illustrates the positive impact this industry is making on the landscape, to local economies, and rural employment. Comments Ned Awty, interim CEO of industry body Wines of Great Britain (WineGB): “It is often said to be exciting times in British Wine and right now is no exception. The UK is one of the fastest-growing wine regions in the world with an exciting future ahead. With increased investment, increased global awareness and an exciting portfolio of sparkling and still wines, this is an excellent time to be seeking out your nearest vineyard to see what they have to offer." “Wine tourism is becoming an increasingly important business for our producers. As having local vineyards normalises in the national psyche, so does popping in to try wines or buy a bottle. This change in consumer behaviour is already having a significant impact on local economies and we look forward to seeing it grow." “Consumers are demanding more locally produced, environmentally friendly products, something that English and Welsh wines are in a unique position to deliver.” Read the full DEFRA report here

Bradford Bulls are delighted to announce New College Bradford’s Assistant Principal Raza Siddique has joined the club’s Youth & Academy Advisory Board. The Youth & Academy Advisory board was established in 2022 as the club worked towards the reinstatement of its’ Elite Academy Licence. Raza’s arrival represents further evidence of the club enjoying fruitful relationships with education providers across the city, and he joins the likes of Bradford Bulls Foundation CEO Chris Chamberlain and Youth & Academy Director Gareth Pickles on the board. New College Bradford’s Assistant Principal Raza Siddique said: “Ryan gave me a call a couple of weeks ago asking me to join the Youth & Academy Advisory Board as an Education specialist, my role at New College Bradford is Assistant Principal and I have been in education over 20 years." “I have been involved at a national level judging for National teaching Awards, now I am coming on board, working closely with the Bradford Bulls to make sure the Scholarship and Academy players are in education or training for employment alongside rugby programmes which is really important." “I will be holding people like Ryan [Hunkin] accountable making sure these young people have dual careers in Rugby League and education or employment.” Bradford Bulls’ Head of Youth Ryan Hunkin said: “The Youth & Academy Board is designed to keep us on track as an Elite Academy, making sure we are hitting certain milestones and doing everything we can to keep improving." “The people on the board offer certain expertise individually, Raza has a Rugby League background but certainly has an educational one too. He can offer valuable experience in that area to guide us as an Elite Academy to succeed where we need to succeed.”

A hospitality professional from Ambleside has landed his first role as a head chef, having started his career as a kitchen assistant just five years ago. 31-year-old Matt Jones is the new chef in charge of the kitchen team at Blue Smoke at Low Wood Bay in Windermere. He joined English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues in 2018 and rapidly worked his way up the catering team in a variety of different roles including chef de partie and junior sous chef. Before joining the hotel group, Matt had worked in security and hospitality before deciding that it was the latter in which he wanted to forge a career. He saw the job advertised at Low Wood Bay and decided to take the plunge. Matt developed an affinity for helping to run the kitchen and was fascinated by the restaurant’s double wood-fired grill, sensing the opportunity to get more and more involved in traditional cooking techniques over hot embers and innovative flavours in meats, fish and vegetables. With a combination of in-house training and mentoring from senior chefs and managers at the hotel group, Matt took on greater responsibilities and worked his way up the kitchen hierarchy. Matt says: "Blue Smoke is a great place to work, especially as I have a real taste for the type of barbecue and wood smoked steak and meat dishes we serve here. It suits me right down to the ground." “When I joined the team here, I wanted to do well, but the main reason for my progression is really down to a strong team working environment, with plenty of development support and, importantly, a real sense of fun." Mark Needham from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues adds: "It's been great to follow Matt's progress since he joined the food and beverage team at Low Wood Bay five years ago." “He's always been willing to take on new challenges and be proactive within the team and that approach naturally lends itself to leadership roles. When the head chef position became vacant, it was an obvious choice to promote Matt into the role."

A Lake District based hotel group has a new chocolatier on its books, thanks to a training course with the Yorkshire Academy of Chocolate and Patisserie. Resident chef de partie at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa Traviss Locke completed the chocolate making qualification at the academy run by international chocolatier and consultant Andrew Thwaite. The chocolatier course, which was fully funded through the English Lakes Hotels Personal Development Fund, has equipped Traviss with a range of chocolate making technical skills and recipes. Traviss, 34, has always had a passion for making his own chocolate and was keen to explore further opportunities for learning new skills and experimenting with the latest innovative techniques. “I thoroughly enjoyed the course training and gained tonnes of valuable experience,” explains Traviss. “We each had a practical chocolate making assignment to complete and I made an enormous chocolate egg which I donated to the hotel.” “I’m incredibly grateful to English Lakes Hotels for supporting me through this course and also in attaining my City and Guilds Level 3 chef de partie standard qualification through the hotel group’s own Culinary Academy.” Traviss’ giant chocolate egg was displayed at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa reception, with guests entered into a prize draw to acquire it. All proceeds from the draw were then donated to the hotel group’s Sam’s Club Charity which supports local charities and good causes. Michael Kay from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues says: “Our personal development fund is available for team members to upskill existing talents, develop their career skills or broaden their horizons.” “Training programmes or courses can be mutually agreed in most disciplines. The aim is to get the best out of all our teams and give everybody the opportunity to progress in their career choices. It also helps to engender a stronger work life balance for our employees.”

With a guest list comprising a who’s who of the foodservice equipment industry, a lunch to commemorate Keith Warren’s retirement was held in the House of Lords on September 27th 2023. After more than 21 years as chief executive of the Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA), and CESA before it, Keith retired from the role in April 2023. FEA chairs past and present rose to thank him for his outstanding contribution to the industry and for his achievements for FEA. Meanwhile his successor as chief executive of FEA, John Cunningham, admitted that his were huge boots to fill. The Rt Hon the Lord Trefgarne, FEA’s patron, who hosted the lunch in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, also spoke of Keith’s commitment and his willingness to go the extra mile. In fact, the long hours that Keith put in were a common theme, with several speakers making a point of thanking his wife, Melanie, for her patience (tested on so many occasions by the endless phone calls and emails, the interrupted evening and weekends…) and her boundless support. Former FEA chair Steve Hobbs CFSP took a slightly different approach to Keith’s career, unveiling a few hidden gems. They ranged from his role as a cartographer for the MOD (mapping sites beyond the Iron Curtain) to selling advertising for the trade magazine Rubber and Plastics News (a niche title offering ‘insight in all areas of rubber, latex and silicone’). The 70 plus captains of the industry who gathered for the lunch gave Keith a standing ovation as he thanked them and his team at FEA for the support he had received over the years: “I couldn’t have done it without all of you,” he said. “He truly is an absolute legend of the industry,” says John Cunningham. “His impact has been huge and his dedication unconditional. For me personally it’s been a privilege to work with him and I know every person involved in foodservice equipment, and many of those in the hospitality industry as a whole, will wish him the very best for the future.” Keith will continue to work part time on special projects for FEA until March 2024.