COO
The Commercial Edge
I started in hospitality and built my career through people leadership before stepping into multi-site operations and eventually becoming COO. Moving from People Director to operational leader reshaped my perspective, it proved that culture, clarity, and commercial results are all part of the same system. My remit has grown from leading teams to designing the structures and strategies that enable them to thrive at scale.
Two days on site with teams, one deep work day, one strategy day, and one day just to think. No back-to-back calls, no pointless reporting. Ops is at its best when there’s space for reflection, not just reaction.
Leading two businesses through cultural transformation while improving profitability. Seeing engagement, retention, and EBITDA all rise together proved that “people first” isn’t just a value statement it’s a commercial strategy. One of those businesses we achieved 5th, 7th, and 10th place in The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, which remains one of the proudest moments of my career.
Spotting the pattern behind the noise. I’m good at cutting through complexity to see what’s really driving performance. It comes from years of listening, asking questions, and learning through experience not from always getting it right the first time.
A solid weekly rhythm. Whether it’s WBRs, site dashboards, or comms cadence rhythm creates control without chaos. It’s the difference between running a business and chasing one.
I simplify fast what matters most, what can wait, and who needs clarity. I build structure into chaos and communicate it early. And honestly, training helps lifting heavy things keeps everything else in perspective.
Great Ops leadership means consistency with humanity. It’s knowing the numbers inside out but still remembering every person behind them. It’s the balance of discipline, empathy, and momentum creating environments where high performance feels natural, not forced.
Ops isn’t about being the fixer it’s about being the system. Too many leaders build their identity around solving problems rather than preventing them. The real impact comes from structure, rhythm, and clear standards, not heroic rescues.
The future of Ops is shifting from firefighting to foresight. Technology, data, and AI are giving operators better visibility and control, freeing teams to focus on people, performance, and experience. The best Ops leaders now blend commercial sharpness with human empathy and that evolution excites me most.
Get curious and stay close to the front line. Learn what drives performance before you try to lead it. Ops rewards people who combine practicality with people skills so build trust, ask questions, and remember that clarity and calm go further than control.