I really am a lucky pup. There's so many stories of the different people and roles in hospitality that it will take several lifetimes to tell them all.

Today's guests is an absolute cracker.

I got some time with the inspirational beacon of positivity that is Kellie Rixon, Founder of Rixon Associates (http://rixonassociates.com) and the new Chair of the Institute of Hospitality (https://www.instituteofhospitality.org), the professional body for the Hospitality industry.

As always, we get through so much including receiving an MBE, humour, endorphins, being the clever one, making a nuisance of yourself with the council, holiday parks, cleaning buses, change, uncovering talent, overcoming extreme adversity, IOH, debating, Everton v Liverpool, being busy and of course Kellie's incredible career story.

It's full of energy and passion and really should not be missed.

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

SPEAKERS

Kellie Rixon, Phil Street

Phil Street 00:01

Welcome to hospitality meets with me Phil Street where we take a light hearted look into the stories and individuals that make up the wonderful world of hospitality. Today's guest is the amazing Kellie Rixon, founder of exit associates and the new chair of the Institute of Hospitality. Coming up on today's show... Kelly demonstrates that every day brings its own surprises...

Kellie Rixon 00:22

And as I'm talking 2 armed police guys just walk in the back of the room, walk over to one of the guys tap him on the shoulder, he walks up, stands up and walks back out with them.

Phil Street 00:32

Phil unconvincingly tries to rescue this statement... I'm always off, trying new stuff, and... all of it legal. And we learn that it really is amazing what you can find in a dumbwaiter...

Kellie Rixon 00:44

Opening the dumb waiter one day to find one of the KPs sitting in there and his underpants...

Phil Street 00:48

All that and a whole lot more as Kelly talks us through her incredible journey so far, which includes an amazing story of overcoming extreme adversity. Kelly talks with such energy and positivity throughout, it really is a story not to be missed. Don't forget, we launch a brand new episode each week telling the amazing and always amusing stories from hospitality. So make sure you hit that subscribe button and give us a like and share across your networks. Enjoy. Hello, and welcome to the next edition of hospitality meets with me Phil Street. Today, I'm super excited to welcome to the show the recently elected Chair of the Institute of hospitality and founder of Rixon Associates, That is none other than Kellie Rixon. MBE.

Kellie Rixon 01:28

Hi Phil

Phil Street 01:30

How you doing?

Kellie Rixon 01:30

I'm good, I like the pause before the MBE to just add some gravitas there. Thank you so much.

Phil Street 01:36

Absolutely. I was trying to accentuate it so that we can make it a discussion point, which I'm sure we will. But well, actually, let's just go straight into that. What What did you get the MBE for?

Kellie Rixon 01:46

I'm proud to say it was for services to hospitality. So yeah, it is something that has kind of really kind of made a difference in my life in terms of my pride in my work. It was a great moment, and it's kind of still is great to talk about it.

Phil Street 02:04

Yeah, absolutely. And is it true that Prince Charles commented on how nice your dress was?

Kellie Rixon 02:10

He actually did. And he also told me his opening line to me was "Thank God you're here. It's been incredibly dull so far". I thought that was great. I thought it was kind of bringing the party to the palace.

Phil Street 02:23

Yeah, brilliant. Great stuff. We'll get into that in a little bit more depth as we as we go on. But how are you anyway?

Kellie Rixon 02:31

Yeah, I'm really well, thank you for asking in a locked up Liverpool at the moment with the world going mad around us. But thankfully, all well. And yeah, fighting through it.

Phil Street 02:42

Yeah. Which tier Are you in?

Kellie Rixon 02:44

Where we are the only one in tier three at the moment. So I'm here at being a really competitive person. I like to be, you know, the best I possibly can. So if there's a worst category, that's best, that's what we're in. So I still, somehow I'm taking some sort of sense of achievement in being in the worst group. But we're doing our best.

Phil Street 03:05

There's always little moments of positivity in the face of adversity. Or I certainly look for humour at times of adversity. Yesterday, I saw a post somewhere, which I did share because it just caught, it gave me an lol moment, which was how people are starting emails now. Which was something like Hi, Phil, I hope you're staying positive and testing negative

Kellie Rixon 03:33

(Laughs) you see there you go, humour in Liverpool. It's literally bread and butter. It's ah humour plays such an important part in my life. I think it's such a critical kind of thing to use it in both kind of my daily life but just in the people I like to surround myself with. Yeah, there's no no way round a really good laugh.

