People 1st appoints leading figures to member council

23 November 2010 by
People 1st appoints leading figures to member council

People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, has appointed 10 key figures from across the industry, including Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines, to its member council.

Jillian MacLean, managing director of Drake and Morgan, and Mike Williams, group director of people and development at Malmaison and Hotel du Vin Hotels, were also among the list of new members announced today.

Natalie Bickford, HR director for contract caterer Sodexo has been named vice-chair of the board of trustees. She joined People 1st in 2008 and is also chair of the Sector Skills Council's Women 1st initiative.

Commenting on her appointment, Bickford said: "This is a critical time for hospitality and tourism in the UK, and through initiatives such as Women 1st, and the training and development programmes offered through People 1st's training division, we have a real opportunity to raise skills levels across the sector.

"As vice-chair, I am committed to working with our chairman, David Fairhurst, and the rest of the board to ensure that our industry continues to benefit from People 1st's work."

People 1st's chief executive, Brian Wisdom, welcomed the new members and added: "The new additions to our council of members bring a wealth of experience from across the visitor economy. I look forward to involving each of the new members in our work, and to listening to the expertise and guidance that they will bring."

Other new additions to the People 1st council of members are:

Guoman and Thistle Hotels
â- Karen Davies - HR director, Novus Leisure
â- Sara Edwards - director of HR worldwide, Orient-Express Services
â- Mike Greenacre - managing director, Co-operative Travel
â- John McEwan - chief executive, Advantage Travel, who also joins the board of trustees
â- Shelley Thomas - group people director, Gala Coral Group
â- Alistair Telfer - club secretary, Oxford and Cambridge Club

The new members were introduced at People 1st's annual general meeting last week, where Minister for Welfare Reform Lord Freud attended to discuss how hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism employers could assist in getting unemployed people back into work.

People 1st campaign to train 200,000 staff for London Olympics >>

Women leaving industry cost employers £2.8b a year >>

People 1st to start search for Top 100 women in hospitality >>

By Janie Stamford

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