Amanda Hyndman joins Springboard board of trustees
Springboard has appointed hotelier Amanda Hyndman as a member of its board of trustees.
Hyndman, who is Area Vice President for Mandarin Oriental and General Manager of its Hyde Park property, has been a supporter of Springboard for more than a decade as a patron and former chair of its London advisory board.
Amanda Hyndman said: “I have been a patron of Springboard for 16 years and recognise the important role the charity plays in futureproofing hospitality’s talent pipeline. With hospitality so critically impacted by the Covid pandemic, Springboard has the opportunity to play a hugely important role in the industry’s recovery over the next 18 months, particularly in tackling hospitality’s long-term staffing challenge. It is an honour to join the board of trustees and support the exciting plans the team have in place.”
Springboard chairman Alastair Storey said: “I am delighted to welcome Amanda to the Springboard board of trustees. She has been a huge support of Springboard’s for many years and will bring a wealth of experience, industry knowledge and connections to the board.”
The Springboard charity’s board of trustees comprises the following members:
- Alastair Storey, Chief Executive and Chairman, Westbury Street Holdings (chairman)
- Aisling Zarraga, Partner, Linklaters
- Allister Richards, Chief Operating Officer, CH&Co
- Amanda Hyndman, Area Vice President, Mandarin Oriental
- Andy Kemp, Group Sales and Marketing Director, Bidfood
- Elaine Grell, Group People Director, The Collective
- Ian Springford, Chairman, Apex Hotels
- Kay Harriman, HR Director, Hilton UK
- Bob Silk, Hospitality Relationship Director, Barclays
- Sarah Sargeant, Finance Director, Compass Group
- Sean Haley, Regional Chair, Sodexo UK & Ireland
CareerScope – New industry support hub launched
CareerScope, a free service, launching on Monday 28th September, aimed at supporting those who have lost their job due to COVID-19 to get back into work, as well as those looking to start their career in hospitality, leisure and tourism.
Our industry collectively employs 3.2 million people in the UK and was 8% of GDP pre-COVID-19. The pandemic has hit the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries hard and we know at least 900,000 of these jobs are at risk. It’s never been more important to look after our people, ensure they are happy, healthy and ready for work. We must be ready to welcome back those who have long and established careers in the industry, as well as ensuring the next generation of workers are coming through.
For the very first time, the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries have joined forces to provide essential support to those impacted by COVID-19. CareerScope is a partnership between five organisations: Springboard, Hospitality Action, UK Hospitality, the Institute of Hospitality and the Savoy Educational Trust.
CareerScope provides a one-stop industry hub with easy to access content on everything from CV writing and career webinars to redundancy advice, financial support and health and wellbeing resources. A digital training academy will also keep those out of work up to date on essential skills, from customer service and food safety, to confidence and assertiveness.
Providing a vital service to retain those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, CareerScope will keep people engaged, motivated, healthy and well-trained, ready to work when the industry recovers.
CareerScope is free and available for you to share with your teams.
Many thanks,
The Springboard team
Springboard yn cefnogi’r gymuned diolch i arian y Loteri Genedlaethol / Springboard supporting the community thanks to National Lottery funding
Mae chwaraewyr y Loteri Genedlaethol wedi galluogi Springboard i helpu cymunedau yng Nghaerdydd, Casnewydd, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, y Barri a’r cyffiniau i ddod o hyd i waith yn ystod y cyfnod heriol hwn.
Bydd yr arian yn galluogi pobl ddi-waith i gael mynediad i fodiwlau hyfforddiant a mentora un-i-un ar-lein, gan ddarparu sesiynau cyngor grŵp, gweithdai datblygu CV ac ymarfer cyfweliad.
Gwnaeth Springboard gais llwyddiannus am £92,000 i Gronfa Gymunedol y Loteri Genedlaethol. O ganlyniad, bydd 120 o bobl yn cael budd o raglen Academi Lletygarwch Digidol dair-wythnos Springboard er mwyn gwella eu rhagolygon am swyddi.
National Lottery players have made it possible for Springboard to help communities in Cardiff, Newport, Bridgend, Barry and surrounding areas get into work during this challenging time.
