I used to work at Hanbury Manor in Ware, Hertfordshire, and still live in the area because of the quality of life. Despite this, I love the buzz of working in London so put up with an hour-and-a-half train journey into work each day. I bury my head in my newspaper.
I'll be at work by 8am, although, if we've had a late function, I stay at the club as part of my management role. This also means that, once a month, I stay for a long weekend, Friday to Monday, to personally check that everything is running smoothly.
I'll drop my stuff in my office before attacking my e-mails. There's no doubt they are a useful tool, but I feel they can also be a way of dumping problems on others. They're also terribly impersonal, and I'd rather the person 20 yards down the corridor phone me than send an e-mail.
Breakfast is a coffee before I leave the house, and a cup of tea when I get to work.
The general manager will delegate tasks to me throughout the week, but my main focus at the club is our food and beverage operation, which is worth £4.5m a year in sales.
Between 8am and 8.30am, I'll check the members' suggestion book, which lives in the smoking room. We'll typically get three or four suggestions a week, and they range from requests for certain papers in the bars to comments on club dress code.
We ask for jacket and tie in the evening in our main restaurant, Brooklands, although the style is relaxed in our brasserie restaurant, but no denims or trainers are allowed. We've also made much of the club being a mobile phone-free zone.
I hate being deskbound and like to walk the floor. The sort of chitchat you get through doing this is the only way you can keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening.
Although I like department heads to get on with the task in hand, I also like to check that they have done so.
We have a great staff restaurant, serving a buffet at set times during the day, so I nearly always eat there, about 1.30pm. We're a friendly bunch, so everyone tends to mix, regardless of position, which is a great way to get to know our 250 full-time staff.
We attempt to run the club to the standards, if not the exact style, of the best London hotels. My background is in food and beverage at the Savoy, and most of our senior management are from the hotel industry, so the approach works well.
Our sports facilities, which include a pool, a gymnasium and squash courts, are currently undergoing a £6.5m restoration overseen by English Heritage, so I have daily meetings with the clubhouse engineer, who keeps me informed of the contractors' progress.
Although everything is running smoothly, I think the more you know about a situation the less that can go wrong. I'd say 90% of this business is anticipation, and there's no point in panicking as you'll simply spread it to others (so keep it inside, at least).
Although we do have a number of American members, we haven't suffered as some of the luxury hotels in London have. It sounds a cliché, but the club is viewed as a home-from-home for many, and our members feel safe here.
Mid-afternoon is usually the time I grab another coffee and catch up on any correspondence. I may also want to get up to speed on any figures or information available, if I have a monthly meeting with the general manager.
Recently, I've been involved in interviewing for the position of restaurant receptionist. It's an important role, so making sure the individual has the right personality and knowledge has been top of my list.
At 6pm, I'll head for the station and straight home, unless we have a private function, such as a member of the Royal Family dining with us. This prompts me to slip into my dinner jacket about 5.30pm in preparation.
I'm really only there to meet and greet, hovering around the lobby and kickstarting the proceedings for our guests. I'll then retire from view and return to see them off when they leave, before heading up to bed at midnight.
I don't worry about entertaining the Royal Family, because they have the same aim as other members - to have an enjoyable evening and a fine meal.
The term "VIP" is not one I use, as all our members deserve the same treatment, whether they're an MP, a socialite or Hugh Grant (recently at the club playing snooker and posing for a magazine shoot). In my eyes, our members are equally important and deserving of the same treatment.
Factfile
Royal Automobile Club
89 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS
Tel: 020 7930 2345
The club is the governing body for motor sports in Britain, and split from the RAC breakdown service company in 1998, although the organisations retain close links.
The Royal Automobile Club has a sister site in Epsom, Surrey, called Woodcote Park, which has two golf courses.
Just a minute...
Tell me a secret
I'm an avid Watford Football Club supporter. My parents are from the area so I always look at their results.
How do you unwind?
I try to force myself to go on a short bike ride when I get back from work. Alternatively, sitting in the garden with a glass of white wine is equally effective.
Are you a fan of motor sports?
I am. I love Formula One. My school was so near to Silverstone that I would climb the fence and watch the cars roaring around the track.