All Episodes

It’s time to build some robust changes. Today’s guest, Samantha Clarke, is on a mission to create the next generation of change-makers, carving out a happier way of working with more purpose, meaning and intention. Having been a previous guest on the show, it was fascinating to reflect on changes since our pre-pandemic conversation. Samantha runs workshops, talks, coaches, and is the CEO and Author of ‘Love It Or Leave It’. I found this conversation really impactful as Samantha reflects on the...

In this conversation, we get some great insights and advice on digital transformation from Nick Popovici the CEO and Co-Founder of Vita Mojo, In this conversation, Nick and Michael discuss the massive opportunity for operators to utilise data and implement digital tools to optimise performance across the business. The level adaption of digital tools in the industry The power of data Who is leading when it comes to digital transformation Megatrends in hospitality technology Challenges aroun...

What’s it like to run a business with your closest family members? Brooks Kirchheimer, Co-Owner at Hearth and Hill, shares their approach to growing the business and building a unique culture that people want to support and join. Located in Park City, Utah, the independent restaurant has a revived take on contemporary American cuisine that's locally driven. Before opening his own restaurant business he worked for great hospitality businesses like Merriman's Hawaii, and as general manager for Ro...

Brindisa has been the home of Spanish food in the UK for over 30 years. It was set up by Monika Linton in the 1980s to share her love for quality Spanish produce to the UK, and her aim has always been to bring excellent food and ingredients from the most remote parts of Spain to Britain and to champion selected smaller producers and their skills. It was amazing to learn how she structures her business with 120 employees through open-book management. We explore working with small producers, grow...

Dino Joannides is a Senior Executive with over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and general management. He has developed skills in creating a number of high performance teams as well as key relationships with customers, partners and distributors. Currently, he is the Advisor and Senior Executive at Bizimply and rezexe. In this fascinating discussion, we explore the new culture of bookings, being open-minded, how to think like an ally, how we can make the industry an employer of choice...

Tim Vasilakis, Founder and CEO of The Athenian street food brand, explains how he pivoted his business into a dark kitchen. Through their award-winning gyros, The Athenian has grown from a humble market stall to a small network of locations, earning the title ‘Deliveroo Restaurant of the Year 2020’. In this episode, we discuss reconsidering the positioning of your business, the rise of dark kitchens, focusing on your best dishes, their generous employee loyalty scheme – and the mouthwatering Gr...

As many of you know, ‘Good To Great’ by Jim Collins has had a huge impact on me and how I operate my business, so I couldn’t wait to have the ‘Good to Great’ Sherpa Dave Oakley on the show today. Dave helps leaders create breakthrough performance and cultures with his approach called LeadDifferent, and he is the CEO at DOC Inc. If you find your copy of ‘Good To Great’ is gathering dust on the shelf, or you're simply stuck with executing your ideas, this episode will give you some great practica...

In this conversation, the insights of Joel Robinson, Digital & Technology Director at Azzurri Group which operates the Zizzi, Ask Italian & Coco di Mama brands, will make you reflect on and revisit your digital transformation journey. In this conversation, Joel and Michael dive into the definition of what digital transformation means and touch on these topics and their impact on business results: The power of having clear digital transformation outcomes Megatrends in hospitality technology C...

Lorraine Copes has a far and wide background in procurement and diversity and inclusion. She’s the Founder of Be ​​Inclusive Hospitality – a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate racial equality in the Hospitality sector – and a Procurement Consultant. I’ve had Lorraine on previously on the Hospitality and the Infinite Game series discuss the role of diversity and inclusion, so I’m excited to have Lorraine on again to explore how the supply chain is an extension of your busine...

Josh Sharkey is the founder and CEO of meez, the recipe tool for professional chefs. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Josh launched the culinary technology company in 2020 to provide chefs the home for all their recipes, menus, and ideas. The interactive database helps users ideate, organise, search, collaborate, share, and ultimately execute their vision. Josh has learnt a lot about starting and scaling a startup, which he shares on the show. We also explore the boo...

Today we’re joined with the Founder of The Pioneers, Matt Grimshaw. The Pioneers are a team of culture engineers who help scale-ups to design and build the People Operating System they need to drive rapid and sustainable growth. It was great having Matt on the show to discuss how your company culture is a source of competitive advantage. We explore how to avoid burnout when scaling, meta cultures, having the courage to be different, open book management, defining growth – and lessons learnt fro...

Hourly makes hiring easier for everybody by turning the hiring process – from explore-to-offer – into a single mobile conversation that removes the dependency on legacy processes that can slow hiring. Today I’m joined by Hourly’s VP of Product Sales Alexandra Berger to learn more about how to best optimise the hiring process. In this discussion we explore what makes a good recruiting process, the power of human interaction, how to find candidates at high volume, positioning your employer brand ...

