All Episodes

The B Corp movement envisions a global economy that uses business as a force for good. Businesses should not only generate returns, but also to create value for its customers, employees, community, and the environment. Through its rigorous assessments, there are now over 3,300 certified B Corporations across 150 industries in 71 countries. In this episode we explore the pragmatic way to assess if businesses are built as ‘good’. It’s clear that becoming a B Corp is no award show or marketing exer...

Building trust and having the space to be creative is essential for any business to thrive. Today’s guests Kitty Newman and Klaudia Mitura have seen this impact operators firsthand, so I can’t wait to unpack what you can do to practically implement these values into your workplace. As co-hosts of &Happiness, a podcast which explores what makes us happy, Kitty and Klaudia are obsessed with storytelling. Alongside the podcast, Kitty is the Director of creative digital marketing agency TrapezeMedia...

We all know the climate crisis is a real problem. So what can the hospitality sector actually do? It’s a big challenge to tackle, and we certainly don’t have all the answers. We uncover our learnings from ‘No Planet B’ by Mike Berners-Lee – a really impactful book which reveals the hard facts and big-picture perspective on the environmental and economic challenges, as well as how we live and think. In this conversation, we reflect on our actions as business owners. From food waste, sourcing, ene...

As host of the popular Slick Talk podcast and founding member of the Hospitality Game Changers Group, Wil Slickers is a content creator extraordinaire. Wil dedicates his time to individual and big name operators in the vacation rental and boutique hotel segments of hospitality while still growing the show and industry network globally. I’m super excited to pick Wil’s brains as he’s a true expert in service accommodation. It’s been a tumultuous year, but he suggests an interesting business opport...

The circular economy is about eliminating waste and having a continual use of resources. In today’s episode we explore how this powerful system for sustainability can be applied to the hospitality industry. From food waste to kitchen design, it bleeds into all areas that can be achieved through collaboration. Tune in as we explore how David is applying the principles of the circular economy to his hospitality design work. We also discuss where the big opportunities lie, the renting economy, what...

Today’s guest Jeremiah Tower needs little introduction. He’s an American celebrity chef who, along with Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, has been credited with pioneering the culinary style known as California cuisine. His career began at Chez Panisse, in California, after a chance job opportunity. He later opened his own restaurant, Stars, in San Francisco, with branches in Napa Valley, Palo Alto, Manila, and Singapore. His biographical documentary ‘Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent’ was prod...

Our society has an obsession with growth, quite often neglecting the need to thrive. In today’s episode, we unpack a meaty but highly relevant book – ‘Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist’ by Kate Raworth, to learn more about how we can fundamentally reframe our understanding of what economics is and does. Along the way, she points out how we can break our addiction to growth; redesign money, finance, and business to be in service to people; and create economies ...

There’s no doubt that there’s been a huge adoption of technology for hospitality businesses this year. What’s clear is that the hardest part of digital transformation is putting in place the systems and processes first. In this episode I catch up with Mark Gausden, Vice President EMEA & JAPAC at Oracle Food and Beverage, to learn more about what you need to be strategic with your technology. Oracle Food and Beverage is part of Oracle, a global leader in enterprise software and IT solutions. Thei...

What type of hospitality industry do we actually want to create? Hospitality and The Infinite Game is a new podcast series focused on answering this one simple question. Tune in as Michael Tingsager of Hospitality Mavericks and David Chenery of Object Space Place discuss big ideas that might just set the foundation for a different model of success. Today’s episode is inspired by Simon Sinek’s ‘Infinite Game’, and what happens when we switch to a longer-term thinking mindset. We reflect over the ...

Hospitality and the Infinite Game is a new podcast series focused on answering one simple question….what type of hospitality industry do we actually want to create? In the series, Michael Tingsager of Hospitality Mavericks and David Chenery of Object Space Place discuss big ideas that might set the foundation for a different model of success. A model which would allow us to piece together a bold new way forward, where our businesses can thrive whilst making a positive impact on people, communiti...

With over 18 years experience in the workforce management industry, Andreas Sjölund is a true expert when it comes to digitising the employee experience. As Co-Founder at Quinyx, their motto is “happy workforce, happy business”. Quinyx is a leading workforce management software. Their technology helps simplify scheduling, time reporting, communication, task management, budgeting and forecasting. They help some of the world’s biggest businesses, such as McDonald’s, DHL and Hilton. I was fascinate...

Dhilon Solanki has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years. As UK & EMEA Director at Sprout, he’s been busy up-serving their customers since the pandemic started. I’m excited to catch up with Dhilon to learn more about where technology and communication sits in the bigger picture for hospitality. From an idea captured on the back of a napkin by the three Founders in 2008, Sprout has since grown to now boast a global workforce to service our growing global client base. Headquartered in Melb...

