Meet the Executive Team

Began my hospitality career at the age of five with my
parents business then joined Trust House Forte on their
Management Training Scheme and progressed through
their catering and hotels business to Vice President for
their European business based in Rome. I left after 20
successful years and became a director of a new start
up pub business which was successfully sold to Greene
King Plc and I then was appointed Managing Director
of their managed pub business. After a period of
consolidation and restructuring including taking over
another two businesses I left and became CEO of a
troubled pub business that I restructured and
successfully sold to Greene King Plc two years later.
I then became a Non Executive Chairman of a
Restaurant company and held a number of part
time non-executive advisory roles before joining The
Burhill Group in 2006.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
My snorkelling gear, fishing line & hook
Wind generator (to power No3)
Radio transmitter (for music and when I want to get
off the Island)

Ultimate dinner guest:
Sir David Attenborough

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
Sir Clive Woodward
Chris Evans
My Dad
Halle Berry, with me being her caddie!

I started life in Liverpool before going off to university, graduating in science and entering a career in chartered accountancy and finance with PWC in Birmingham. After a subsequent move into industry I joined the hospitality and leisure sector and worked in a number of finance and commercial roles including London, and international hotels with golf locations in Europe and further afield. Following a stint in the related food business and private equity, I joined the Burhill Group team as finance director. Since then I have witnessed ongoing change and growth in the business which will inevitably continue. My experience at Burhill has highlighted to me how committed our people are how essential our people are to our success and the enjoyment of what we do from day to day.

Although I pursued more energetic activities in prior times, including football, cycle racing and a stint as a reservist, with my family I am now more sensible and enjoy the outdoors at a leisurely pace including occasional skiing, hill walking and boating. I am a strong believer in life-long learning and continuous personal development in whatever form is right for you, at whatever stage you are at in your life.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
My wife
Boat
On-line e-books and music

Ultimate dinner guest:
Luciano Pavarotti “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
My Dad
Winston Churchill
James Joyce

From a young age I had a burning curiosity of hotels and hospitality, the result I believe from travelling with my parents.  This curiosity lead to me becoming what was known on campus as a Hot Cat (Hotel & Catering Degree).  After graduating I worked in hotels for a number of years, I then opened and managed health & tennis clubs in the London area before taking up the opportunity to transfer into golf where I matched my hospitality skills with the language of ‘swindles’ and ‘preferred lies’! I left Crown Golf in 2014 when I joined Burhill Group as Operations Director.  Looking back, my greatest achievement is seeing the careers develop for the countless number of people who I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  If there was one thing I witnessed as a travelling child, it’s the value in people.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
Goggles
Flippers
Sun lotion

Ultimate dinner guest:
For those who know me, there’s no surprise when I say Mary Berry (as long as she brings dessert)

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
Myself and my 3 daughters – for I hope they grow up loving the game

From renting a variety of vehicles, making smoothies, and running golf clubs its been a varied career so far.  My earliest memory as a four year old child was listening to The Drifters “Under the boardwalk” in my father’s Vauxhall Cavalier and then falling out into the middle of the road without my father noticing. I knew then that the path of least resistance was not for me. With a passion for all things fun, adventure and ultimately enjoyable experiences that create life long memories, my role at BGL is crucial to ensure the continuation of quality leisure time for all.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
Guitar
Fishing rod
Slippers

Ultimate dinner guest:
Robin Williams

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
My Father
My Son, Joshua
Issac Newton
Billy Connolly

On leaving school I completed a year at Lucie Clayton College in PA/Secretarial Management which equipped me with my career life skills. I then entered the world of advertising with J Walter Thompson (JWT) one of the biggest advertising agencies in London (at that time) working with the Director responsible for the Kraft account together with Bob Payton, the larger than life American who later became the entrepreneur for the Chicago Rib Shack & Pizza Pie Factory restaurants. I then moved to BMW in Park Lane (walking distance from my flat) working for the Export Director, and among my responsibilities, attending and working at the Motor Show when it was held at Earls Court. During my annual two weeks’ holiday I was lucky enough to be accepted as one of the drivers during the Wimbledon Tournament chauffeuring the top tennis players, in particular the year that Virginia Wade became the Ladies champion. I worked at Wimbledon for two year’s running and count this as one of my many career highlights. On getting married I moved out of London and back to Surrey working for the CEO of Air Products UK until the birth of my twins in 1986. I started up my own secretarial business while my children were pre-school and during this time was asked to organise a conference in London for Halliburton with an invited audience of VIPs in biotechnology. I then gradually returned to full time work and accepted the appointment of PA to the MD of Burhill Estates Company in 1995. I am still here in 2018 working with the current CEO as his PA and Group HR Manager for BGL.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
Bear Grylls for his survival skills
My husband for his carpentry skills
A toothbrush

