meet the team

Hospitality ambassador Nick is a driven and fun-loving individual with a passion for people and everything hospitality recruitment. A rugby enthusiast with an entrepreneurial spirit Nick set up Appetite4Recruitment in 2003 having worked in hotels, pubs, bars, and restaurants from an early age. Oh, and he also owned a great pub!

With business partners in Mike Gardner (Appetite4Work) and Dawn Redman (Hospitality Jobs UK), Nick considers himself lucky to work with a couple of the industry’s best and that’s without mentioning the collective team throughout the business family.

As an active supporter of ‘Only A Pavement Away’ Nick runs events to date and you’ll often find him covered head to toe in mud at Tough Mudder with colleagues and friends of the industry.

Watch this space. It’s just the beginning! We’re riding out and improving through the pandemic as we did in the 2008 Bank Recession. Hoping to create more opportunities for amazing people who need that break in tough times.

Zimbabwean born and bred, I moved over to the UK at the age of 18 ready to conquer the world! My first job was as a waitress in Zimbabwe in a bar/restaurant and I was hooked – a whirlwind career including JD Wetherspoon, and Nando’s before landing in hospitality recruitment, initially with Berkeley Scott before meeting Nick in 2012 and the rest is history!

I passionately love what I do and genuinely enjoy the daily interactions I get to have. I wholeheartedly believe in the connection of people. I have been privileged to have recruited some awesome positions over the years and the buzz never dies. I find connecting great people to great businesses one of the most satisfying and rewarding feelings. I love a challenge; I am greatly motivated by the success of those I interact with. I enjoy taking the time to really get to know people and understanding what makes them tick.

No two days are the same and the relationships I have forged over the years have become life-long connections and in many cases, friends.

I started my career in hospitality as KP in my local restaurant whilst attending college – fast forward six years and I was now the kitchen manager for that restaurant! Fast forward another four years I walked into Appetite looking for a change in my kitchen career – and six years later I’m now one of the Managing Consultants for the team here!

I really have fallen in love with keeping connected to the kitchen and the industry whilst finding great jobs for great talent. Having the opportunity to speak with so many different types of businesses and the amazing operators behind them makes my job fun and engaging, every day of the week – which is why I love what I do!

I still cook a lot in my spare time so I don’t lose my skills, and it’s a passion of course. When I’m not cooking or recruiting – I’m normally doing something football related as an avid Newcastle fan (I love the punishment, obviously).

Like all of the Appetite team, my career (and passion) started by working in the industry. I worked in various concepts before joining Mitchells and Butlers and progressing through to a General Manager.

I loved it; there was something addictive and exhilarating about the fast pace and camaraderie of the team. A very small break and foray into recruitment gave me the taste for something new and exciting and so when I walked through the Appetite doors in 2009, I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do!

I thoroughly love what I do. I work hard and I work fast to find great people for my awesome clients. The relationships I have formed over the years are amazing and one of my favourite parts of the job is seeing a candidate become a client and succeed in their career.

I have a huge appreciation for the lively and inspiring clients, candidates, and colleagues I get to work with daily. As an industry, and as a sector we are resilient and strong, and that’s exactly what Team Appetite is all about.

Originally I was selling CDs and DVDs in the 90’s cutting my teeth in Retail in sunny Tunbridge Wells. Hospitality came knocking 20 years ago and I have enjoyed the rollercoaster ride since. I worked my way up in Bars, having a very successful career with Pitcher & Piano. They were my introduction to a career in Recruitment when I reached their Head Office.

I absolutely love what I do, and get such a thrill from helping people change their lives. Since being within agency recruitment I pride myself in being the best that we can be and to make a difference. I am honest, reliable, sincere and dedicated to both clients and candidates and that just comes naturally to me. It’s not just about delivering a service, its about creating relationships and investing in those you represent.

Hospitality is an amazing sector to work in and I am so proud to be part of it with Appetite. We have the same values and dedication!

Aside from being a big fan of Food & Drink (obviously), I love my travels, live shows, wildlife, music and film.

I was born in Hungary and moved to the UK when I was 20 years old, starting my hospitality career in Burnham at the Burnham Beeches Hotel before relocating to Birmingham with the Corus Hotel group as a receptionist. Two years later I was promoted and moved to London and with so much passion for what I do and continually seeking new and better ways of doing things I worked closely with the team and taking every opportunity to develop myself and those around me.

I knew I wanted to work for a company where I get to meet the same customers more regularly and so took a job in the stunning Lansdowne Club in Mayfair, where I worked as receptionist, later on as Duty Manager.

I love interacting with people and understanding their needs better where possible and so through lockdown I started my CIPD Level 3 in order to be able to diversify my experience and add even more value.

Very excited to have joined Appetite4Recruitment and looking forward to helping people realise their dream job.

Starting my catering career in college focusing on all of my NVQ’s whilst working front of house and back of house in a Pizza Express finding my love for working back of house and the camaraderie of kitchen life. A couple of years down the line I moved over to ASK working in a bigger restaurant and more cooking skills being tested. With a brief stint in Moorlands Lodge Care Home, I took a quick sabbatical and went to Australia where I turned my hand to sales and managed to find a new passion.

