At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Director operating in the Restaurants space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Abel Campos
Director of Franchising of McDonald’s
Abel was appointed Head of Franchising for McDonald’s UK in October 2016, following a successful 20 year career with the brand spanning Operations and Franchising. He joined the business in 1997, progressing from a local restaurant team to overseeing a number of restaurants as a Consultant in the region. Abel worked in a number of roles throughout the southern region before being promoted to the position of Director of Franchising responsible for ensuring high standards of operational excellence across his group. Abel now heads up the UK franchising strategy and is also responsible for the recruitment of new franchisees.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Nigel Wray
Non-Executive Director of Domino’s Pizza
Nigel Wray is a highly successful entrepreneur, and has been a shareholder in several companies amongst others, Domino’s Pizza, Carlton Communications and Singer & Friedlander. He also has a strong commercial background built in a range of business sectors. Saracens does a lot of excellent work in its local, north London community. Nigel still calls the area home, too – having attended Mill Hill School, he now lives in Totteridge.
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About Domino’s Pizza: Domino’s is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery.
Helen Bowey
Retail Director of Rhubarb
Helen has over 20 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry. Since joining rhubarb in 1998, she has overseen a number of different departments, accumulating a wealth of experience in all fields including Operations, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Health and Safety, Purchasing and IT. Helen was appointed as a board member in 2003 and was instrumental in the development of Sky Garden, Pilots at Terminal 5 and the recently announced Centre Point project. In her role as Chief Development Officer Helen is responsible for growth within the current portfolio of locations, and new acquisitions both in the UK and Internationally.
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About Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a food company that creates and delivers culinary services.
Chris Hammond
Director of Rhubarb
Chris heads up service, logistics and finance at rhubarb Cranleigh. After meeting Sarah at catering college, he became instrumental to the Cottage Caterers team, managing contracts, perfecting logistics, and just about everything else vital to a seamless service. Today Chris still manages many ground-up aspects of rhubarb Cranleigh events and more recently has taken on much of the administration and strategy involved in developing business at rhubarb Cranleigh.
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About Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a food company that creates and delivers culinary services.
Katie Harel
Director of Marketing of Rhubarb
Katie Harel has over 15 years experience in marketing in luxury hotels, food and beverage in London including The Dorchester and The Lanesborough. Prior to rhubarb Katie was based in Hong Kong where she held senior marketing positions at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and The Langham, before working as director at Mango PR’s first Hong Kong office. Katie joined the rhubarb team in 2014 and quickly implemented a group marketing plan and brand strategy to ensure the rhubarb name is front of mind across the group. In her first year Katie opened the hugely successful Sky Garden, garnering impressive press coverage across national and international titles and quickly building an impressive database. Katie’s team includes the Creative Department who are responsible for ensuring that every rhubarb event and partnership is expertly thought out and creatively considered. Katie works closely with the Director team ensuring the marketing plan equally supports events and locations and that rhubarb maintains its position as a pioneer of the food and events industry.
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About Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a food company that creates and delivers culinary services.
Sarah Hammond
Director of Rhubarb
Sarah has lived and breathed the catering industry from a young age. After training as a chef, Sarah travelled the globe extending her culinary knowledge. On her return to the UK she worked as a chef for several prestigious companies, including Leslie and Godwin, Golladetz and the Hay’s Group. At the same time, Sarah was busy building up the family business, and after her first daughter was born, she started working full-time for Cottage Caterers, now rhubarb Cranleigh. Since then, Sarah has worked tirelessly to grow the company and has been instrumental in building a business that is known for its dedication to quality and taste. Sarah has catered for a diverse range of events, from intimate dinners for ten to spectacular galas and royal occasions for over 1,000 guests. Her wonderful charm and extensive experience make her every bride’s caterer of choice. Today Sarah is director of rhubarb Cranleigh and oversees all aspects of operations, cooking and planning.
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About Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a food company that creates and delivers culinary services.
Andy Walker
Marketing & Operations Director & Founding Member of Yumpingo
Andy Walker is a Marketing Director at Yumpingo.
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About Yumpingo: Yumpingo is an internet company that specializes in customer engagement and analytics platforms designed for the Hospitality Industry.
Shane Lake
Co-Founder and Managing Director of hungryhouse
Shane Lake is co-founder and managing director at Hungryhouse.
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About hungryhouse: hungryhouse is a U.K.-based online platform for takeaway and food delivery that provides a wide range of cuisines and dishes.
B. Nick Popovici
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Vita Mojo
B. Nick Popovici is the Co Founder and Managing Director of Vita Mojo.
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About Founders Pledge, Vita Mojo: Vita Mojo’s menu allows anyone to eat for anyones’ individualized needs.
Remi Lefevre
Director, Luxury Brands of Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group
With 15 years of experience in travel & hospitality, Remi Lefevre is a brand & commercial marketing pro with a flair for growth stories. From kitchen to HQ, he has built his reputation as the ever-curious achiever, leading brand, digital and country marketing efforts for hundreds of hotels, thousands of home rentals and fast-growing food disruptors. Specialised in brand identity, product positioning and growth, he most recently headed acquisition for scale-ups Farmdrop and Hostmaker wherehe revisited their approach to new customers around reduced CAC, maximised LTV and systematic messaging.
