 |
Jane Asher is well known in the UK for her acting, business ventures and writing. She has been working
professionally in film, theatre and radio since she was 5 years old and has twice been nominated for BAFTA awards and received the Sony Award
for her work on radio. She has worked extensively in the theatre, appearing many times at London's National Theatre and in the West End. Jane
has also written three best-selling novels and has had more than a dozen 'lifestyle' and cake decorating books published. In 1990 she opened
her Jane Asher Party Cake shop, which has since grown to become the UK's foremost, bespoke cake decorating company. She has also developed the
Jane Asher range of cake mixes, which has become a best selling brand. Jane is President of the National Autistic Society, Arthritis Care and
the West London Family Service Unit. She is Vice-President of the Child Accident Prevention Trust. |
 |
Thom Hetherington is managing Director of Moorfield Media in Manchester. As Marketing Director of TRG
Group Thom helped launch the award-winning Restaurant magazine as well as organising the prestigious '50 Best Restaurants in the World' awards
and the 'College Restaurant of the Year' competition. Thom currently owns Moorfield Media, a company specialising in hospitality events in the
North of England which has turned Northern Restaurant and Bar into one of the industries premier exhibitions as well as launching the Northern
Hospitality Awards and RSVP North. Thom sits on the judging panels of many national and regional food and drink awards and is a regular
commentator on the regions hospitality scene in the media. |
 |
Robyn Jones is co-founder and chief executive of Charlton House, a leading, independent food service management company.
She is a trustee of the PM Trust, a charity that provides financial assistance to young people embarking on a career within the hospitality industry, and
she is a patron of the Association of Catering Excellence. She is a guardian member of Hospitality In Action, a benevolent organisation for people within
the hospitality industry. Robyn is also a Catey winner, the industry's equivalent to an Oscar, and she has won the Booker Prize for Excellence in Catering.
She was named the Credit Suisse Outstanding Woman in Business, National Business Awards 2006, and has been short-listed for many high profile awards, including
the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year in 2003. Robyn Jones has appeared in 29th place in the CatererSearch 100 league table of the UK's 100 most
influential people in hospitality. She is one of only four women to appear on the listing and at 29th, her ranking makes her the most influential woman in UK
hospitality. |
 |
David Russell is highly experienced in all aspects of the catering industry and has a keen interest in
nutrition. He is Professor of Hospitality & Tourism at Thames Valley University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Prior to forming The
Russell Partnership, the UK's leading strategic food consultancy, he was Food and Beverage Director for the 240 Forte (UK) Limited Hotels.
David read Hospitality Management at Leeds, is a Freeman of the City of London and mentors a number of leading hospitality services directors
within the university and commercial sector. He is a Trustee of 'Food for the Brain', established to promote awareness of the link between
learning, behaviour, mental health and nutrition. |
 |
Michael Shepherd is General Manager of the London Hilton on Park Lane. Previously he spent six years as
Managing Director of the London Savoy and prior to that was with Hilton for 21 years. Whilst at the Savoy, Michael oversaw the business
transition from being a PLC back to being a private company, actively modernizing supplier relationships and hotel practices and as a result
growing the hotel's profitability by 40% over a four-year period. During his earlier time at Hilton, Michael opened the Hilton Lesotho, South
Africa, as well as managing Hiltons in Istanbul, Corfu, Athens, Nicosia and Cairo. He also took on total regional responsibility for 50 Hilton
hotels within the Middle East, African European division, where he was responsible for budgeting, capital planning and corporate development. |
 |
The Viscount Thurso MP (Chairman) John Thurso was elected MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross in 2001.
He was a member of the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. He formerly sat in the House of Lords where
he was spokesman on Tourism and later Food and is the only hereditary peer to have been subsequently elected to the Commons. He has had a
distinguished career in the hospitality industry, managing the Lancaster in Paris (81-85) and founding Cliveden (85-92) before becoming CEO of
Granfel Holdings, owners of East Sussex National Golf Course from 1992 to 1995. From 1995 until his election to Parliament he was CEO of the
Champneys group. John retains his links with the industry through his Presidency of the Tourism Society and the Academy of Food and Wine Service.
He is a Fellow of the HCIMA. |
 |
Michael Parker worked with the Savoy Group of Hotels, leaving them in 1978 to join the Royal Household where
he was responsible for food production, service, and events for over 20 years. He became a Sergeant-at-Arms in 1996 and a Lieutenant of the
Royal Victorian Order in 2000. Latterly he has been Chairman and is currently a Trustee with the Savoy Educational Trust; he became an Honorary
Member of the Academy of Food and Wine in 2003 and is a Friend of Moorfields Eye Hospital. |
Top of page
Previous page