The funding will give unemployed people access to online training modules and 1-2-1 mentoring, delivering group advice sessions, CV development workshops and interview practice.
Springboard successfully applied for £92k from The National Lottery Community Fund and, as a result, 120 people will benefit from Springboard’s three-week Digital Hospitality Academy programme to improve their job prospects
I gofrestru ar gyfer y cymorth hwn gyda chyflogadwyedd, dylai unigolion fynd i’r dudalen we: www.springboard.uk.net/dhawales/
To register for this employability support, individuals should visit: www.springboard.uk.net/dhawales/
Dywedodd Chris Gamm, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol Springboard: “Rydym yn ddiolchgar iawn i gael yr arian oddi wrth Loteri Genedlaethol Cymru, sy’n ein galluogi ni i gynorthwyo’r rhai sy’n ddi-waith yng Nghymru a helpu i wella’u rhagolygon am swyddi. Gyda’r arian hwn, gallwn wneud gwahaniaeth i fywydau 120 o bobl, gan roi iddynt yr hyder a’r sgiliau a fydd yn eu helpu i ddod o hyd i waith.”
Dywedodd Gemma Edmonds, Pennaeth Cyflawni De Orllewin Lloegr a Chymru: “Mae hwn yn gyfle gwych! Dydyn ni ddim yn gallu aros i ddechrau’r rhaglen a mynd allan i’r cymunedau lleol.”
Mae Cronfa Gymunedol y Loteri Genedlaethol yn blaenoriaethu ceisiadau grant ar gyfer gweithgarwch cymunedol sy’n gysylltiedig â COVID-19. I gael gwybod mwy, ewch i: ww.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/wales
Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, said: “We are so grateful to receive the funding from the National Lottery Wales, enabling us to support those unemployed in Wales and help improve their job prospects. With this funding, we can make a difference to 120 people’s lives, giving them the confidence and skills that will help them find employment.”
Gemma Edmonds, Head of South West and Wales Delivery, said: “This is a brilliant opportunity! We can’t wait to begin the programme and get out into local communities.”
The National Lottery Community Fund is prioritising grant application for community activity related to COVID-19. To find out more visit www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/wales
Neil McInnes’ career journey
Neil McInnes was 17 years old when he decided to leave school and go straight to work without pursuing a higher degree in education. His career began in Food & Beverage at the Hilton Glasgow in 1995, and now the year is 2020 – he is celebrating a 25-year career anniversary with the company!
“I was always interested in hospitality,” Neil shares. “My family had the opportunity to travel and stay at different hotels and so I had the chance to observe the atmosphere and quickly got very excited about it. Nobody from my family works in hospitality, I just knew it was something I wanted to do and so I pursued my dream.”
Out of the nine years spent at the Hilton Glasgow, Neil has spent most of his time working in the Front Office, where he fully experienced the joy of working with guests and thus, managed to be promoted several times. Neil then took on a regional role based in London, after which he got the opportunity to go to Australia to be a part of the opening team for Hilton Sydney. At first he was responsible for Front Office, after which he moved to Revenue Management and soon after became the Commercial Manager of the hotel.
After spending five years in Sydney, Neil got the chance to move to Japan! He told himself that he would only stay there for a few years, which soon became 10 and he enjoyed every single year. In Tokyo Neil held multiple roles at Hilton before finally becoming the General Manager of Conrad Tokyo, which is a luxurious five-star hotel located in the heart of the city.
“From my very first job I knew I wanted to become a General Manager, and so I’ve achieved that. It’s been an amazing career of 25 years; it took me to different continents and several different hotels. I’ve worked my way through the ranks all the way up to becoming a General Manager and it shows that nowadays people don’t need to go and get a master’s degree to be a General Manager – hard work and hands-on experience also pays off!” Neil says with a proud smile.
”I remember it was my fourth year working with Hilton and I found out about a fast-track management program that helps you become a General Manager. However, I couldn’t apply for it as I didn’t have a degree. Interestingly, only one or two people that graduated from the program became General Managers. This showed me that working on the front line is just as powerful. Many people start working in hotels as an intermediary before their big career journey in another industry and thus don’t necessarily have the passion and the long-term vision to ever become a General Manager. We need to look up to people who devoted their years to become top of their class hoteliers – they are our inspiration,” the 42-year-old General Manager explains.