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About Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, The Growth Works: Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group is the largest independent boutique hotel and restaurant business in the US.
Sean Donkin
Managing Director of Inn Collection
With an 18-year career in the hospitality sector, Sean has an outstanding track record in the market. As well as maintaining the high quality, service and facilities for customers that mark out The Inn Collection Group, Sean’s focus is leading the growth and expansion of the company, both within and further afield from its North East heartland. He is responsible for the ongoing operations and investment of the group’s units via the Board. Sean joined the business as general manager of the group’s top-performance unit, The Bamburgh Castle Inn in Seahouses in 2008. A former swimmer, sporting enthusiast Sean enjoys rugby and shooting.
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About Inn Collection: The Inn Collection, a hospitality and pub company, owns and operates a chain of pubs and inns in North England.
Simon Kelton
Co-Founder & Director of pepperhq
Simon is a relentlessly determined, passionate and ambitious entrepreneur, writer, film producer and angel investor with twenty-five years of broad-ranging creative and business experience. With an exceptional international network of friends, colleagues, investors and commercial contacts, Simon is able to combine his visionary creativity and communication skills as a professional writer to guide and sell his companies strategic goals and products. He has founded, financed and managed eight companies in entertainment, technology, publishing, event management and the snowsports industry. He has Master’s Degrees from Oxford, Stanford and UCLA and is a member of the British Academy of Film and TV. As a professional writer, Simon has published two books, written more than thirty screenplays for Hollywood including the British hit comedy EDDIE THE EAGLE starring Hugh Jackman and produced by Matthew Vaughn, and penned numerous articles for the likes of TIME, the Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph, Harpers and Queen, and Worth.com. An avid and competitive sportsman, Simon represented Oxford University at golf, is a member of the Royal & Ancient G.C. and the Queen’s Club, has ski guided for the Ski Club of Great Britain, and taken part in the British and World Extreme Snowboarding Championships.
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About pepperhq: The Pepper platform supports white label apps for mobile payment, discovery, digital loyalty, social media marketing, and actionable data.
Jon Simon
Managing Director & Founder of Pieminister
Taking Pieminister from humble beginnings into a thriving business has been an incredibly enjoyable journey. With Pieminister’s focus in the UK’s vibrant and competitive fast casual dining sector we have had to think differently and be obsessive over our customers. Together with the rest of a team of very talented people, Pieminsiter has become a highly respected, market leader in high quality pies and a unique restaurant operator with exceptional food and service levels.
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About Good Sixty, Pieminister: Pieminister is a Bristol-based family business known for making award winning pies.
Ruth Dronfield
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Atlantic Kitchen
The most common question I am asked as the Managing Director of Atlantic Kitchen is ‘How did you get involved with seaweed?’This is a fair question as for ten years I was an Event Manager running large-scale outdoor events in London and around the UK. I was on the senior management teams that run Field Day, Bestival, Winter Wonderland, BST Hyde Park and I also ran my own little production company for more exclusive private parties and mini-festivals. But the roots of Atlantic Kitchen run far deeper. I was born to hippy alternative parents in London, who took me on marches and dressed me in corduroy dungarees and certainly didn’t cook ready meals. I was brought up on home-cooked food and deprived (to my profound annoyance at the time) of pop-tarts, stringy cheese and shop-bought cakes. I was definitely the only kid in my class who had crumbly wholemeal bread sandwiches instead of nice, neat white ones. My mum is vegetarian so I was exposed to vegetable-based meals of rice, stews, salads, curries, quiches, lasagna and bakes. I grew up with the assumption that a mainly vegetable, pulse and grain diet was healthy, sustainable and normal. So, when my friend Dawn told me about her idea to set up a seaweed business to promote good eating and living, something resonated. That was in December 2012.Since then we launched a range of three dried seaweed products (here), crowd-funded, done deals with brilliant suppliers in France, Spain and Ireland, launched a range of three soups with seaweed (here) and are now stocked in over 150 stores in the UK including Wholefoods, Planet Organic and Ocado. See here for more stockists.It’s a huge challenge and a great honour to run Atlantic Kitchen and share the wonderful word of seaweed and its’ myriad of taste and health benefits with the world.
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About Atlantic Kitchen: Atlantic Kitchen was set up in 2012.
Jack Lapping
Managing Director of Duck House
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About Duck House: Duck House is the restaurant and cocktail bar
Kevin Charity
Managing Director of The Coaching Inn Group Ltd.
Kevin Charity Founded The Coaching Inn Group Ltd. in 1996 and serves as its Managing Director.
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About The Coaching Inn Group Ltd.: The Coaching Inn Group Ltd. owns and operates hotels in Marsh, Oundle, Boston, Market Harborough, Horncastle, Piercebridge.
Rob Martyniak
Director & Co-Founder of Meatcure Restaurants
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About Meatcure Restaurants: Meatcure is a restaurant that provides fast food and is located in Harborough, England.
Chris Hill
Managing Director of New World Trading Company
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About New World Trading Company: New World Trading Company is a fast-growing pub and restaurant business headquartered in Knutsford, Cheshire.
