Michelin-starred chef Chris Galvin is confirmed as the keynote speaker at the Institute of Hospitality Annual Lunch on Monday 9 June at the Royal Garden Hotel, London
Chris, with his brother Jeff, has built up a hugely successful family business throughout the recession, having opened seven restaurants in seven years, and attendees of the Institute of Hospitality Annual Lunch will gain valuable insights into Chris’s business strategy at one of the industry’s networking highlights of the year.
During an extraordinary career, Chris has worked closely with influential figures such as Antony Worrall Thompson, Sir Terence Conran, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. At the age of 40 he took a management degree at the University of West London before starting his own business.
“I’m a great believer in lifelong learning,” he says. “We would never have developed the business the way we have without doing that degree.”
Chris has also studied philosophy at the London School of Economics which he says is very useful to people in management or stressful jobs.
On the subject of recruitment and skills shortages, Chris says: “At every level it is a challenge to find staff. It’s never gone away, but personally I have never seen it this bad.” The sheer number of new restaurant and hotel openings in London in recent months is making retention and recruitment more difficult than ever, he says.
The Institute of Hospitality is the home of continuous professional development and has been the industry’s professional body for more than 75 years. The Institute of Hospitality Annual Lunch is one of the largest gatherings of senior hospitality professionals and suppliers to the industry. To book a place at the Annual Lunch on Monday 9 June 2014 at the Royal Garden Hotel, London, click here or call 020 8661 4900.