ACE Patrons & Fellows

Our Patrons are all eminent members of our industry and we are grateful to them for all their support.
Adam Handling
The Frog E1
Adam Handling
The Frog E1
Adam handling’s culinary journey started at Gleneagles where he was the first ever trainee chef, before going on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever head chef, culminating in winning scottish young chef of the year 2011.

Adam has since been awarded Scottish Chef of the Year 2015, Newcomer Restaurant of the Year in the Food and Travel Reader Awards 2015, as well as the British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year 2014. He was also the youngest person to be tipped by the Caterer magazine as one of the ’30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards.

A highly accomplished chef, Adam Handling brings his love of Asian flavours and techniques – particularly Japanese – to his kitchen. His beautifully presented dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in a number of different, creative ways to enhance their inherent properties and deliver real depth of flavour and harmony.

Photo by Tim Green.
Chris Sheppardson
Chess Partnership
Chris Sheppardson
Chess Partnership
Chris is the founder of Chess Partnership and Chess Executive, which is one of the Industry’s leading executive management recruitment concerns, with offices in London, Geneva, Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham. Chris was inspired to start his own business by a belief in the importance of individuals and in the principle of cultural fit within organizations.

“Most recruitment companies evolve around a database system, which is absolutely fine but in my eyes there is more to appreciate and understand. Recruitment is really about understanding culture, people and the market. Sounds simple but is really quite complex and ever changing, which makes it a fascinating business to lead.”

Chris is also the editor and publisher of En Passant Magazine, which is circulated on a bi-monthly basis to over 6,000 industry professionals.

“The Hospitality Industry is never ever dull. It is full of the self-made who have worked via to success through trials and tribulations, of great creative talents, of extrovert and charismatic characters who are passionate and committed to the Industry. So often, the Industry talks itself down and let it actually has so much to talk about. Over the years, I have heard many marvellous tales of courage, of dedication, of humility and of belief. It is an Industry that can inspire.”
Marc Verstringhe
MESV Consultancy Int.
Marc Verstringhe
MESV Consultancy Int.
Mark's thoughts on the foodservice industry:

In the service industry people are clearly the most important asset. It is very much a “people business”.

In any organisation every member of staff – no matter what position – has a point of view concerning the running of the business. Sensible management will find ways to coordinate and consider these views and bring them together, just as a conductor will draw his musicians together to perform a symphony. In doing so the management are likely to discover changes which can be made to make the business more effective. Successful companies use a team approach, drawing at the brainpower that exists at every level of the workforce, rather than only where it is institutionalised, at the top levels of management. “At the end of the day we would lock our team in the safe at the risk of leaving one’s wallet on the kitchen table!”

In 2002 Sally Heavens and Professor John Child, members of the Centre of International Business and Management at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, wrote a case study book about Catering & Allied (the company we founded some 30 years ago). In it they relate how the determined application of two core values lead to business success i.e. “Total Commitment to Client Satisfaction no ifs no buts” and “People Working With You and Not For You” centred on imagining what should be rather than accepting what is possible and by not changing what is, but creating what is not.
Wendy Bartlett
bartlett mitchell
Wendy Bartlett
bartlett mitchell
Wendy Bartlett is CEO of bartlett mitchell, a boutique contract catering company and Inn or Out Events Company serving London & the South East of the UK.

Prior to setting up bartlett mitchell, Wendy enjoyed a very successful career with Compass and Sutcliffe, latterly as Operations Director for London for Compass Group.

Wendy and her business partner Ian Mitchell established bartlett mitchell in 1999 with a strong belief in team values - honesty, openness, integrity and providing a fun place to work where all employees feel that they can contribute. The formula worked and today the company is award winning and operates at nearly 85 locations around the South East. It employs 850 staff and has a turnover of £30million.

Wendy is keen to give back to the industry that has been immensely good to her; she is a board member of the BHA and the IOH and she sits on the UWL Alumni board and the advisory board of Royal Holloway of London Management School. She is also a trustee of the My Little Trooper charity, which helps and supports the children of serving military personnel. Wendy is a keen and enthusiastic mentor to a number of people within the hospitality and other service industries.