In this bonus episode CEO and Co-Founder of Vita Mojo, Nick Popovici gives an extensive overview of the wave of digital transformations that have to happen across the industry during the last 3-6 months. Nick shares his views on where the industry will be 3 years from now. He believes that the winners are the brands which have radically changed their approach to how they run and operate their businesses through technology. At the end of the interview, Nick will share some amazing advice on how l...

What is it that’s at the core of a truly happy workplace? This is a question I uncover with today’s guest, Henry Stewart, Chief Happiness Officer at Happy. Happy is an award winning Learning and Development organisation offering fun and engaging computer and management training. Happy's vision is outlined by Henry Stewart in his book, The Happy Manifesto. It outlines our 10 principles to create a happy, empowered workplace. It’s a book that has massively influenced the way I run my businesses, s...

In this episode, Michael talks with experienced pub operator Kris Gumbrell, CEO of Brewhouse and Kitchen. They are an award-winning pub group and they operate more than 20 pubs spread all over the south of England with more in the pipeline. Kris talks about how the pandemic impacted them as a business and that they have used a people-first approach to ensure that they can get through this together. We also talk about what his view is when it comes to the future of food and drink and what role te...

Calling in from San Diego, Shawn Walchef is a true maverick when it comes to scaling a restaurant digitally. Since the pandemic, his restaurant Cali Comfort BBQ has been three times more profitable than ever. Within 12 years, it’s gone from $300,000 losing money each year to making $3.3 million in 12 years. His secret? The smartphone. It’s common for people in hospitality to work 80 - 100 hours a week, but it just didn’t sit right. It’s time for restaurants to be reconfigured. Digital hospitalit...

Having been in the hospitality industry for 50 years, today’s guest has seen how the industry can scale. Robin Sheppard launched Bespoke Hotels with Haydn Fentum in 2000, and the group now manages over 9,500 hotel rooms, 8,000 employees and £815 million of assets across the UK. As a soft brand, they’re testament to the sustainability of being bespoke and local. Robin's innovative approach to marketing has broadened the customer base of all Bespoke Hotels and led to several awards and accolades, ...

Dialling in from Antigua, today’s guest has been instrumental in the making of the Hospitality Mavericks business. So I’m excited to bring on Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon, the ultimate HR rule breaker and expert in luxury hotels especially in the Caribbean. We connected a few years ago on LinkedIn, and instantly realised how aligned we are. So much so that we put together an article about how Mavericks will shake up the hospitality industry – and in this episode we explore if our predictions were corr...

Over the past 25 years, Uncle John’s Bakery has remained a staple household name within the Afro-Caribbean Community, with a community expanding across the UK as well as around the world. Founded by his parents, today’s guest is Samuel Mensah, the MD of the company. From the very start, the ethos of the business is the Ghanian saying “ Obeyeyie ”, which means “things will get better”. And amidst the pandemic, this ethos has been their North Star. Uncle John’s Bakery retails in major supermarkets...

JOIN THE COMMUNITY HERE - FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/2GAvr2W Staring down the barrel of a 60% permanent closure rate...It's time to fix what's broken. It’s time to change the game. The hospitality industry is at a pivotal point and it has become painfully obvious that business acumen and strategic planning will matter just as much as resilience. There's no shortage of resources ranging from how to apply for loans to how to negotiate with your landlord. At some point, we will turn our sights toward...

Today’s guest, Victoria Williams, is on a life ambition to change the world for deaf people. Establishing her company terptree 14 years ago, their goal by 2025 is to positively impact 1 million deaf people’s lives. It’s ambitious, but Covid-19 has highlighted how it affects so many people. The innumerable challenges, such as mandatory face coverings, leave deaf people feeling even more isolated. It’s time for businesses to step up, and better serve this population. I’m excited to have Victoria o...

There’s often a big stigma behind fast food and QSR, but it’s the best way to be the biggest in the world. As former colleagues, I was super excited to catch up with Mark Hawthorne, Former CEO at McDonald's and Guzman y Gomez. With the fast-changing landscape, we need to rewrite the leadership playbook. Mark has spent decades working with the world leaders of QSR. Currently based in Australia, he’s built successful businesses around the world. Best-known for his forward-thinking approach to lead...

With this ongoing crisis, leaders need to develop new skills, such as compassion and a growth mindset, to navigate and rebuild this new landscape. When you feel safe within yourself as a leader, this projects to the rest of your team. In this episode I’m excited to speak with leadership development expert David Klaasen, Founder of Talent 4 Performance. Prior to launching his business in 2004, he was a trained chef and has experienced the intense environments hospitality can run on. Join us as we...

Edd Heller joined the hospitality industry late in life – just six years ago. Since then he’s proven to be a real maverick by running the Ethicurean Guild, which cooks delicious food from small farms and producers in other peoples kitchens across Brighton. Since the pandemic Edd and his team have cooked 100,000 meals to those in need – from the homeless to NHS frontline workers. I’m super excited to have Edd Heller, Founder of The Ethicurean Guild, join me today. We uncover VAT in hospitality, t...