Spotlight on Stephen Wilkinson FIH

This week, we shine our spotlight on Stephen Wilkinson FIH… who tells us what he got up to when hospitality closed down.

Can you tell us a little bit about your career history in hospitality?

Working in hospitality is all I’ve ever known. I went to catering college at 16 and trained as a chef, working my way up to head chef level in hotels. As I had a young family, I decided to move into university catering so I could work more family-friendly hours. After this, I stepped out of the kitchen and moved into sales, however I was selling food and it was something I was passionate about so this came naturally to me. My aim was to simply support and advise chefs and because I had worked in kitchens, I could talk to them on their level, which resulted in positive sales.

My next move was to AA Hotel Services, where I worked for 11 years, managing relationships with customers and doing hotel and restaurant inspections. I worked my way up to an area manager role and sat on the senior team with the likes of Alistair Sandall FIH and Giovanna Grossi FIH. In 2019, I started my own consultancy business and this went better than I could ever have hoped for in my first year. Thankfully, the relationships I had built up over the years led to some exciting opportunities within the sector. However, when COVID-19 hit, as with many working in hospitality, everything came to a halt. This was a real shock to myself and my family and an extremely worrying time as I was someone who had always worked.

So, what are you doing for work at the moment?

I am currently working with a North West COVID-19 mobile testing team, managing operations. My role involves keeping the team motivated, making sure everything runs smoothly and easily and talking to those using the test station. Whilst it’s not something I would ever have seen myself doing a year ago, I do the job with real pride and responsibility, knowing that I am playing my small part in helping during this pandemic. Everyone I work with is from a mix of occupational backgrounds, so it’s an interesting team to support. There are quite a few team members who have worked in hospitality before too.

How important are the skills you learnt in hospitality to this role?

Hospitality skills are so transferable and really help in this position. You need to be able to manage your own time and that of others. However, communication skills and an ability to read people are key. We have to be able to put people at ease and explain the processes and procedures quickly and clearly. Those visiting want to get in and out as fast as possible, with minimal stress, in what already may feel like a worrying and tense environment. It’s important that the team and I remain calm and it’s my role to ensure that staff remain motivated to do this, throughout the day.

What have you loved most about working in hospitality?

I’m a people person and just love getting the best out of others and allowing staff to achieve their full potential. Teamwork is something I relish as I believe it’s better to have lots of opinions around a table. It’s no secret that I am a people watcher and I love discovering people’s characteristics. You can’t beat that feeling of seeing a happy customer’s face.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in hospitality?

Without question, it must be passion first and foremost. Whilst hospitality is an enjoyable industry, it is a hard one, which involves long and difficult hours to get where you want to be. When I first started working as a chef, kitchens were full of strong-willed and strong-minded characters. The ethos of a kitchen has changed over the years, so they tend to be slightly more relaxed now, but thankfully my passion to succeed drove me to the top in those early years.

You also need strong time management skills and to be able to listen to others. Empathy is important so that you can pick people up when they need that support. Things do go wrong, and you need to support others in those situations.

You have done mentoring as part of your consultancy, what advice would you give to someone who may have lost their job due to the pandemic?

Be open-minded! Think about the skills you have and use them to explore other avenues. Sometimes taking on a new challenge can help us to develop personally too and I am learning lots of new things about myself in my current role. Also remember, this current situation is likely to be temporary; hospitality will bounce back and people are going to appreciate these experiences more than ever, so we will see hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars thrive once again.

You have been an IoH member for many years and are now a Fellow, how has being a member helped your career?

For me, it’s been all about the networking opportunities and getting to know new people. I would advise members to join as many events as possible as it can open new doors. By becoming a Fellow this has given people confidence in my ability and it confirms I have reached a set competency level. Institute of Hospitality Fellows are very much recognised and respected across the industry.