Wendy has been acknowledged as one of top 100 Influential Women in Hospitality but she believes the most rewarding recognition has come from the team’s efforts. For the last few years bartlett mitchell has achieved a place on The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, and has been awarded the Sustainable Contract Caterer by the Sustainable Restaurant Association recognising its environmental efforts. bartlett mitchell was awarded Investors in People Silver accreditation which it has held since 2009 as well as a plethora of other people, environmental and business accreditations and awards. The ultimate accolade was to be recognised with an MBE in the 2015 New Year Honours list for services to hospitality.

With her colleagues and team, Wendy has built a sustainable business that lives the same values today as it did on day one. The team works hard but still has loads of fun, forming great friendships and loving what they do – which is eating, drinking and talking about food! And oh yes she is a complete aficionada on gin too!!
Jane Sunley
Purple Cubed
Jane Sunley
Purple Cubed
Best-selling business author and CEO of employee engagement experts and tech providers, Purple Cubed, Jane is a pragmatic people expert and career guru.

Having founded two businesses and been instrumental in the success of several high profile employment projects, Jane is a highly regarded entrepreneur. She also is a visiting fellow at two UK Universities, president of HR in Hospitality, and features on more than one ‘100 most influential’ listings.

Having realised that if someone could help companies to become a great place to work, there wouldn’t be such a crisis over ‘the talent war’, in September 2001, she founded Purple Cubed; enabling global clients to collectively save in excess of £10m per annum. In 2014 the company was named CIPD HR Consultancy of the Year, Personnel Today HR Supplier of the Year and one of Inc’s European Fastest 5000 businesses.

Like Jane’s writing, her presenting style is a lively and engaging. Simplifying the complexities of ‘the people stuff’ by providing practical stories and examples allows audiences to take away plenty of quick wins and ideas, which, with a little effort, can achieve bottom-line results.
Alastair Storey
BaxterStorey
Alastair Storey
BaxterStorey
WSH is one of the UK’s most successful hospitality businesses. Founded by Alastair Storey and his colleague Keith Wilson in 2000 the goal for the business was to create a completely different proposition to the market offering fresh, seasonal food, great service and a real commitment to training. Its nimble, entrepreneurial and customer oriented culture has seen the company grow rapidly to revenues of over £630m with over 16,000 employees.

The WSH heritage has been built on sustainably sourcing fresh, seasonal, local produce, combined with dedicated training and development for its people. Over the past 12 years WSH has established relationships with more than 2,000 farmers, growers and artisan producers across the UK in order to provide the freshest food to its customers. Alastair is totally committed to training and development and his business has become renowned for its Chef Academy, Leadership Academy and Barista Academy.

Within the wider industry Alastair is a member of the BHA board, a Governor of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and represents UK interest within Europe as member of the Board for Food Service Europe. In 2011 along with fellow trustees Alastair launched The Gold Service Scholarship, created to highlight the importance of Front of House service within the dining experience.

In 2013 he was ranked the most influential person in hospitality by Caterer and Hotelkeeper and won the 2007 Catey Award for the industry. He is also one of the Hot 100 entrepreneurs ranked by Strathclyde University’s Essential alumni entrepreneurial network.

He holds a BA in Hotel and Catering Management and has further qualifications from other institutions, including Harvard Business School.
Ruth Hansom
Hansom Lambert
Ruth Hansom
Hansom Lambert
I first started cooking when I was at school. I entered Springboards Future Chef competition for under 16s and came 2nd in the national final. After this I was offered a place at Westminster College and so finished my GCSEs and moved to London. When I first moved I was given a job by Frederick Forster then of the Boundary. I completed my Royal Academy of Culinary Arts apprenticeship with a distinction while working at The Ritz and worked there for a further two years.

During this time I have competed in other competitions including:

  • Master Chefs of Great Britain Young Chef of the Year (1st in 2013 and 2014)
  • Craft Guild of Chefs National Young Chef of the Year (2nd in 2013)
  • Craft Guild Graduate Awards (received)
  • World Skills UK (Gold 2012 and Team UK)
  • European Championships World Skills - Bronze
  • Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards of Excellence 2016v
  • Craft Guild of Chefs Young Chef of the Year (1st in 2016/17)v
  • World Finals Abu Dhabi World Skills 2017 - Medallion of Excellence

I received the Apprentice Chef Award at the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards in 2013 and Craft Guild Rising Star in 2014 as well as the Royal Academy Michael Bourdin Scholarship in 2017.

