and Shine Awards 2011 - People 1st

is also one of the founding members of SWIFT, Sodexo’s global body that
embeds the development of women across the organisation.
Nigella Lawson, Food Writer, Journalist and Broadcaster
Nigella started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming
the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986. She then embarked
upon a career as a freelance journalist. In 1998, Nigella brought out her
first cookery book, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and became
a bestseller. She went on to write her second book in 2000, How to be a
Domestic Goddess, winning her the British Book Award for Author of the
Year. In 2000, she began to host her own cookery series on Channel 4,
Nigella Bites, which won a Guild of Food Writers Award.
Olga Polizzi, Designer and Hotelier
Olga is the eldest daughter of the late Lord Forte, arguably the world’s
best-known hotelier. She is the director of design for the Rocco Forte
Collection, which owns hotels worldwide including Brown’s in London,
the Savoy in Florence and Tresanton in Cornwall.
Patricia Yates, Director of Strategy and Communications, VisitBritain
Patricia has been with VisitBritain since 2005 heading up a division formed
as part of the VisitBritain restructure at the end of 2007. She is responsible
for research, tourism affairs and communications. Prior to her time at
VisitBritain, Patricia was editor of the Consumers’ Association magazine
Holiday Which? for over 10 years and the editor of the annual Which?
Hotel Guide since its launch in 1991.
Paula Rogers, Managing Director, Admiral Group
Paula has owned Admiral for 16 years, previously being managing director at
Drake International. She is also a partner at Furze Rogers Associates. She has
built a leading recruitment business in the hospitality industry with a core base
of 800 candidates, all of which have completed health and safety/hygiene
training prior to going out into the workplace.
Penelope Cobham, Chair, VisitEngland
Lady Cobham became chair of VisitEngland in 2009 and was previously
deputy chair of VisitBritain from 2005-2009. For 20 years she was
responsible for restoring, and opening to the public, Georgian Hagley
Hall in the West Midlands. She has served on the boards of the English
Tourist Board, English Heritage, the Countryside Commission, Historic
Royal Palaces, the V&A, British Waterways and the London Docklands
Development Corporation, where she led on tourism.
Penny Moore, Chief Executive, Hospitality Action (HA), the Hospitality
Industry Benevolent Organisation
Penny has been the chief executive of the charity since 2004 and, during
this time, has helped to raise in excess of £10 million. Penny’s creativity
has been essential in the development of HA’s PR and marketing strategy
which has included respected industry figures such as Heston Blumenthal,
Anton Mosimann and Marco Pierre White.
Prue Leith CBE, Broadcaster and Writer
In 1960, Prue started a business supplying quality business lunches, which
grew to become Leith’s Good Food Limited. In 1975 she founded Leiths
School of Food and Wine which trains amateur and professional chefs.
She chairs The Hoxton Apprentice and 3Es Enterprises and has received
many honours, including the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year
in 1990, and seven honorary degrees or fellowships from UK universities.
Prue is a judge on the BBC television programme Great British Menu and
from 2006 to 2010 was chair of the School Food Trust.
Rachael Fidler, Managing Director, Hospitality Training Partnership
Rachael established Hospitality Training Partnership in 2000. Since
the formation of HTP in a tiny office on the Isle of Wight, Rachael’s
determination, business flare, enthusiasm and drive for quality has
enabled HTP to grow and grow. HTP now operates from four training
centres in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and provides support to
businesses and their staff across south east England.
Rachel Humphrey, Head Chef, Le Gavroche
Rachel, formerly senior sous chef at Le Gavroche, was recently named
head chef, the first woman to gain such a position in the restaurant’s
42-year history. She joined the restaurant as an apprentice straight out
of school in 1996. Encouraged by chef-patron Michel Roux, she quickly
rose through the ranks, despite a three-year absence when she left the
restaurant to work in the RAF catering corps.
Rita Beckwith, Managing Director, City Cruises
Alongside husband Gary, chairman of the company, she runs a firm that
employs 150 at summer’s peak, ferrying around two million tourists
a year up and down the Thames. Until last year she also chaired the
Docklands Business Club and is currently chair of UKinbound.
Robyn Jones OBE, Chief Executive, CH&Co
Robyn founded CH&Co in 1991 on a Government Enterprise Allowance.
Within two years, the company had won the Booker Prize for Excellence
as Best Young Business and Best Caterer. CH&Co now has a multi-million
pound turnover, employs almost 2,000 people and holds 140 contracts
nationwide. Robyn is a patron of the Association of Catering Excellence
and a trustee of the PM Trust. She is a guardian member of the charity,
Hospitality in Action, a winner of a Catey Award and was named the
Credit Suisse Most Outstanding Woman in Business 2007.
Ros Pritchard, Director General, British Holiday and Home Parks Association
The British Holiday and Home Parks Association is the only UK organisation
founded with the exclusive objective of representing and serving those
who own or manage holiday, residential, tenting and touring parks. As
director general, Ros is instrumental in lobbying and representing BH&HPA
members’ interests to government and policymakers at all levels.
Ruth Rogers MBE, Co-Founder, River Café
Since opening the River Café in 1987, Ruth established herself as
a leading figure on the London restaurant scene. River Cafe was also
one of the first sites to use an open-plan kitchen, creating a unique
and popular atmosphere, and was awarded a Michelin star in 1998.
The restaurant spawned a number of chefs, most notably Jamie Oliver.
Ruth’s first cookbook, Italian Country Cookbook (authored with
business partner Rose Gray, who sadly died in 2010), won both the
Glenfiddich Food Book of the Year and the BCA Illustrated Book of
the Year awards.
Saipin Lee, Regional Manager UK and Europe, S&P Restaurants
The network of London Patara fine dining Thai restaurants, operated
by S&P, was rated as offering the top Thai cuisine by Zagat and
Hardens in 2005 and 2006. Saipin’s determination to invest in her
own staff and lead other Thai restaurants has resulted in her