Acorn winner 2007: Stuart Beaufoy

Stuart BeaufoyAge: 29
Position: General manager, Cabarfeidh Hotel, Manor Park, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Career to date…

Beaufoy began his career working in hotels and restaurants in South Australia, starting out as a glass collector (or "glassie") before taking on a number of varied roles, including trainee chef, bar manager, shift manager and restaurant manager. He moved to London in 2001 and worked in a number of restaurants before his itchy feet took him to Aberdeen and the position of duty manager at an O'Neill's Irish Bar. Then, in 2005, he moved to the Western Isles, where he rose from deputy general manager to general manager of the Caladh Inn in Stornoway before becoming general manager of its sister hotel, the three-star Cabarfeidh hotel, a year later.

Why is he a winner?

Since helping one of his first employers, the Prince Albert hotel in Glenelg, South Australia, increase its profits by 220%, Beaufoy has demonstrated something of a golden touch for the hospitality businesses he has worked in. But were it not for a career-ending injury as a semi-professional Australian Rules footballer at the age of 21, Beaufoy's career might have taken a very different tack.

Most recently at the Caladh Inn, Beaufoy turned a loss-making annual turnover of £700,000 into to a very healthy £1.2m (and the first profit in 10 years) in just a year and markedly boosted staff morale. This helped to halve staff turnover and reduce absenteeism by 75%. In his short time at the Cabarfeidh hotel, he has restructured the management team to reflect his hands-on approach, recruiting a new restaurant manager, head chef and kitchen team and introducing measures to improve staff development and communications.

Beaufoy also works closely with local colleges, Springboard UK and various standards and local enterprise bodies.