Career Experience

Supermarket Assistant
Waitrose & Partners (John Lewis Group), Clapham Junction Branch
40-44 St John's Rd, London SW11 1PW
May 2020 - Present day
Waitrose Clapham Junction

Responsibilities:

• Supporting the intense business operation through disciplines including: Moving and replenishing stock, waste management, cash and card transactions, advising and serving customers, carrying out housekeeping activities according to set procedures, upselling and suggestive selling to customers.

• Working across areas including bakery, ambient, fresh, frozen and alcohol.

• Running the RAPID and .COM home delivery service function whilst in store.

• Training new hires on the shop floor and on RAPID.

• Working night-shift and day-shift hours.

• Being a Waitrose ambassador and going above and beyond to ensure a great service and shopping experience.
  

Director
Excite Recruitment Ltd
Wessex House, Eastleigh, SO50 9FD, UK
June 2008 - Present Day / Furlough
www.ExciteRecruitment.com

Excite Recruitment specialises in recruitment solutions for the cruise, maritime, hotel, resort, hospitality and catering industries. Our consultants have many years’ resourcing experience in the wide-world, working incredibly hard to source great talent for our partners, nationally and internationally. We offer a personalised and dedicated recruitment collaboration for our fantastic clients. Excite Recruitment has built a strong reputation in the industry and we are committed to offering exceptional service-excellence to make the resourcing process seamless.

Responsibilities:

• Leading a team of 4 (2 Consultants and 2 Resourcers) within a business operation supporting the recruitment and resourcing needs for cruise, maritime and hospitality firms across the globe.

• Working alongside a brilliant business partner to run, strategise and develop the operation.

• Overseeing professional relationships with partners including contracts, agreements, tenders, proposals, invoicing & credit control.

• Recruiting for roles across the breadth of the business operations from Waiters to Hotel Directors.

• Managing the revenue generation of a function to ensure profitability.

• Training and development of the Team.
  

Achievements:

• Creation and development of a healthy business.

• Leading and developing a very successful team.

• Partnering with major cruise line companies and hospitality firms nationally and internationally.

• The business has successfully introduced over 1,800 personnel to companies across the globe.

• Improved revenue generation and profit year on year.

• Successful launch of new company website in 2020.

Manager of Cruise & International Recruitment Division
Berkeley Scott Group Plc
Godalming & London, UK
May 2004 – June 2007
www.Berkeley-Scott.co.uk
Reporting to Area General Manager

Berkeley Scott is an established UK based hospitality recruitment firm with an in-house team of recruitment professionals to deliver individually tailored candidate searches. Berkeley Scott remain in touch with industry developments where they source, locate and recruit the very best talent that the hospitality industry has to offer.

Responsibilities:

• Leading a team of 3 within the Cruise & International Recruitment division.

• In direct charge of a budget exceeding £150,000 yearly.

• Business development, training and development, contracts, agreements, tenders, proposals, and open-days.

• Targeted to create and drive revenue generation of over £200,000 per annum.

Achievements:

• Challenged to turn around a failing recruitment division within 3 months of starting in the role. Successful in task.

• Re-negotiating contracts, partnership rates, payment terms and gaining new clients in the cruise and international sectors.

• Leading the team through a difficult period of department uncertainty to create a very successful division.

• Managing the HR function for the team.

Regional Training Manager; for the south of the UK
De Vere Hotels Plc
May 2002 - April 2004
www.Devere.co.uk
Reporting to National Training Manager

Combining the brands of 5* and 4* De Vere Hotels, 3* Village Leisure Hotels and Green’s Fitness & Health Clubs, the company offered exceptional guest experiences across the country.

Responsibilities:

• Supporting the business function in the role of a consultant and learning & development partner

• Accountable for 9 hotel and health club sites across the south of the UK including:

  • 5* De Vere Grand Brighton 5* De Vere Grand Harbour (Southampton)

  • 4* De Vere Royal Bath (Bournemouth) 4* De Vere Dormy (Bournemouth)

  • 4* De Vere Bellhouse (Beaconsfield) 4* De Vere Swindon

  • 4* Village Leisure Swindon Greens Health Club Chingford & Croydon

  • Supporting the leadership development, enhancing the company business culture and revenue generation through effective facilitation of training sessions, 1:1 coaching and various courses.

• Measuring ‘successes’ of the impact of learning and development with strong metrics in place to show positive change.

• Accountable for the training and development for all levels of the company up to and including General Manager and over 1000+ staff.

Achievements:

• Successfully saved £1000’s in cost-saving through coaching leaders to change their management styles leading to reduced staff turn-over.

• Created specific and bespoke courses for the hotel functions across the width of the operation.

• Worked at all levels of the business including consulting alongside the General Managers.

• Introduced the concept of ‘Service That Sells’ within the properties to improve the spend-per-head on site and thus developing revenue generation for the company.

• Rolled out the company induction course ‘Excellerate’ which involves a multi-platform learning opportunity.

• Qualified to facilitate Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership training course.

Assistant Human Resources Manager & Training Officer
Disney Cruise Line (Shipboard)
April 2000 – April 2002
Disneycruise.Disney.Go.com
Reporting to the Shipboard Human Resources Manager

Disney Cruise Line is an operation that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Cruise Line currently operates four ships: Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy.

Responsibilities:

Supporting the HR Manager with employee relations investigations and disciplinaries across a broad range of topics including: fighting, harassment, alcohol, theft, management by fear, performance management, and progressive discipline et al. Facilitating leadership training programs including PLEX – Preparing Leaders for Excellence. First point of contact for the new hire and re-boarding crew. Running the Disney Cruise Line shipboard induction program, Guest Service, Drugs & Alcohol, Harassment and Safety training sessions.

Achievements:

• Ambassadorial role working across Disney Magic and Disney Wonder ships to support best practice across the fleet.

• Welcoming and inducting over 1000+ new Disney Cruise Line crew to the vessel.

• Created ’15 Minutes with…’ platform for leaders to team-build and work even more effectively together at sea.

• Trained over 40 leaders in the PLEX sessions and supported Crew Welfare and Diversity Crew Activity committees.

• Aligned to Maritime Labor Compliance (MLC) plus actively involved with shipboard safety duties.

Additional roles:

Corporate Trainer
Carnival Cruise Lines
March 1999 - March 2000

Flight Attendant
Virgin Atlantic Airways
January 1997 – February 1999

Cultural Representative
Walt Disney World
August 1995 – November 1996