Phil Street 03:55

Yeah, I just think it's one of the greatest tonics for life. Really. It's there's there's a science behind it isn't there about your what it releases within you in terms of stress relief and positive chemicals, whatever they're called?

Kellie Rixon 04:10

Endorphins.

Phil Street 04:11

That's the one that's the one yeah.

Kellie Rixon 04:13

This just is so much good. I mean, I was talking about this the other day. I somebody posted you know, the old sketch the Morcambe & Wise breakfast sketch.

Phil Street 04:23

Yeah,

Kellie Rixon 04:24

Somebody posted it and it literally stands up today. I just found myself giggle in a way to it with the oranges and the grapefruits kind of it was just such a fun kind of thing to watch over and over again. But yeah, no, lots of things make me laugh and lots of people make me laugh and it's it's definitely part of my life. It's really important part of my life.

Phil Street 04:45

Yeah, I'm not gonna get too political, but this government is currently making me laugh.

Kellie Rixon 04:52

Well, I think you're gonna laugh or you're gonna cry at the moment. And I think that in any situation, we do look for humour, and I think we have To find the humour in it, because, you know, you can't always change what's in front of you, but certainly you change your approach.

Phil Street 05:07

No, indeed, I couldn't agree more. Great. Okay. Well, take us all the way back to the very beginning. And I was gonna say, obviously not birth, but and yeah, talk us through your your life and journey so far.

Kellie Rixon 05:21

Well, I, you know, I could go back to birth because, you know, I was born in the house that my mom and dad still live in. So, county council estate in Liverpool and they still live in the same house today. So I think what you'd call it now is probably an area of regeneration is probably the kind of politically acceptable phrase but yeah, counsellor state was when I was I was there in growing up. But yet, you know, really happy kind of life growing up in terms of, you know, we didn't have much but I'm one of five children. So lots of people around me there was always kind of quite a social circle and friends, but you know, we we talk about humour growing up with with four brothers and sisters. There's definitely banter. And, yeah, there's definitely fun in there too.

Phil Street 06:13

Where were you in the pecking order?

Kellie Rixon 06:15

So I was the baby until my baby sister turned up about eight years later. I never really forgave her for it if I'm honest. So, yeah, no, she's she came along, and I didn't don't think I really kind of warmed up to her for a couple of years. And you know, I'm not gonna lie to you yet. She wasn't the prettiest baby and she turned into the most beautiful woman. So I thought I was okay, because she was going to grow up and she wasn't going to be beautiful. And she turned beautiful. So now I have I have two sisters. One's incredibly beautiful. And ones include incredibly glamorous, and and my mom suggests that one is, you know, beautiful. One's glamorous. And I'm the clever one. Which is just family like my mom. Yeah, and then it's not good. Is it really

Phil Street 07:01

We can always rely on on mum's for a bit of cold hard honestly.

Kellie Rixon 07:06

It's It's fine. You know, if you want to know about being kind of smart or stylish or glamorous you go to the to, but if you want somebody to ring the council and complain about your bins been emptied, and you're mad. And then I've got two brothers as well. So yeah, it's it was a phone house. It was, it was definitely no easy. It definitely made you a bit competitive to fight for your space. And, but I'm still incredibly close to my family. So yeah, it's really important to me.

Phil Street 07:35

Yeah, got you. So that was that was your childhood.

Kellie Rixon 07:38

Yeah

Phil Street 07:39

In one and a half minutes. Obviously, that is important, but it's not important today. Let's, let's move to Oh, well, let's just carry on actually, how was how was your schooling?

Kellie Rixon 07:50

Yeah, I love school. I was in a strange situation it looking back. It wasn't the best school in the world. But I really enjoyed it. And I found drama quite early on. So loved kind of getting involved in school productions and things like that. And

Phil Street 08:05

Okay, so it wasn't that you, you sought out drama, as in I need drama in my life. And I need to call the council again about these bloody bins

Kellie Rixon 08:16

It does stand you in good stead for being able to debate and being confident enough to hold out your own in an argument. So no, I loved it. I you know, love drama, was quite academically minded. So it was comfortable in school really enjoyed my time. Yeah, my dad was a milkman. So I had, I used to go round on the milk round with him before school and collecting at night. And yeah, we all worked hard. So it was a good balance between, you know, a great fun family life and a really, some work ethic quite early on. Yeah, we all have to earn our way.

Phil Street 08:52

Yeah. Well, that's a good life lesson to learn early, isn't it?

