Kellie Rixon MBE FIH reflects on her four year tenure as Chair of the Board at the Institute of Hospitality
Albert Einstein once said: “Do not strive to be a success but rather to be of value.” This message always resonated with me even before joining the board of Trustees at the Institute of Hospitality.
Being of value is very important to me. Being of value brings a sense of achievement, a sense of belonging and even a sense of pride. It comes with feeling you added something, you improved it, you built something a little stronger.
As my four year tenure as Chair of the Board at the Institute of Hospitality is coming to an end, I’m being a little introspective, but I still feel this is the yardstick I should use to measure my ‘success’ in this position. So, have I added value to this wonderful organisation, the global vanguard of professionalism for the industry I love?
As I sit here, I’m hopeful the answer is yes but I’d like to look back over those four years to hopefully give some supporting evidence that “Kellie was ere”.
I’ve been in hospitality my whole life. Whatever job I’ve done it’s been so much more than a job. Those of us who’ve worked the double and triple shift on virtually no sleep or turned around a wedding breakfast into evening reception for 250 in 38 minutes will tell you. This is no job, it’s a vocation!!!
So, when I was asked to join the board of the Institute of Hospitality, I really thought they’d made a mistake. I was an operator. A foot soldier. I wasn’t part of the great and good of industry, I was simply a part of it. I reflected on the offer carefully. I thought how I could add value and if I’m honest it made me ask much broader questions. If I didn’t think I belonged representing my industry, then maybe others felt that way too. It was here I saw my value. I knew I could help change a perception that the Institute was only for one kind of hospitality professional. It was for all of us.
I was determined that our existing and future members would feel the value of membership. We needed to open our net and our hearts and embrace a wider proportion of the industry.
Organisational change starts from within so making some fundamental strategy changes helped the IoH become more accessible. The appointment of the wonderful Robert Richardson FIH fuelled this fire of evolution. Together with the board we would define the next phase for the IoH which respected the past and embraced our future.
During the four years there has been amazing momentum for change and growth. Building our financial performance to ensure we are commercially viable was paramount and the first task the Board and Executive tackled.
Consistently building membership over the four years has been one of the things I’m most proud of.
Navigating volatility and unprecedented chaos in the industry during Covid showed how far we had come as a business. I’m very proud of that. We survived at a time when membership may have been perceived a luxury, because we demonstrated value (that word again). It was during this time we saw the increase in access to our online programmes, materials and training soar. We thought it would return to pre-covid use but its maintained. I’m proud of that too.
We have a dynamic and diverse board guiding and challenging the Executive. They are engaged and active. There are no passengers on our board. Every one of the board members have played their part. I couldn’t write this without specifically mentioning Wendy Sutherland FIH and Paul Gilley FIH who have been with me every step of this journey. They step down with me on the 4th September. I’m so grateful to them both. This has become a wonderful group of people who are committed to supporting the Executive to deliver more value for our members. I am definitely proud of that.
Over the past four years we have embraced change. Our members have guided us, and we have seen huge successes with our wonderful Youth Council. Seeing the next generation actively engaged in the Institute and shaping its future strategy is something we have now come to expect. They are there right at the decision table. I can’t tell you how proud I am of that.
We have grown and delivered on our diversity strategy making the IoH inclusive for everyone. We will continue to build on this making sure every person in hospitality aspires to be part of our membership. Our purpose is clear. Our aim is to help our members elevate. To improve. To be recognised as true professionals.
Chartered Status, an ambition of ours since 1985, finally became a strategic objective, as we built relations in Westminster, demonstrated our value as a professional body for a truly great industry, and worked tirelessly to make this ambition a reality. Over the last four years we really have gotten so close to becoming a Chartered body, and credit where it is due, Westminster really do understand the value of this, and have been supportive, over and above what we could have expected. They truly get it, and I know that it is a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘If’ we move forward as an industry ratified by Charter.
I’m so excited for the next chapter at the IoH. Continuing to build and get better, to represent our members, to be at the forefront in support of our professional standards and to celebrate and shout about the achievements in hospitality. I am immeasurably proud of that. So, as I look back over the last four years can I honestly say I added value? I’d like to think so. So, I sign off happy to say, ‘Kellie was ere”.
