As part of our coverage for International Women’s Day, we offer a perspective from the food & beverage sector through two senior leaders at travel dining group SSP. Director of Corporate Affairs Sarah John and Chief Customer Officer Angela Moores share their experiences in the hospitality industry, considering positive changes and innovations and the importance of diversity.
Sarah John has long had an interest in food and hospitality. At the age of 16 – and using her Mum’s car – she was catering for events at the local tennis and golf club, and filling people’s freezers.
“While studying for my degree in hotel, catering, and business administration, I spent time at The Ritz training in management and at the Hilton working in finance. It was there I received my first impactful career advice from my boss,” she says.
“Her advice? To get an accountancy qualification with one of the big six firms, ‘it’s the best grounding you can have in business’, she said. And, she was right, and a few years later I qualified with Price Waterhouse, working in London and New York.
“There is such a huge spectrum of roles and routes to success. Sometimes someone just needs to shine a light on it for you and give you that bit of confidence to go for it.”
“After a spell as an equity analyst covering hotels, travel and leisure, I was headhunted to join Compass Group as Director of Investor Relations and then Strategy, which was an amazing experience. After 11 years with Compass, I took a break to spend more time with my children and parents, but when offered a part-time role heading up Investor Relations at SSP, I took it, as it allowed me to balance work and family commitments.
“Since then, the role has expanded and as Director of Corporate Affairs I’m also responsible for Group Communications and Sustainability. It’s an immensely rewarding, diverse, and dynamic role.” In the Q&A below she speaks about the role of women and driving change in the travel F&B business.
SSP is a UK multinational travel foodservice company, with headquarters in London. It operates over 2,800 branded catering and retail units at more than 180 airports and 300 railway stations across 35 countries. |
What advice would you give to future generations who are hoping to work within hospitality?
Sarah John: I think you have to love it. You have to be passionate about food, about people – both colleagues and customers – and about service. You either have that or you don’t. If you get a buzz from helping people in their daily lives, then it’s an amazing industry with so many opportunities, functionally and geographically across a range of sectors.
What has been your experience of role modelling within the sector?
With much of my earlier career in finance I didn’t come across many senior female role models and so it’s now a particular passion of mine. I’m focused on how we support ambitious young women through a mentoring scheme with senior women across the Group.
There is such a huge spectrum of roles and routes to success. Sometimes someone just needs to shine a light on it for you and give you that bit of confidence to go for it.
What steps are you and your organisation taking to drive change?
While already a hugely diverse organisation, we continue to drive change through a range of initiatives, including establishing our first Global Inclusion Council and creating special interest groups enabling colleagues to connect, engage and share experiences on topics such as menopause, women in tech and LGBTQ+. It’s a full agenda but we’re not complacent and continually strive for more positive change.
I passionately believe diverse teams make better decisions and provide role models for the next generation. Creating those teams starts with the hiring process. It’s too easy to say that the job should go to the most highly qualified person.
Sometimes the right person for the team or organisation is someone with a different background who will bring a different perspective and insight.
An advertisement for a marketing job at Greenall’s prompted Angela Moores to move into hospitality.
“I did a few years with Greenall’s, during which time I was picked out to support the Nomura team to sell the business,” she says. “It was quite an intense piece of work, and it gave me a very good sense of what working in consultancy would look like and allowed me to get involved in senior conversations whilst at a reasonably junior level.
“I then spent a number of years with Greene King, working my way up from Category Manager to Commercial Director on the Greene King Managed Pub Board. It was a great company to work for and I learned a lot about operations and the importance of our front-line colleagues in delivering a great customer experience.”
After maternity leave for her twins Ailsa and Murray, Moores joined Pizza Express and then moved to SSP where she has worked for nine years, starting as UK Commercial Director before moving on to Group Commercial Development Director and her current position as Chief Customer Officer.
What motivates you most about working within this sector?
Angela Moores: This sector is very dynamic. There is lots of change, you meet lots of amazing people, and you have to grapple with many rollercoaster moments. What I love is that nothing stays the same. It is also a sector that you connect with very quickly; it is pleasurable and fun. You get to eat, drink, dance, and sing. Who wouldn’t like it?
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else or compare yourself to anybody else. Get to know what you’re really good at; understand the things that other people are better at and hire them to do those things.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you, and mean in your organisation?
SSP is a wonderfully diverse organisation, spanning 36 countries. Our colleagues and customers speak multiple languages and represent a vast cross-section of cultures. There are not many languages we don’t speak.
My own team represents a rich diversity of talent, very in tune with the nuances of travel and our regional variances. The best part of the job is nurturing talent. I am really committed to supporting my team to realise their potential. I value everyone’s diverse contribution and strive to harness the full value of my team by getting them to bounce off each other and recognize each person’s varying contribution to strengthen all that we do.
How do you think the industry has changed since you’ve been in the sector? How do you think it will change in the future?
Customers continue to be sensitive to the prices they pay for the experience they get. It’s tougher at the moment, as lots of people are starting to feel the pinch on their household income. We must ensure we give customers choice.
We need to add long-term value in terms of customer convenience, while remembering that 20% of customers do not want to engage in technology. There’s nothing better than a smile in the hospitality industry.
You can’t ignore how much momentum sustainability is gaining. We are strengthening our wellness propositions and are delivering significant sustainability commitments, to ensure we keep up with our customers’ expectations. 
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes the FAB Newsletter, which features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining. Please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com to subscribe.