Kellie Rixon 08:56

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Didn't, you know, I didn't see any difference in working at 14, you know, my first kind of my first step into hospitality was working in a pub at 14, right. I, you know, I could lie and say, I was blast collecting or waiting on but I was actually behind the bar. And so, at 14 in some rave club in Liverpool, so I earned my stripes, early doors, I would suggest, you know, I've pretty much done virtually every role in hospitality, I would suggest, and I definitely didn't start at the top. But no, it was, you know, I worked in bars and restaurants whilst at school, you know, paid my contribution in terms of into the house and things like that. So, yeah, worked hard and knew it was probably going to be part of my life forever.

Phil Street 09:49

So you had that immediate affinity with it?

Kellie Rixon 09:53

Yeah, you know, it's it's a place where you, especially when you you'll use phone there. was great money. And if you are good at it, it was lucrative, you know, you could make great tips, you made a decent salary, but you could transfer the skills as well. So there was a new bar open and open, it was shiny and new. And you had experience it was valuable there was there was a value to it. So no, it was an I didn't, I wasn't fed this idea that hospitality is some sort of second choice. My family have always been hugely supportive of what I do in that respect. So that's really, really, really critical. Now, the amount of parents that think hospitality is in some way, a second choice or, you know, the last choice is just it's it's a bit bonkers when you look at the opportunity there

Phil Street 10:42

Ah for sure. I mean, we talk about this openly on on this show about the fact that it really can take you off in so many different directions. And you're there, there's millions of ways to get to the top in this industry.

Kellie Rixon 10:59

Yeah. And the journey is fun to know, I think I think we forget that, whilst we're working. It's hard work. You know, it's a big commitment. It's long hours. Invariably, it's not always great jobs. But there's, you know, we come back to that idea of fun funds really important and in hospitality. And, you know, we have more than our fair share of fun. And there's there's those stories that you even today reflect back on and still giggle to yourself, the stuff you got up to when you were young and foolish.

Phil Street 11:31

Yes. And did well, I'm sure we'll, we might come back to that.

Kellie Rixon 11:37

The names may be changed, Phil, just to protect the innocent?

Phil Street 11:43

Absolutely. Great stuff. Okay. So it started life in bars

Kellie Rixon 11:47

Yeah

Phil Street 11:47

And how did you how did you then progress?

Kellie Rixon 11:50

Well, I went after school, I went to drama school. So I was working my way through college, if you like, but it was a drama school. So I got a scholarship to go, which was really funny. In the time in Liverpool, they didn't really or they weren't supporting the arts. And I was desperate to go to drama school. But the only drama school in Liverpool was a private school with school fees and things like that. And obviously, coming from the kind of background I did, we couldn't afford to pay them. And then somebody will tell me that the council give grants out, you know, education and, and they'll pay school fees. So I went and applied for a grant or I went to apply for a grant at the Council building, right? where I was, I was promptly told that they're not supporting the arts at that time, but it was it was it in engineering that they were supporting. And I was like, No, I want to go to drama school. And this went on for some time. So I just kept asking, and they kept telling me No, but you know, even at that age, I kind of felt no is just a starting point for negotiation. Really, right. So I kept going back kept going back and I think eventually to pacify me, they they set up a I'm going to use the term audition really loosely. audition for a grant because as it transpired, they didn't really have anyone looking at at the arts at the time. So my audition took place in a school on a Saturday morning with two town planners in really ill fitting suits

Phil Street 13:24

geared and know what they're talking about.

Kellie Rixon 13:27

Yeah, so they the two of them, they clearly upset somebody or there's some sort of pennants they've been there over time this week was to sit in some school and watch some crazy teenager jump about and do a soliloquy from licenced strata and then do a dance number it must looking back It must have been bonkers. But bless them they must have had some sway because somehow I managed to get the scholarship and and my school fees were paid to go to drama school for two years so right you know again, just I'll have a go I'll we'll make it happen make it work. So I love drama school thought it was brilliant. Got an opportunity to go to work for Bourne leisure, British holidays in a summer job. And my intention was just to go away into the summer season in the entertainments team and being a red coat basically, and I went away to do I think it was a 12 week season and I never came back home again. So that's when my love of hospitality really took off. So holiday parks is where it really started for me.

Phil Street 14:37

You know, same for me. I started as a bartender in Haggerston castle Holiday Park,

Kellie Rixon 14:43

There you go same company.

