Acorns 2021: Katie Moran, 28

F&B lead, Voco Grand Central Glasgow

Nominator Verity Bremner, cluster HR adviser, Voco Grand Central Glasgow

Katie Moran fell in love with hospitality at the age of 17 while working as a bartender at 29 Glasgow, a private members’ club. She embraced the world of fast-paced, upscale service with enthusiasm and continued to work even while studying for a degree in events management and tourism.

Hard work saw her progress to F&B manager within three years, and in 2018, she joined the then Grand Central hotel as manager of the Champagne bar, with a team of 28. Last September, she was promoted to F&B lead, managing three outlets with a revenue pre-Covid of £6m. She has also helped to launch the hotel under IHG’s new brand Voco this year.

Since joining, she has proved to be an essential part of the leadership team. Not least, she has established the Champagne bar as not just a resident’s bar, but a destination bar, leading to an increase in turnover from £1.2m in 2018 to £2m in 2019.

She treats everyone with respect and her fair leadership style saw her score 80% in the hotel’s colleague survey in April 2019, increasing to 88% in the November.

Her pursuit of self-development and willingness to share knowledge also make her an inspirational leader. She gained a Train the Trainer certificate, resulting in high staff retention rates, and has enrolled on a mental health first-aid course.

What is the most positive people change you see for your sector post-restrictions?

“Colleagues have become even more like family. It has been such a pleasure to work here – everyone has come together to create a great working environment.”

Photography: Hospitality Media/Adrian Franklin

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