The role of a General Manager can be very different depending on the hotel and its location. An average workday for Neil starts before 5:00 a.m. every day. He then goes to the gym to get some exercise in before work. While he’s there, he is already planning the day ahead. By 7:30 a.m. Neil is in the office, checking urgent e-mails. By 8:00 a.m. he is greeting the guests and the team and checking that everything is running smoothly. Throughout the day Neil usually has different meetings – some with customers and some with team members. He spends a lot of time on team development, making sure the talent is nurtured. Later in the evening there might be some entertainment with the guests or customers. We do live in a world of e-mail overload, so on top of everything Neil also spends a significant amount of time using electronic devices to keep up. Networking is another activity his team takes seriously as they need to make sure the hotel is promoted in the local community. It’s important to ensure that Neil and his team are giving back to the community they operate in.
As for his favourite part of the day, Neil shares that it’s all about spending time with the guests, as well as with his team. It’s so important to communicate with the guests because he gets to learn more about the experience at the hotel, about what’s going on. “Just as important is spending time with the team,” Neil says. “They are the ones that make things happen. We always say that they are “the core ingredients of our sauce”. And, of course, when I’m there I speak to them and see how they’re doing. Those two aspects of my day – the guests and my team – are exactly why I’m in the “industry of people”.”
When it comes to combining Neil’s personal and professional lives, he says that even though the job is ‘full-on’ – he doesn’t mind that at all. “From a young age my father installed an ethic of working hard,” Neil shares. “I’ve always watched him work and worked incredibly hard myself. The long hours don’t bother me either – we are in an industry where long hours are present. However, I do make sure that I lead by example and have a work-life balance for my team to take note as well.” Some days Neil does tend to stay longer and another time he leaves reasonably early to spend quality time with his partner and their dog at home. Same goes for the weekends – if Neil can take the time off, then he will and try to disconnect as it is so important to recharge. “I feel creative when I’m at home on my own and thinking about the week ahead,” he shares. “This allows me to return on Monday and feel fresh and recharged. Being on call 24/7 as a General Manager does make it hard to switch off and sometimes, I still think about work during my time off. The industry I’m in can be pressurising with the amount of responsibility I carry. I wouldn’t change it to be any other way though and I thrive on that.”
We still wanted to know if Neil could go back in time, whether he would do anything differently in terms of his career path. Neil admitted that he would change two things. Firstly, he would love to have a second language. In school they did learn French, but sadly didn’t get very far with it. Seeing his colleagues speak three or four languages is truly inspiring for Neil. He wouldn’t say that knowing multiple languages is key, but it is certainly very beneficial. Secondly, he would want to travel more and leave the comfort zone. Neil stayed at Hilton Glasgow for nine years before leaving to go to London. He admits that he should’ve left even earlier. “The moment I moved to Sydney my career had changed, I’ve met new friends, travelled the world, lived the dream,” Neil shares. “People shouldn’t hold back when it comes to travel. It is tough when you pack a box and move to the other side of the world when you don’t know anything about it. However, if you got the right personality, then you will meet people in our industry who will become lifelong friends and family and it will all work out.”
Every career path comes with its own challenges and we asked Neil about his experiences. “There’s been many and the higher you go in management – the more you get to deal with crisis management,” Neil admits. “Of course, now we are dealing with Covid-19 and it takes an enormous amount of our time due to how it affected the hotel and the lives of our team members. I’ve also been through other situations like terrorist incidents and earthquakes, such as the one that happened in Japan on the 11th March in 2011, which was enormous.” He shared how terrible is was to go through it all, however, looking at it now Neil realizes how much stronger those experiences made him as a person. “When you’re going through a crisis, you create a great bond with your team and you learn from it,” Neil explains. “Crisis management is a big part of the job and although we never wish for any of that to happen, it’s about how you go through it and lead the team that makes you who you are. You must be prepared for the unknown and carry that responsibility.”