Phil Street 14:45

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely nuts. So actually, you mentioned tips. I remember. I didn't stay there very long because I had lofty ideas about travelling the world and I got a job on a cruise ship in the end and that was me off but the end short time that I was there, they did. The kind of promoted me unofficially into the owners bar, as they called it

Kellie Rixon 15:06

Yeah

Phil Street 15:07

Which was a lot of fun because you were seeing the same people all the time, you could build relationships with people. And I remember doing New Year's Eve there, one year would have been probably 1999, I think. And they're just all the owners just every single round said, Have one yourself when I was obviously on duty. And I would say, well I'm on duty, I'm not gonna have a drink, but I'll take a pound and I'll have a half after work. Well, I could have had 250 halfs. By the by the end of the evening, talk about tips that night itself 250 quid in tips, let alone the salary, which was double time as well. It was a very nice night.

Kellie Rixon 15:48

It's great. And, you know, the stories are fantastic that you know, I look back on my time that I went to Hopton holiday village right. Often it was on the East Coast, close to Great Yarmouth. And it was just literally almost from the day I arrived. I mean, the journey there Phil was hysterical as well. So I just, I'm definitely a half ago kind of girl so I get this job. I do an audition and I get this job to go and work. I hopped in holiday village and great went on to start or can you go tomorrow? Yes, absolutely. So I go and I bought my national Express coach ticket to go to Hopton holiday village and I get on and to go from Liverpool to Great Yarmouth took 12 and a half hours. Right? Because at one point, at one point, we were like seven miles from London or something. So it literally went everywhere in my use of naivety. And you know, it was early 90s. I figured the best thing to wear to turn up at my first day was some great white jeans and

Welcome to hospitality meets with me Phil Street where we take a light hearted look into the stories and individuals that make up the wonderful world of hospitality. Today's guest is

And as I'm talking 2 armed police guys just walk in the back of the room, walk over to one of the guys tap him on the shoulder, he walks up, stands up and walks back out with them.

Phil unconvincingly tries to rescue this statement...

I'm always off, trying new stuff, and... all of it legal.

And we learn that it really is amazing what you can find in a dumbwaiter...

Opening the dumb waiter one day to find one of the KPs sitting in there and his underpants...

All that and a whole lot more as Kelly talks us through her incredible journey so far, which includes an amazing story of overcoming extreme adversity. Kelly talks with such energy and

Hello, and welcome to the next edition of hospitality meets with me Phil Street. Today, I'm super excited to welcome to the show the recently elected Chair of the Institute of hospitality and

Hi Phil

How you doing?

I'm good, I like the pause before the MBE to just add some gravitas there. Thank you so much.

Absolutely. I was trying to accentuate it so that we can make it a discussion point, which I'm sure we will. But well, actually, let's just go straight into that. What What did you get

I'm proud to say it was for services to hospitality. So yeah, it is something that has kind of really kind of made a difference in my life in terms of my pride in my work. It was a great

Yeah, absolutely. And is it true that Prince Charles commented on how nice your dress was?

He actually did. And he also told me his opening line to me was "Thank God you're here. It's been incredibly dull so far". I thought that was great. I thought it was kind of bringing

Yeah, brilliant. Great stuff. We'll get into that in a little bit more depth as we as we go on. But how are you anyway?

Yeah, I'm really well, thank you for asking in a locked up Liverpool at the moment with the world going mad around us. But thankfully, all well. And yeah, fighting through it.

Yeah. Which tier Are you in?

Where we are the only one in tier three at the moment. So I'm here at being a really competitive person. I like to be, you know, the best I possibly can. So if there's a worst category,

There's always little moments of positivity in the face of adversity. Or I certainly look for humour at times of adversity. Yesterday, I saw a post somewhere, which I did share because

(Laughs) you see there you go, humour in Liverpool. It's literally bread and butter. It's ah humour plays such an important part in my life. I think it's such a critical kind of thing

Yeah, I just think it's one of the greatest tonics for life. Really. It's there's there's a science behind it isn't there about your what it releases within you in terms of stress

Endorphins.

That's the one that's the one yeah.

This just is so much good. I mean, I was talking about this the other day. I somebody posted you know, the old sketch the Morcombe & Wise breakfast sketch.

Yeah,

Somebody posted it and it literally stands up today. I just found myself giggle in a way to it with the oranges and the grapefruits kind of it was just such a fun kind of thing to watch

Yeah, I'm not gonna get too political, but this government is currently making me laugh.

