People Awards 2024: Outstanding Achievement Award – Sean Wheeler

There are few working in hospitality who will not have benefitted from Sean Wheeler’s people strategies, which set a new standard in building meaningful cultures that drive results and employee wellbeing.

During a 40-year career Wheeler has played a major role in making some of the UK’s most successful hospitality businesses fantastic places to work, including Mitchells & Butlers, Malmaison, Hotel du Vin, Dorchester Collection and Principal Hotels.

The cultural and workplace practises he introduced broke new ground in demonstrating how hospitality could build engaged and happy workforces, while also delivering commercial success.

At the Dorchester Collection, Wheeler and his team won a Hotel Catey award for HR Team of the Year in 2012 and a Catey for 45 Park Lane as Employer of the Year in 2015 as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2019 Hotel Cateys.

Among the initiatives he developed were innovative new graduate programmes, new progression avenues and training opportunities, as well as structured 90-day induction programmes.

Wheeler was known for thinking outside of the box and pursuing initiatives that would empower individuals to achieve their best. While working for IHG’s Principal brand he brought team members from all departments together at the monkey den at Edinburgh Zoo. He explained to The Caterer: “Our discussions were all about evolution, so it was an appropriate location. The individuals – dubbed change gurus – were chosen because they were already living the values of the brand, in terms of having a positive attitude and being good team players. The intention was that they would go away and write a programme about how they would personalise the changes and then roll them out to their colleagues.”

Throughout his career, Wheeler has sat on numerous industry bodies to promote the sector as an exciting career choice, while simultaneously highlighting areas it needed to improve. Now a consultant, following his departure from IHG in 2019, he continues to work with businesses. He is also chairman of the People 1st College Accreditation panel, sits on the board of Hospitality Action and is a founder of The Caterer’s Acorn Scholarship, as well as being president of HR in Hospitality.

But Wheeler’s influence goes far beyond formal structures. He remains a sounding board and mentor to former colleagues, friends and old competitors, regularly giving his time to offer the benefit of his experience. Friend and colleague Jo Harley said: “So many people have benefitted from Sean’s expertise and know they can pick up the phone to him if they need to. He’s such a joyful person who does all he can to help others achieve their potential.

“Whether providing networking opportunities, advice or linking people to opportunities, he is endlessly generous with his time and his impact of the industry has been immense.”

Beyond the hospitality industry Wheeler also been a long-term supporter of charities including the Terrence Higgins Trust and was pivotal in the success of Walk for Wellbeing, working with founder Craig Prentice in support of Hospitality Action.