After my trip I came back a little short of funds (!) so I came back to what I knew was my first passion and started back in the world of hosptiality working at Applegarth Farm where my eyes to fresh food and new concepts where opened and my passion for food was re-ignited!

Realizing my passion for good food and good people it was a no brainer to grab this opportunity here at Appetite with both hands!!

Northerner living in the south, bringing with me a decade of bar and pub experience.

What started as a part-time job while studying at university, became a full time career filled with lots of passion and love for the industry. I started at the bottom and worked my way up, so I have a good understanding of various job roles within the industry. I have also worked in multiple locations across the country, this includes London and Manchester, two very busy environment’s.

I have a real passion for everything hospitality, events and organisation. Attributes that I believe work well in the word of recruitment.

Supporting the whole team here at Appetite, I have a total passion for efficiency and a keen eye for detail. I am committed to ensuring that our business operations run seamlessly, allowing the rest of the team to focus on what they do best. Alongside my operational role within Appetite I support with all our Social Media Marketing.

Having finished Uni and relocated to London at the tender age of 18, I walked through the doors of Planet Hollywood London and knew I’d found my tribe! 30 years on and the hospitality industry has been exceptionally kind to me. From my very first position as Front of House Host, I was hooked. Progressing to Senior European Trainer, opening 12 restaurants worldwide, followed by Event Manager organising, high profile press & product launches and numerous Celebrity filled Blockbuster Film Premiers. Before meeting the unstoppable Nick Clover back in 2012, and being introduced to the wonderful world of Hospitality Recruitment, working across his multiple businesses for Appetite4Recruitment, including the fabulous team at HJUK with their Job Board Advertising and the inspirational Appretite4Careers team on their attraction, retention, training and Apprenticeship programmes.

My love is for all things Learning & Development, Recruitment and Apprenticeships, where I specialise in partnering with businesses to advise employers on how to capitalise on their Apprenticeship Levy, including set up and implementation. An incredible government-funded scheme designed to develop, train & retain your team.

I am unashamedly people-focused and am obsessed with championing the profile of hospitality as a great place to work, with its boundless long-term career opportunities and aspirational career pathways. Whether this be attracting the next generation of fresh-faced enthusiastic team members through apprenticeships or upskilling & retaining our brilliant & driven managers by investing in development programmes. This obsession has lead me to be an avid supporter of Only a Pavement Away, a Springboard Ambassador and a proud member of Beers & Peers, all of which enable me to practice what I preach.

As you can see with everyone above me, we have all come from different positions within hospitality and you will find I am cut from the same cloth.

Having left college at 18 with no real plans, I found myself working as a KP in a pub kitchen. 12 years later with plenty of hard graft, blood, sweat and tears and I found myself as Head Chef of a small farm restaurant "out in the sticks." We focused on eating with the seasons and using fresh produce sourced as locally as possible.

My passion was and still is food and now I look to turn my hand to finding other great chef’s positions in restaurants that resonate with their passion and what drives them in this industry. I am very much looking forward to learning and progressing with the team at Appetite.

Lithuanian-born who wanted an exciting new challenge in life after graduating high school. I moved to the UK in 2018 and landed my first job in the hospitality industry which I absolutely loved! I started as a waitress and progressed my career to Deputy General Manager. Moving through these roles allowed me to gain knowledge and insight within each position.
 
What I love about hospitality is that you get to meet so many different and unique personalities, make life-long friends and no two days are the same. I was able to grow my personality and transferable skills.
 
I feel very excited about my new career journey in Appetite4Recruitment, and I am here to help people get their desired jobs! I am really excited to find candidates for their ideal Front of House role.

Hola! My professional journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster through the wonderful world of hospitality and recruitment! I was raised in the lively atmosphere of a pub, where my parents ran a destination pub/restaurant. From a very young age, I was hooked on the atmosphere & service. Age 13 I started working part time in the pub, this is when I first discovered my passion for this world. I love nothing more than to add value to a team & making someone’s day in any way I can, guest & team alike.

My career began from the very bottom rung, starting as a pot wash and gradually navigating through roles such as waitress, supervisor, assistant manager, and eventually, general manager. The hands-on experience at every level laid the foundations for an understanding of the industry.
After a stint in head office roles focused on training and openings, I found my true calling in recruitment. Joining Appetite was a pivotal moment, and after a year, I ventured into the in-house recruitment world with Brewhouse & Kitchen—an independent brew pub company. Under the guidance of Hayley Connor, I spent nearly 5 years honing my skills within the people team.

My journey continued to unfold as I took on Talent Manager roles with businesses such as Gail's, The Bread Factory, and Flat Iron. Over 7 diverse years, I gathered experiences that added layers to my professional career. Back to my recruitment roots, an opportunity to rejoin my Appetite team came calling once again at the end of 2023. Currently working closely with the dynamic duo, Vicky Glover and Nick Clover, we are embarking on a new chapter—setting up a division within the world of apprenticeships. Our mission is clear: source, train, and retain talent, providing a comprehensive 360 service for our clients.

Nothing brings me more joy & pride than being part of an industry that is not just about serving customers but also about nurturing talent. My journey, marked by a diverse array of roles, has equipped me with a unique skill set to contribute meaningfully to the dynamic and ever-evolving world of hospitality and recruitment.