Well, I think you're gonna laugh or you're gonna cry at the moment. And I think that in any situation, we do look for humour, and I think we have To find the humour in it, because, you

No, indeed, I couldn't agree more. Great. Okay. Well, take us all the way back to the very beginning. And I was gonna say, obviously not birth, but and yeah, talk us through your your

Well, I, you know, I could go back to birth because, you know, I was born in the house that my mom and dad still live in. So, county council estate in Liverpool and they still live in the

Where were you in the pecking order?

So I was the baby until my baby sister turned up about eight years later. I never really forgave her for it if I'm honest. So, yeah, no, she's she came along, and I didn't don't

We can always rely on on mum's for a bit of cold hard honestly.

It's It's fine. You know, if you want to know about being kind of smart or stylish or glamorous you go to the to, but if you want somebody to ring the council and complain about your

Yeah, got you. So that was that was your childhood.

Yeah

In one and a half minutes. Obviously, that is important, but it's not important today. Let's, let's move to Oh, well, let's just carry on actually, how was how was your schooling?

Yeah, I love school. I was in a strange situation it looking back. It wasn't the best school in the world. But I really enjoyed it. And I found drama quite early on. So loved kind of

Okay, so it wasn't that you, you sought out drama, as in I need drama in my life. And I need to call the council again about these bloody bins

It does stand you in good stead for being able to debate and being confident enough to hold out your own in an argument. So no, I loved it. I you know, love drama, was quite academically

Yeah. Well, that's a good life lesson to learn early, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Didn't, you know, I didn't see any difference in working at 14, you know, my first kind of my first step into hospitality was working in a pub at 14, right. I,

So you had that immediate affinity with it?

Yeah, you know, it's it's a place where you, especially when you you'll use phone there. was great money. And if you are good at it, it was lucrative, you know, you could make great

Ah for sure. I mean, we talk about this openly on on this show about the fact that it really can take you off in so many different directions. And you're there, there's millions of ways

Yeah. And the journey is fun to know, I think I think we forget that, whilst we're working. It's hard work. You know, it's a big commitment. It's long hours. Invariably, it's not

Yes. And did well, I'm sure we'll, we might come back to that.

The names may be changed, Phil, just to protect the innocent?

Absolutely. Great stuff. Okay. So it started life in bars

Yeah

And how did you how did you then progress?

Well, I went after school, I went to drama school. So I was working my way through college, if you like, but it was a drama school. So I got a scholarship to go, which was really

I was like, No, I want to go to drama school. And this went on for some time. So I just kept asking, and they kept telling me No, but you know, even at that age, I kind of felt no is just a starting

geared and know what they're talking about.

Yeah, so they the two of them, they clearly upset somebody or there's some sort of pennants they've been there over time this week was to sit in some school and watch some crazy

season and I never came back home again. So that's when my love of hospitality really took off. So holiday parks is where it really started for me.

You know, same for me. I started as a bartender in Haggerston castle Holiday Park,

There you go same company.

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely nuts. So actually, you mentioned tips. I remember. I didn't stay there very long because I had lofty ideas about travelling the world and I got a job on a cruise

Yeah

Which was a lot of fun because you were seeing the same people all the time, you could build relationships with people. And I remember doing New Year's Eve there, one year would have been

It's great. And, you know, the stories are fantastic that you know, I look back on my time that I went to Hopton holiday village right. Often it was on the East Coast, close to Great

best thing to wear to turn up at my first day was some great white jeans and a white denim jacket. Not really working out that 12 and a half hours on a national Express coach would not really do me a

Yeah, I think

well, what got what you needed.

The guy said to me, the minute I saw the national Express coach pulling up to reception, I knew you were going to be a handful. So yeah, absolutely.

Brilliant. So how long were you there for?

I worked for that company for about five years. So I ended up being full time employees went to assistant manager entertainments manager, I looked after the recruitment and

And so then how did you make the jump into full on hospitality?

Well, it was really interesting, because my husband had a pub in his previous role. And we had decided that we wanted to get married and settle down and have children. And the

in love with it. So it was quite funny. It just reminded him why he did he left it originally and I was like why have I never done this before. So We kind of quickly established that it was going to

Yeah. How long did you do that for?

So I run that Pub. And then we moved to and I think I run three or four pubss at that time. So went from one to the other to that, having my children, my two children as I went, and it

Yep, that have a go attitude.