It was a great pleasure for Michael to connect with an old colleague of his from McDonald’s to talk about digital transformation and how we as leaders can make it happen more effectively. In this conversation, Phil Le-Brun Enterprise Strategist at Amazon Web Services and the former international CIO at McDonald's shares how hospitality businesses now are so dependent on technology and when it breaks down it has huge consequences for business performance. Phil and Michael have a deep dive into ...

What does it take to make a business that works for you, and not the other way round? Find out what’s holding you back with today’s guest, Nick Cramp. He’s the author of ‘Better Before Bigger: Rethinking Business Success’ and a Transformation Coach. Having worked previously as a business owner, Nick understands that running a company can sometimes feel overwhelming. I had a great time speaking with Nick to learn more about his latest book. We also explore Nick’s coaching process with his client...

From chefs to bartenders, live musicians to DJs, HOMEtainment helps create memorable events from the comfort of your own home. Today I’m joined by the co-founder, Antoine Melon, who has over 25 years of experience in opening and running restaurants and hotels all over the world. Antoine launched HOMEtainment during the pandemic, so I can’t wait to learn more about his experiences. In this episode we explore how to stand out as a premium provider, the home entertainment market, how the HOMEtainm...

It’s great to have another deep dive into digital transformation with Hugo Engel who is Digital Executive at Leon restaurants where he is part of building the restaurant for the future. We will be talking about: how Leon is using digital ordering capabilities to serve and understand customers better. Michael and Hugo talk about: How to use digital ordering capabilities to serve and understand customers better How to put digital tools in the hands of the frontline How data can transform your...

Today’s guest David Lockwood has been involved with the British cheese scene for 25 years – and is currently the Managing Director of Neal's Yard Dairy. The artisanal cheese retailer works with about 40 cheesemakers. They select, mature and sell farmhouse cheese from the UK and Ireland. Their secret to their success? Always have a clear, long-term plan in mind. I had a great time meeting David in person, checking out their dairy in London. Tune in to our conversation as we explore the history o...

Lee Curtis, CCHP, co-founded RESIDE in November 2017. RESIDE’s core purpose is to fundamentally change the short-term rental and alternative accommodation marketplace by leveraging their operational expertise, 3SIXTY technology platform and globally vetted supply chain to deliver a curated, compliant and high-touch, hyper local experience to guests anywhere in the world. In this fascinating conversation, I explore with Lee about the future of travel and the short stay trends we are now seeing a...

In this Digital Titans conversation, our guest is James Sandrini Co-Founder & Strategy Director at 48.1. They are a creative agency in London that helps companies to get clarity on their brand and positioning and help to tell their story clearly to customers and employees. In this conversation, we talk about the power step back start to get the strategy right before just doing it. We talk about too many leaders just trying to copy what works somewhere else and don’t strategise on what is the r...

The GC Index® is the organimetric that empowers organisations to drive performance and achieve innovation by creating game-changing teams and cultures. Today we’re joined by the Co-Founder and Chief Polisher, Nathan Ott. His fundamental belief is that everyone can make an impact in their world. As such, he has created a global community of GC Partners and GCologists, who are committed to fostering the impact and contribution from everyone around the globe. In this conversation we unpack how the...

Welcome to this special podcast series, Digital Titans, brought to you by Vita Mojo and Hospitality Mavericks. Tune into Amie from Vita Mojo who is excited to take you on this journey, as we explore the digital transformation within hospitality. During this series, you’ll hear from industry leaders from the likes of Leon, the Azzuri Group and Amazon. We’ll talk through how they transformed their business with digital solutions while meeting the changing needs of the market. If you have not ye...

There’s one thing using technology in your business, and there is another thing implementing it. The Food and Beverage Global Business Unit at Oracle helps organizations connect every guest interaction to your back-of-house operations. With me today is Tim Brown, the unit’s Vice President of Global Solution Engineering. He leads an international team of experienced technical sales consultants dedicated to devising and deploying pioneering IT solutions that accelerate innovation for food and beve...

The Dubai Opera House, Four Seasons, Hard Rock, the Atlantis resorts – these are just a few of the notable projects designed by EDSA, a planning, landscape architecture and urban design firm founded in 1960. Dialling in from the US is ESDA’s Principal Richard Centolella, where he leads the Baltimore studio and oversees operations in New York City. He is a true maverick when it comes to designing functional, realistic, and engaging places for people. This conversation brings to light how we need...

Throughout this series, we’ve explored the impactful ways of running a hospitality business, but the ultimate key to any business is to truly embody a diverse organisation. We are on a huge journey of learning when it comes to diversity and inclusion, and there are some clear blindspots as white men, so we needed to bring on Diversity and Inclusion expert Lorraine Copes as our guest. Lorraine is the founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality – a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to advance ra...