Meet the Judges
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Mark Lewis
Editor, Caterer and Hotelkeeper
Mark Lewis is Group Editor of the Caterer Group, overseeing Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Caterersearch.com and the group’s portfolio of events.
Prior to joining the Caterer Group, Mark worked on Computer Weekly, where he rose to the position of Deputy Editor. Before entering trade publishing, Mark wrote for travel guide book publishers, the Rough Guides, for whom he wrote guides to Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
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Chris Durant
Director of Beacon
A graduate of the Birmingham College of Food, Chris entered the hotel industry in a variety of management roles before spending ten years as a leading industry catering and facilities management consultant undertaking major projects covering strategy and policy development for clients including Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, British American Tobacco, Standard Life and the BBC. Chris is a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and joined beacon in 2007.
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Chris Penn
General Manager Flemings Hotel
Chris is the General Manager of Flemings Hotel in Mayfair and has worked his way up through the industry in the last 15 years. His last role was also in London, at The Cavendish Hotel, where he and the team won numerous awards including 35th place in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies and prior to that he was at the prestigious Stafford Hotel.
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Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL
Chef Patron, Café Spice Namaste
One of the most respected chefs and restaurateurs operating in the UK today, Cyrus is renowned for his commitment to sustainability and the environment. Born and raised in Bombay, he trained as a chef with the Taj Group in India, where he rose to become Executive Chef of the group's hotels in Goa.
Cyrus champions British farmers and producers and is on HRH The Prince of Wales' Mutton Renaissance Committee and the Marine Conservation Society. In 2011, Café Spice Namaste, the restaurant he set up with his wife Pervin 15 years ago, won the Corporation of London's Sustainable Food Award. Cyrus was also awarded a Special Achievement Award by the Footprint Forum. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London.
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Dr. Rebecca Hawkins
Responsible Hospitality Partnership
Rebecca has become widely acknowledged in the hospitality sector as one of the leading thinkers in this field. As well as writing much of the practical guidance that has been produced for this sector, she has written extensively for the trade press. She is a judge for high profile Tourism Awards. Rebecca will shortly publish a book which will become the key text on responsible business in the hospitality sector, what it means and which companies are making the most progress.