How hard can it be? And then I opened the notes and it was employment law. And I thought, okay, so I had this bunch of tenanted landlords arrive and all sit down. And you know, what

Yeah. Was that was that you then into the world of training?

Yeah, it was it was a world of training with a little segue way back into operations. So for as most operators do, if you're good at something, they generally think you're good at

a collaborative way and take the team with us. And, and so I brought my l&d background with me into what was a very commercial, very aggressive, very demanding kind of business. But yeah, I definitely

Yeah. Okay. And then you How long were you there for?

Again, probably about five years. So

you're a five year itch kind of person then

Yeah, well, you got to keep it interesting Phil, for me, you got to keep it interesting and if I'm not being challenged, if they're, you know, even today, and we'll talk about

Time to hand over

Absolutely. And go and shake the tree somewhere else. And I think once you understand that about yourself, when you get to know yourself in terms of your practice, it's just helpful to

Blimey.

Yeah. But it was it literally three year period it was it was just boom in the UK. And it was really great. But I missed hospitality. I desperately missed hospitality.

Yeah. It's funny how many people leave and come back. And I think what we're, we're probably about to find out just how many leaving come back around. But everything that's going on in

It is but it does stick with you. And it is important for people. You know, throughout my career, it's this transitional approach to hospitality people dip in and dip out and dip out. And

understand why. And every day I was being asked to write something else, go and write something else, go write something else. And I'm thinking, I keep writing stuff, we keep producing stuff, but

written this and I was like, Yes, you did you write this? Yes. And it was then I ended up staying on with the business because my job then was to deliver it. So I've been designing and creating, I've

Yeah.

So yeah, it's a, it was a great company to be at it was a great company,

You always do learn from from people who are demanding. I think the I mean, obviously, there is a way to be demanding about it. There's no sense in just being demanding for the sake of

Yeah, and they get the best out of you, I'd much rather work for, you know, demanding manager, a demanding boss, because it means that I'm going to have to be at my best. So that

people out there. I like it. In fact, yeah. So now it was great. I loved it and was given real opportunity to kind of grow and develop and be creative and innovative and things like that. And it

Right. Okay

You know

yeah

It was born out of a bottle of wine.

But as all the best ideas are right?

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Yeah. Well talk us through that. Because I know that that that's, that's something that I think a lot of people, certainly I was aware of Dever Academy, probably, I think it would have

Yeah.

So yeah, talk us through what the objective was behind that.

Well, it was a kind of amalgam of two conversation. So, you know, Richard was committed to making sure that we were doing something in terms of developing and giving back and,

was absolutely instrumental in the creation of it, she was my l&d manager. And she told me that this was an idea that she'd been working on in terms of trying to get some sort of, you know, school pool

down, the chef situation had become really difficult in the industry, but lack of talent. So we kind of figured that what we needed to do is go out there and almost plant the seed of hospitality in

Right.

This is our curriculum. This is the kind of calibre of student we generally look for. So not for us. So again, the old adage that now is the starting point for negotiation, we kind of

Yeah.

And yeah, you know, the first day of recruitment, I remember them, the local community centre or Citizens Advice centre had brought a busload of, they described them as neets, which I

Yeah.

So this boss turns up with 20 of these young people, which one of them cleaned it? Honest to God, none of them, surprisingly. But they all turn up. They're all sat there. And I'm

we were an employer, and it worked. So we had, I think, in total, almost 14,000 young people go through the doors.

Of the Devere Academy.

Wow!

My word

Yeah. We had 12 schools across the UK and two and a half thousand on programme at any given time. And we had a 73% access into work rate as well. So we're basically placing this talent

Yeah. But, 14,000 people, that's just incredible 14,000 people that wouldn't have necessarily had that opportunity had that not been open to them. That's, that's to be applauded. For

It was a great initiative. And you know, what, I have still been doing it today. Yes, probably some version of it. But at that point in my life, my life took a dramatic change. So

Right

We, yeah, my life changed direction completely about 2012. So it made for a life altering decision at that point.

Right. Are you happy to talk about what happened?

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm happy to talk about it. It's, um, we were involved in driving back from my mother in law's funeral. My husband stayed behind to lock up the house and take care of kind

my youngest son Harry, who was asleep in the back, he was 12, at the time, sustained a traumatic brain injury, just catastrophic injuries in this country at that time. So, yeah, we were airlifted

it's not yours. So everything I'd learned as a person up until that point in work and in life, I just kind of internalised and worked with my boy, but he did all the hard work. He put all the time

still, you know, the just the trajectory of his life is in a different direction. He's no less. We're no less ambitious for our son. We're no less proud of our son. We're no less, you know, levar

didn't want to waste a minute of my life felt doing anything I didn't enjoy anymore.

