Acorns 2018: James Fleming, reception manager, The Stafford London

Reception manager, the Stafford London

Nominator Stuart Procter, the Stafford London

Proudest moment "Winning the Gold Service Scholarship, gaining a place on the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma and being introduced to Her Majesty the Queen."

Biggest inspiration "My mentor Philip Newman-Hall, who I met at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. Also Joanne Bursford, a personal friend, who started training me and teaching me life lessons at the Berkeley."

Ambition "To become general manager of a five-star London property and a Master Innholder. I want to become a mentor myself and be able to give back to the industry."

James Fleming caught the hospitality bug while working part-time in hospiality during university. Starting as he meant to go on, he went straight into a Michelin-starred establishment in 2012 as a commis at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, where he progressed to chef de rang, winning Employee of the Month twice.

By the time he'd reached the Berkeley, his objective was to become a general manager and a Master Innholder. For the next two years, he mastered his role as a guest relations associate, looking after VIP guests before being promoted to guest relations executive.

Fleming's next five-star stop was as duty manager at the Beaumont, where he coached a young team to deliver excellent standards in a competitive market, helping to push the hotel into the top five London hotels on TripAdvisor.

In his current role he supervises a team of 11 and manages a budget of £1.5m. His inclusive management style means the team get regular training and feedback and are constantly hitting five-star standards. And over six months his direction helped increase room revenue by £1.15m and the average daily rate by £85.

Charities close to his heart include Springboard, and he is looking forward to becoming involved with speaking at hospitality schools, such as the Edge Hotel School. He is also supporting the relaunch of the Stafford Running Club, because he believes team sport creates a positive atmosphere in the workplace.