I love to raise money for Springboard, a charity that helped me so much at the beginning of my career and who continue to support me. In September I cycled from London to Paris and throughout the year I am auctioned to do cooking at home events with all proceeds going to them.

My latest project to date is my own restaurant with business partner, Emily Lambert. We plan to open in August of this year. The details I can’t go into too much as it will appear on BBC2s Million Pound Menu at the beginning of May.
Our Fellows are all eminent members of our industry and we are grateful to them for all their support.
Peter Green
FusionFSM
Peter Green
FusionFSM
Peter Green is the managing director of FusionFSM, a company specialising in the foodservice market place, providing outsourced sales resources and research services to food manufacturers and suppliers. Peter is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, a Past Chairman of ACE and Treasurer of Arena. Prior to FusionFSM he had an extensive career in contract catering. He has been in foodservice for 39 years and a member of ACE for 22 years.
Kevin Colclough-Noble
ACE Secretary

Kevin Colclough-Noble
ACE Secretary

Kevin trained at Westminster College, London and qualified with an OND in Hotel and Catering Operations and later the HCIMA membership qualification.

Kevin then trained with the Savoy Hotels Group and undertook their Management Training Programme for a 2 year period.

He then moved to the Bank of England where he remained as Senior Catering Manager for almost 20 years. After a period with Harrison Catering and Chamberlain Restaurants, Kevin joined Elior in 2003 and has held Operation and Brand Manager positions and is currently working with the Marks and Spencer organisation in London.

Kevin is a past Chairman and a Fellow of ACE as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality.
Norman L. Deas
Past-Chairman
GSS Catering Management Services
Norman L. Deas
Past-Chairman
GSS Catering Management
Throughout all of his working life Norman has been associated with all aspects of the Catering Industry.

Having graduated from the Scottish Hotel School at the University of Strathclyde, Norman gained practical hands-on experience with several companies within the then Trust House Forte Group including the Cafe Royal, Russell Hotel and various airports, before moving into Food and Service Management, holding various senior management positions within the Compass Group, Russell & Brand and the Pall Mall Services Group.

In between these moves Norman also managed to gain considerable experience of the Supply Industry having been Managing Director of AFE On Line — a national catering equipment wholesale distribution company.

Norman then went on to set up his own Food & Service Management Company, Goodfellows CMS Ltd, and developed the company to such a level that it was ultimately purchased by the Compass Group in 2004.

Since the acquisition Norman has been managing his own Catering Consultancy, GSS, as well as taking up a non-executive directorship role with Pride Catering Partnership Ltd.

Norman is a Past Chairman and a Fellow of ACE as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and an Associate Member of the FCSI.
Paul Hurren
Past-Chairman
Thomas Franks
Paul Hurren
Past-Chairman
Thomas Franks
Paul Hurren is Managing Director of Lusso; the niche city and fine dining specialist business within the CH&Co catering group which delivers fine food to the employees of law, accountancy, insurance and banking firms both within the Square Mile and also in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

Paul joined Lusso in 2003, having previously worked at Avenance and since his arrival the company has experienced significant growth, as well as a four fold increase in clients.

Paul's passion for his role and for the industry and his single-minded dedication to making every dining experience memorable sets him apart. With Paul at the helm, Lusso has become one of the most respected and dynamic companies within city dining food service, with a well-deserved reputation for innovative and exquisite food, beautifully presented and faultlessly delivered with great service. Paul's team of professionals serve 8,000 meals each day to the hard working, demanding city workers at Blue Chip companies such as Investec, SJ Berwin LLP, Mulberry and Norton Rose.

Lusso's 2011 turnover was £16.5 million and the group employs 420 people across London and beyond.

Paul lives in East London and has three children. His interests include gardening, the theatre and great food and wine.