Yeah

Because I knew how precious life was. And so for me, I didn't want to do another auto enrolment for pensions, as long as I live. I didn't really want to spend my time doing what would be

Yeah

And we help them do that through their people. So pull programmes engagement programmes, articulating the new future mission, vision and values, all that sort of great stuff.

So out of adversity, you kind of got the the adversity actually took you to where you needed to be

You know what there's, there's a strange, strange way of getting to a destination. And it is known as a straight line. And sometimes the details are actually fundamental in the

Yeah

And I think that's what I've learned over it, you know, there's not so much of a linear path as different ways I look at it with my boy, you know, he can't do everything that she

Yeah, well, he's clearly his mother's son, but for sure, there's a little bit of tenacity in you, I'm beginning to feel

I wish I wish I was half as strong as he is. He's so great. My eldest son as well, my eldest son is a you know, he gets overlooked in this story quite a lot. And he's such a legend. He's

Brilliant. No, that's, that's wonderful. And I really, really appreciate you sharing that in such intimate detail. Massive thanks for that. So let's talk. Rixon Associates. What type of

Hospitality companies, anything from chains, pub, and restaurants, or small hotel groups, at large hotel groups, right across the piece, large restaurant groups. It's been a really

them a contact list of people I've worked with in the past and just go ring any of them speak to them.

Yeah

it's a much easier sell. So it means we manage our workload.

But that's always the way, isn't it? It's much better to get somebody else to tell other people how good you are, rather than you try and do it yourself.

Yeah, I, it's not really, I don't really want to go out there and say, I don't really I do this night, it's just it's a bit, I'd rather just go just pick up the phone, I'm not

honest at that time, at all, for a long time, the value, I think, for me, it was one of them things where you go, actually, it's just what you do, you know, when you've been around a long time, and

sidelines pointing saying that's not for me. So when I had some conversations, and I was very lucky to be invited to join the supervisory board about a year ago, which I did, and again, you know, an

I'm really, really surprised, but absolutely delighted to be elected as the new chair on the 10th of September.

Yeah. Well, that is brilliant. And it's a bit of a, I suppose a success story in itself as well. Because if I'm right, are you the first female chair?

I believe so. I'm not sure. But I believe so. So it said, the interesting thing is, well, yesterday, we had a conference call yesterday with all the regional chairs of our committees,

Yeah

So it was a it was definitely not the perception I had beforehand. And it's definitely not. And yeah, we are changing, we are looking at being more inclusive and more diverse, and making

Yeah, what sorry, what do you mean, there's no, nothing going on right now?

No, not at all. You know, it's really interesting. Some of the clients I work with, you know, everybody has been affected. Everybody has been some have been decimated through no fault

you be really critical with what's important and how to protect what's really important.

Yeah, no doubt. I mean, it's the the reset button is being pressed right in front of our eyes. That's, and you know, with that, it doesn't feel like it No, but comes amazing opportunity

leg fracturing politics, because it was, well, it was already broken. And he's kind of the reset on it. And actually, I'd never viewed that way. Obviously, there's other elements to Trump that are

Yeah, I totally, I totally understand, you know, what, that what's the phrase first understand, then to be understood?

Yeah

You've gotta understand the situation. But sometimes, you know, no one wants a factory reset, I described what happened to my boys a factory reset, you know, it's going right the way back

Yeah. And I think that the key thing on the debate then is, is that it's, it's measured. And, you know, that's not shouty. And not, I mean, that you can then look at the, the

You know, as a mom of two two boys, I've been trying to raise men for the last 20 years. If either of them behaved in that way, I'd say I would have failed as a mother. So it's quite

Yeah, I think that being respectful of other people's opinions is also a massive part of debate. Yeah. You know, and I definitely think as a society, we've lost that. You know, yeah,

Where it's just not a level playing field. That is it, you know, anywhere where people feel that their voice doesn't have the same value, whether it be gender, whether it be, you know,

Yeah, clearly, and I think your point as well about making sure that the next generation have their voice heard. They absolutely, fundamentally need to have their seat at the

Absolutely. You know, we've just appointed I hate the phrase young person. This poor but amazing and talented, and full of potential person, and, and now she's been labelled as a

Yeah, well, I do, I think you've definitely set your stall out on that I was lucky enough to watch your kind of meet and greet webinar a couple of weeks ago. And it was very clear to

I hope so. And for me, it feels like real momentum at the moment. You know, it lots of time changes uncomfortable. But I'm delighted that the response has been so supportive, and I've had

Yeah

I'm involved.

