Pathways: Tevin Tobun, CEO, GV Group

What was your first job?

I'm actually doing it! I've been a founder of a business since 1998. I set up my first business straight after university. It was a design-and-build company, which I later sold.

I then set up GV in 2001, as I wanted to create a business that I could scale and was able to offer real innovation, which the industry was crying out for at the time. As a founding CEO, I've never really had any other job. My career has developed as the business has grown. In our first year, our turnover was £1m, so it's safe to say that I had a baptism of fire when I started the business. I was straight in at the deep end!

What initially attracted you to working in the hospitality sector?

When I first set up the business in 2001, there was a gap in the market. While I could see so many organisations doing brilliant things with the preparation and creation of food, there were still a lot of issues around the sustainable delivery of these.

There weren't many ‘last mile' solutions and the last leg of the food journey wasn't as efficient as it could be. I saw an opportunity to do something different not only to support businesses' sustainability aims, but also aid their bottom line. I understood that logistics would need to play a bigger role in the hospitality sector and could help to create real change.

How did you decide on your career direction?

My father has always been in business, so I was exposed to it from a very young age. After graduating from university, I very quickly realised that my passion for business far outweighed any science-based careers I could have explored.

Which industry networks have you found useful that have supported you as you have worked in the industry?

I am a lifetime patron of Springboard, and find what they've done for the industry to be actually quite incredible.

I'm also a board member for Arena, which is an amazing platform for new entrants and more-established players in the industry to collaborate and get together. The work it is doing with young people through its Arena Futures group is fantastic.

What are the biggest challenges you've faced while working in hospitality?

My challenge has always been around driving change. All the innovation in the world is redundant if people don't embrace doing things differently. I've been very fortunate to work with some really progressive leaders who have seen the opportunities in introducing new ways of working. However, it hasn't always been easy.

Do you have any regrets and are there things you wish you had done differently?

As an entrepreneur, you can't have regrets. You have to trust and back yourself. Life for me is about learning workarounds and how to tackle things differently. Living with regret will slow you down and it warps your view on finding solutions.

What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?

Trust your instinct, work hard and focus on being different. Once that's done, make sure you find a way to make sure people around you understand your vision. No journey can be taken on your own.

Would you recommend a career in hospitality to your friends and family?

Absolutely. You can find so many different career paths in one sector – it really is quite unique. Whether you're a chef, somebody working front-of-house, a nutritionist, an accountant, an operations manager – there are so many opportunities to work in an incredible industry.

Who inspires you in the industry?

I'm inspired by people every day, but I have to say, especially during recent times, the drivers in our business have really gone the extra mile.

They've been the ones working hard to make sure food has reached schools, hospitals and the wider foodservice markets. They've left the safety of their homes to get out to the general public and ensure that supplies reach the right places.