When it comes to exciting plans for the future, Neil shared that him and his team are very much looking forward to the Olympic Games, as an enormous amount of time and effort has been devoted to the event – as a city, as a country and as a hotel. It does excite them a lot. Neil has also had 26 new graduates start their careers at the hotel on the 1st July and it’s been great to see the same smile and energy that Neil had when his career began 25 years ago.
For someone interested in a career in hospitality and what skills would matter the most, Neil believes that the main thing is about being a ‘people person’. You must have that at the very core of your being and bring that to everything you do – not only when it comes to guests, but your team as well. Being open-minded and dynamic is also very important. The hospitality industry is so fascinating – it stretches across the whole world and encompasses a variety of different cultures and people. They can be our guests or our team members and it’s incredibly beneficial to have those two trades.
Neil is very passionate about nurturing future talent for the hospitality industry. When asked about what advice he would have for someone looking for career opportunities, he shared that the key is to be resilient and motivated as there can be incredibly long and tough days. “I look back at the time when I started 25 years ago and out of all my colleagues that started alongside me, I’m the only one still working in hospitality industry,” Neil admits. “I’ve kept in touch with everyone and they all chose different paths. They ask me how I am still in the same industry after 25 years. The key for me is to have that passion for the job, don’t let it run out no matter how bad it can get sometimes. Have an open-minded approach as you go through it. Set yourself a goal and work towards it – everyone has their own destination towards success, they just need to make it happen.”
Unbreakable – The Springboard Charity’s award-winning film
The Deauville Green Awards is the international festival of film production celebrating social responsibility and eco-innovation. The awards categories focus on the audio-visual communication of corporations, organisations, and public administrations in the field of sustainable development and the preservation of the environment. Creative communications group DRPG was awarded Gold in the category Organisations and Social responsibility for their film ‘Unbreakable’ produced for The Springboard Charity.
This week, the film has also been shortlisted for an EVCom Clarion Award.
The Award-winning film brings to life the transformational experience of people who have trained with Springboard and the impact it has had on their lives. Focusing on the stories of Simon, Roxy and Laura-Lily, the 7 minute video uses a combination of real-life film and intricate and emotive hand drawn animation to explore and depict the struggles they faced before meeting Springboard. As per the title of the film, each person’s story triumphs with their success through the support of Springboard, celebrating their achievements and the life-changing opportunities the programme truly offers.
The full film can be watched via Springboard’s urgent plea campaign page.
Amy-Jane Cahalane, Head of Marketing at Springboard said “The final cut of Unbreakable completely surpassed my expectations! The DRPG team not only approached the project with respect and sensitivity, but really listened to us and managed to get the complexity of these stories and the raw emotions through. Since sharing the video, we have had people get in touch to let us know how moved they were and how powerful the message is. It is so important for us to give others insight into the barriers that other people experience and the uniqueness of each case.”
Simon Hibbert, former Springboard trainee, said, “I’m forever grateful to Springboard, so was really happy to share my story and contribute to this! I’m proud to have been a part of this brilliant film that demonstrates what a great cause Springboard is.”
Looking forward together!
As the UK’s Covid-19 updates have a generally more positive outlook, we are now looking forward to the idea of hospitality businesses being able to open again, along with shops, our favourite leisure activities and attractions and, of course, us being able to enjoy these with our friends and family.
During this gradual return to ‘normal’ and what we hope is the start of the recovery of some wonderful industries, Springboard wanted to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to those businesses and individuals that either continued to support the charity, to fund programmes, to make donations, award grants or fundraise for us.
This has meant that we have been able to continue running some of our most crucial services that help to engage, motivate, upskill and improve the confidence of some of the most marginalised people in our society – young, disadvantaged and unemployed individuals with barriers to employment.
The trainees that were already enrolled onto our award-winning programmes have had consistent support from us and we are also taking on new trainees, which has been desperately needed now that demand is at an all time high. Our Urgent Appeal continues and we appreciate any donations. Please CLICK HERE to make a donation to The Springboard Charity.