Well, I'm in

Good.

I was already convinced. But no, it's I think that as I said, we've got a wonderful opportunity not to be missed, I think. And I think that the key point is collaboration. There's a

Yeah, I mean, it we just have to be open, honest and transparent, that we're all hoping for something positive at the end of it. It's times like this where we're collaboration is

Amen to that. I was going to ask you about if you have any funny stories you could share, but I feel like you've actually given us a couple of funny stories already. But if there's

I'm really, I'm trying to edit them in my mind. But anyone who's worked in hospitality for over 30 years, we'll tell you, most of them you'd never really want to be associated with again.

Done. Yeah, I'm in, I'm in

I like it.

A burning question. This is hugely indulgent. Are you are you red or blue?

Well, I live in Liverpool, so therefore I'm a blue.

God, really? I should ask you that at the beginning.

You don't get to pick it. Phil Don't you understand? Literally you're born and it happens. So I Our house is very divisive. So we've got predominantly blue with my dad and my one of

Yeah, well it's a good time to be alive. as a as a blue

Listen, I'm going to miss the end of season scrap to stay up at that that's our that's our Champions League. That's our you know, that's that's our gold standard that it last match of the

Well, I think that might be about to change. And I'm not suggesting that might happen this weekend. I like to believe that the Reds will still win. But the one thing I will say is that I

Yeah, absolutely. Do you want a fiver on it, Phil?

I'm not a betting man. Actually, I would have taken that bet up until the seven two that happened a couple of weeks ago. No, It's just such a weird season. Yes, that's obviously

I wish I was better at that than I am. I do. So I'm going to I'm going to pick it up and read it this weekend. Because Yeah, I, I too involved in to taking part and probably in some

Well, but you know, things that need to be worked on that can be worked on.

Yeah, I definitely I like being in the driving seat a lot more than than being in the back of the boss now. So I know where I'm at my most comfortable.

Yeah, well, you know, if you're in the back of the bus than you if you've got to clean it haven't you, so

and in a white denim suit.

Absolutely. I did read somewhere, actually, that you don't enjoy being a passenger.

I'm not very good at it. Coz, you know, I am like Donkey on Shrek. You know, it's like, does anybody and you know, Pick me Pick me Pick me? So that's it? No, I'll have a go at

I think I might be the same actually on that. That just because you can doesn't mean you should I am known amongst those who know me as the shiny new thing, guy. I'm always off trying

Yeah, it's the busy busy people do that quite a lot. Does that mean they like that? It's, you know, I have a really simple life mantra, and it's on generally everything I do. And it's

happens next is your control. We couldn't have predicted COVID we couldn't have predicted what's happened to the hospitality industry. We couldn't have predicted it. We couldn't have stopped it. It

Too true. Absolutely. But I think that the one thing I picked up from a couple of conversations with you knows that you definitely have a can do attitude. There's nothing that we

Listen, when you've got talent, and we have as an industry, when you've got resourcefulness, when you've got a, you know, a willingness to succeed, who's to say, What, What,

Yeah. And don't forget, you know, this is the great leveller, right? Nobody's experienced this before. Nobody knows how to deal with it. There is no was I've used the word

Yeah, I mean, try being a consultant in this time, because people just kept bringing me up going, what is it? What happens next currently? And I'm like, I have no idea. Yeah, you know,

Yeah. So you know, you, you make the best way forward with the tools that you've got. And don't be afraid to ask for help.

Agreed. Absolutely.

Great stuff. Okay. if What if you were to have somebody who wanted to come into hospitality sat in front of you, what would you say to them?

Why not just do it? Well, you're gonna have an industry where it's really diverse, it's really interesting. You can travel you can meet fantastic people, you will definitely have fun,

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Superb. Well, thank you very much for spending some time with us today and sharing your story. And it's just been a real great insight into to the life

Indeed. Thank you so much, Phil has been really good to talk.

You're very, very welcome. Take care. Bye bye.

And there we have it, a quite sensational career journey so far from Kellie. We wish her well on her role as chair at the Institute of hospitality and can't wait to see what Kelly and her team have in