The ALMR Operations Managers Awards are amongst the most coveted in the on-trade, and have just been awarded to Donny McIntyre of Spirit Pub Company and Heike Funke of Punch Taverns – named Area Manager and Business Development Manager of the Year respectively.
Rob Summers of Punch Taverns was awarded a Highly Commended prize, and the Rising Star Award was made to Benjamin Smith of Charles Wells Pub Co, in recognition of the qualities he has displayed throughout the Awards process, even though he has been working within the licensed sector for less than two years.
The awards are in their 16th year, and recognise and celebrate the talents and energy of the best operators in the business – those who are at the coal face of driving growth within UK licensed hospitality and who work closely with their teams in the pursuit of operational excellence.
Personal and career development
The awards process also provides an opportunity for real personal and career development. The finalists undergo a rigorous three day intensive strategic leadership development process overseen by Ashridge Management College and many go on to leadership positions within the industry.
Delivering jobs and growth
The 2012 Awards are also testimony to Britain’s pubs and bars ability to offer a firm platform to deliver economic jobs and growth throughout the country. The ALMR’s authoritative 2012 benchmarking report showed that overall operators have a tight hold over managing costs and they are continuing to invest in their estate, their offer and their people with an average capital expenditure of 3.2% of turnover, up 28% year on year. The licensed hospitality industry delivered one in eight of all new jobs in the UK last year and these Awards show our appetite to achieve more.
ALMR chief executive, Nick Bish commented:
“The Operations Managers Awards shine a light on the summit of achievement, but we must be vigilant in constantly looking to improve performance. I urge the industry to look even more closely at how we can define the role of the ops managers (managed or leased), refine the skills of those doing the job, and offer more clearly some stepping stones of recognition and qualification to those engaged in this wonderfully challenging and very rewarding business.”
The Operations Manager of the Year Awards
Reward and celebrate the talents of the individuals who have been recognised and tested as the greatest operations managers in the business. These are middle managers who look after, nurture and support a group of pubs in their area. They are a key business builder and driver. Previous winners have gone on to run national pub companies and set up their own businesses
The winners
Heike Funke, Business Development Manager, Punch Taverns
There are 45 businesses in Heike’s ‘patch’, which are spread throughout Yorkshire and along the M62 corridor. They range from good quality food led outlets to the more traditional community boozer. Heike does some 40,000 miles per annum seeing her customers, and has recently been promoted to Senior BDM which sees her deputise for her Director in his absence as well as mentoring and coaching the BDMs in the group.
Donny McIntyre, Area Manager, Spirit Pub Company
Donny has the pleasure of looking after some of the Country’s best known pubs as he is responsible for 20 outlets which form part of Spirit’s London pub estate plus four situated in the seaside resort of Brighton. Donny has been on this territory for almost eighteen months but even within such a short time he has already achieved an above budget performance. In recognition of his success in this area plus his previous ‘patch’ in the North East, Donny was chosen as Spirit BDM of the Year. Donny started some 15 years ago as the General Manager of a Chef & Brewer site, then moved into an openings manager and training position before becoming an Area Manager.
Benjamin Smith, Business Development Manager, Charles Wells Pub Company
Ben has been with Charles Wells Pub Company for less than two years – starting out as the company’s first Retail Development Executive. After an extensive training programme he went on to look after 20 of the company’s leased businesses. After nine months this increased to 35 outlets and within his first full year of ‘running a patch’ he was nominated for four out of five Charles Wells Pub Company Awards. Ben walked away with an Award in recognition of his recruitment process and success.
Rob Summers, Business Development Manager, Punch Taverns
43 pubs, of all shapes and sizes make up Rob’s estate. They are located in the North East of England, in the towns of Hartlepool, Darlington, Richmond and Stockton plus the surrounding villages. Rob has been with Punch for six years and is passionate about doing everything he can to ensure the success of the business partners that he works with. Before he joined Punch, Rob spent 14 years with McDonald’s where he worked his way up from Assistant Manager to being responsible for 12 of the busiest restaurants in the North East.