Chef Brian Turner was presented with a Springboard Special Award on Monday night for his efforts to promote hospitality as a career choice.

The annual Springboard Awards for Excellence aim to showcase the best initiatives to attract and retain staff in the hospitality, leisure and travel industries.

Turner – who runs two restaurants at the Millennium Mayfair hotel in London and at the Crowne Plaza Birmingham NEC – was described by judges as “an inspirational role model, appealing to talent of all ages and who gives freely of his time to the industry.”

He has spearheaded the organisation’s FutureChef competition to attract upcoming new talent, supports fundraising each year and is always available to give advice.

Arthur Callaghan, head chef at Novotel Birmingham Centre, won the Springboard Ambassador’s Award for his “massive dedication” to training and nurturing his staff, talking to local schools and colleges, and participating in Springboard initiatives.

Contract caterer Compass took the award for Best Regional Initiative for its involvement in the Hoxton Apprentice training restaurant, which opened in London this May to train up to 100 unemployed and socially excluded candidates a year.

The group was praised as “the role model for a large company, showing tremendous corporate social responsibility with its input in time, money and expertise, which also resulted in a very useful recruitment tool.”

The other Springboard winners were:

Recruitment Award: Glasgow Hoteliers Personnel and Training Forum
Retention Award: Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf, London
Best Career Progression Award: Greene King Pub Company
Best Employer Award for Travel and Tourism: VisitScotland
Best Employer Award for Hospitality and Leisure: TLH Leisure Resort, Torbay, Devon
Diversity in Employment Award: Hilton Southampton
Best Student Placement Provider (small organisation): BaxterSmith
Best Student Placement Provider (large organisation): Gala Group
Young People Award: Cumbria Tourist Board
Education Award: Inverness Hotels Association
Web Award: Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perth & Kinross
Recruitment Award for Travel and Tourism: Thomas Cook