Will Fotheringham of JD Wetherspoon and Barrie Robinson of Greene King Pub Partners have been named winners in the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers’ annual Operations Manager Awards.
Will was named Area Manager of the Year, for area managers in managed pub companies, and Barrie was named Business Development Manager of the Year for tenanted and leased estates.
A third award, called Rising Star, was made to Helen McKenna of Enterprise Inns in recognition of the excellent potential she displayed throughout the competition.
The judges said they were impressed by the two winners’ enthusiasm and passion for the licensed retail sector coupled with their wealth of experience and depth of knowledge.
Nick Bish, who runs the awards for the ALMR, announced the winners at the association’s Christmas Lunch at Old Billingsgate Market, London, on Friday.
“Every year, the standard of entries is exceptional and the judging process becomes tougher as the quality of finalists and winners gets higher,” Nick said. “This year’s entrants confirmed this and the judges reported the highest ever standard of entry papers.”
ALMR chairman Steve Richards said: “Ops managers make a crucial difference for the reputation and performance of our industry. We can’t afford mediocre people in that role – we must have the best – and the Ops Awards plays a great part in achieving that result.”
Nick added: “The Operations Managers Awards reveal and celebrate the best in class, but we do need to build performance at the lower levels and that is why I urge the industry to look even more closely at how we can define the role of the ops managers managed or leased, refine the skills of those doing the job and offer more clearly some stepping stones of recognition to those engaged in this wonderful challenging business.”
The awards are sponsored by Everards Brewery, Daniel Thwaites Brewery, John Gaunt and Partners, McMullen’s Brewery, Punch Taverns, Spirit Pub Company, Halewood International, Roslyn’s Accountancy, Diageo, CPL Training, Novus Leisure and Venners.
Pictured above are Barrie Robinson, Helen McKenna, Nick Bish and Will Fotheringham.
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