Digital Hospitality Academy
Springboard acted quickly to adapt our training, making several modules accessible online, as well as placing emphasis on our resilience, confidence building and mindfulness modules, to support the mental health of our trainees during a very turbulent time. Trainees have also continued to receive 1-2-1 mentoring, employment advice and guidance from our team. They have been invited to webinars, and group workshops and discussion sessions to prevent the feeling of isolation.
As always, our training has been tailored to the individual needs of the person to ensure they get the most out of the experience and are ready for employment when they move on to work experience, a placement or a permanent job.
Please share the Digital Hospitality Academy registration page with your networks, so that they can make use of this or pass it on to those that would benefit: www.springboard.uk.net/dha
How You can Support Springboard’s Work in Other Ways
Amazon Smile
We’re all depending heavily on online services and deliveries at the moment and Amazon has made the news for its record sales numbers. We wanted to remind you that if you log in to your Amazon account via www.smile.amazon.co.uk before making your purchases, you can select The Springboard Charity as your choice of charity to receive 0.5% of the value of your purchases at no additional cost to you.
Charitable Travel
Many of you will be looking forward to the moment that you can lift off or set sail to go on holiday again! Charitable Travel is a unique social enterprise travel agency, offering worldwide holidays and travel with full financial protection and low deposits available. Every penny of profit helps charities to fundraise. Book your next trip with Charitable Travel and donate 5% of your holiday price to The Springboard Charity at no extra cost. For example if your holiday is £1,000, the donation to Springboard is £50. Give them a call to find a great holiday and give back at the same time: 020 3092 1288 / www.charitable.travel/springboard
Hospo Masks
If you are looking for a comfortable, reusable face covering to wear whilst you are out and about in public to reduce the potential spread of viruses, Hospo Masks are donating all of the profits made on their beautiful handmade masks to charity – one of them being Springboard! The masks are made with cotton and available in a range of colours and patterns. They have a pocket for a filter, if you would like to insert one and have a hidden wire mould for the bridge of your nose. Visit @hospomasks on Instagram to order your Hospo Mask!
Volunteering
We have had many of our wonderful business partners offer to support Springboard by way of their staff giving us some of their time. We started a volunteering programme originally with Hilton and, due to it’s success, are sharing this with other partners. There are different ways to get involved, whether you are currently off work, furloughed or still working. If you’d like to see what opportunities are available and put your hand up to potentially help out, CLICK HERE
Become a Friend of Springboard
If you are able to make a regular monthly donation of £20 to Springboard (or an annual donation of £200), you will be acknowledged on our website as a friend of Springboard, sent a digital badge to display on your social media, websites and email footers, as well as receive updates from us about how your money is being used to support an individual or individuals to access our support and fulfil their potential. FIND OUT MORE
The Springboard Charity seeks an inspirational new leader
Further to the recent announcement in the press regarding Anne Pierce’s retirement, the Springboard Charity is searching for a new Chief Executive to drive forward an exciting new chapter in this organisation’s incredible journey.
The Springboard Charity is celebrating 30 years of fulfilling its mission to help people of all ages and backgrounds improve their career potential in hospitality, leisure and tourism. Since its inception, it has developed inspirational education programmes in schools, along with mentoring programmes for college and university students. It has been recognised for its award-winning employability programmes, designed to help people living in poverty, facing multiple barriers to work or experiencing long-term unemployment into sustainable work in the industry. At the same time, its trading arm, Springboard UK has led numerous campaigns to promote the industry as a great place to work and activity to support the people and citizenship priorities of its investing business partners.
Post-COVID-19, Springboard’s work will be needed more than ever but, in a changed world, the new Chief Executive will need to drive innovation & change to secure new income streams and ensure the organisation is fit for future purpose, ready to achieve its ambition to make a difference to more people’s lives and the industry.
You will be an outstanding individual with the ability to be an influential figurehead and a strong ambassador for the Charity, with a track record of:
- Strong Leadership & strategic planning
- Change Management
- Financial and business acumen
- Successful income generation
- Influence and standing within the hospitality, leisure, tourism sectors with a broad network
- Involvement in Charity and Governance
For more information on this opportunity or to express your interest [in confidence] please contact Hannah Horler [a member of the Board and Springboard Patron] on 07909 967364 / hannah@cartwheel.co.uk by Friday 15th May 2020.