Rishi Sunak has launched a series of online meetings with industry leaders, the first of which with Gordon Ramsay.
The meeting is quite enlightening, as it is choreographed to present both as ordinary blokes having a chat, when neither are anything of the sort. That said the meeting flows well and is engaging to viewers. The meeting can be watched in full below to formulate your own view.
Rishi Sunak’s PR team are to be congratulated as he comes across well, that said the script writing inviting Ramsay to advocate the job Sunak has done through the pandemic is a tad trite.
Ramsay’s PR team have done an even better job and to such an extent that it seems unscripted, it almost certainly was. Jo?
Ramsay’s achievements in hospitality are immense, as are his blunders, and few politicians would endeavour to make such a video. So, well done both.
However, if Rishi Sunak wants to get meaningful feedback, both on what he has done for the hospitality industry to date, and what he could do moving forward, there are others he should be speaking with.
Who?
Kate Nicholls would seem the obvious choice, but given they are already in regular communication another view would be more advantageous.
The ideal candidate would need to have the interests of the industry forefront of the assignment and not side tracked on building their own profile. This clearly rules out quite a few.
Sally Beck could qualify as the focus of her actions are on improving our industry for all, as we saw earlier this week with the launch of the Hotelier’s Charter.
Another candidate could be Claire Bosi, who has personal experience of running restaurants and as Editor of Chef and Restaurant Magazine a window to the industry through her inbox. Bosi also initiated the Minister for Hospitality campaign, and has championed its cause effectively, resulting in a debate taking place in Parliament discussing the need for such.
Someone running a large and diverse hospitality business employing thousands would be another option to consider in gathering the widest possible intel from the meeting. Sodexo Regional Chair, UK & Ireland Sean Haley fits that category well. The pledges detailed in Sodexo’s ethical manifesto 2021 also point to an industry wide interest rather than a solitary one.
There are others of course, and Gordon Ramsay’s contribution was valid. He emphasised the importance of training, mentoring and the development of human resources in hospitality, and has walked that walk.
Maybe what is needed is a roundtable, to garner the widest possible range of viewpoints to enable Sunak to shape a cohesive range of tactics to accompany his hospitality strategy going forward.
News from the hospitality and catering industry is also being featured extensively in our Facebook and twitter social media accounts with the opportunity to engage with others in hospitality and share your views.
Hospitality & Catering News: Rishi meets Gordon, we consider other candidates. – 19 February 2021 – Rishi meets Gordon, we consider other candidates.
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