Ultimate dinner guest:
Jonathan Ross

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
Hugh Jackman
Lewis Hamilton
Sheryl Sandberg
Nicole Kidman

I started golf at the age of 11 and represented Scotland at Under-18 and Youth level before qualifying as a PGA Professional in 1991. Following several years as a PGA Professional working across England I joined Nevada Bob’s, initially as General Manager at their flagship stores at Bluewater and Lakeside before progressing to Area Manager. I continued my career on the high street with four years in Regional Management roles with Carphone Warehouse and JJB Sports where I was appointed in 2008 to the Head Buyer for the golf division, before joining Burhill Golf & Leisure in 2010. Similar to when playing golf my leisure time is spent mainly in the sand… on the North Norfolk coast with my wife Kate.

3 things I would take to a desert island:

My wife Kate

Helicopter
Helicopter pilot

Ultimate dinner guest:
Billy Connolly

Dream Fourball to play in or caddy for:
Sir Alex Ferguson
Ally McCoist
My Father

Born, raised, and educated in South Africa, I made my way to the UK in the summer of 2008 with a 23kg bag and no real plan. I landed my first role in finance for a cricket charity called Chance to Shine, based at Lords Cricket Ground, who aimed to regenerate cricket back into state schools.

During my time there I completed my CIMA qualification and was ready to spread my wings into industry. Since then, I spent 5 years in various senior finance roles within the Specialist Division at TUI Travel covering sports, corporate hospitality and marine. I joined Burhill in 2017 and feel proud to be part of the exceptional growth the business has achieved over the last 6 years. Sport and leisure have been a constant theme throughout my career and play an important role in today’s society. At Burhill all our offerings; be it golf, gym, adventure golf or Ninja Warrior obstacle courses; have a positive impact on our customers health and well-being across every age group.

3 things I would take to a desert island:
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Fishing rod
Hat

Ultimate dinner guest:
AB de Villiers

Dream Fourball to caddy for:

Denzel Washington
Trevor Noah
Zola Budd
Stephen Covey

I spent my early career calculating costs of construction projects as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor, following this I spent 8 years in logistics and manufacturing helping to build the iconic mini at its home in Oxford.

A brief ‘switch’ to the energy industry followed and when I never really found a ‘spark’, I decided that it was time for me to follow my passions for a living.

Several years in the health and fitness industry followed which ultimately led to me being a Senior General Manager overseeing a region of clubs.

Finally, I’ve crossed the leisure industry into golf and the wider range of services that we offer. I had played the game on and off for a few years but have since committed myself to playing and practising regularly, I’m a mid-teen handicapper with bundles of enthusiasm and not much consistency!

Within my role I enjoy working with our sales teams across the country. We are blessed with fantastic people, and I take pride in supporting them to fulfil their potential and deliver the best results possible, all underpinned with integrity and a commitment to delivering great service.

I truly believe that to ‘sell’ something you need to really believe in it and what you are selling must be a good thing for people.

Whether it’s a gym or golf membership, function, or golf day we are either supporting people to live more active and healthier lives, facilitating enjoyment and/or providing an environment in which to meet and socialise.

People can change their lives at our venues, for some it will be the only exercise they undertake, for some it will be the only form of interaction they have, and some will have the most important days of their lives with us; our impact can be huge and should never be lost as we go about our daily business.

3 things I would take to a desert island

Mobile Phone (solar powered)
Hydroplane
Spear

 Ultimate dinner guest

Bob Marley

 Dream Fourball to play in

Rory McIlroy
Tyrrell Hatton
Jordan Spieth

BGL is brimming with talent and I genuinely believe that everyone shows up at work wanting to do their best.  My work involves finding creative ways to harness and accelerate that ambition, and to reduce or eliminate any blockers. I’ve been an ambassador for Learning and Development for 30 odd years and I look forward to doing what I love for at least 30 more!

3 things I would take to a desert island:

My (solar powered!) kindle

A large supply of dark chocolate

A flare

My ultimate dinner guest:

Ken Robinson

My dream fourball to caddy for:

Khaled Hosseini (Author)

Gertrude Jekyll (Horticulturist)

Monty Donn (BBC Gardener’s World)

Queen Victoria

Having gained a BSc in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Oxford Brooks University, my career started within the Hotel industry for the Edwardian Group, building the new opening team at the Radisson Edwardian Manchester hotel. Whist there I worked in various roles and capacities and progressed to the role of Cost Controller at a group level.  Various roles within other hotel organisations and a restaurant group followed my time at the Edwardian Group , until an opportunity arose to work within the Golf industry for the BGL group. Excited for the change in industry I took the position as Group F&B Controller and later promoted to Group Procurement and F&B Controller.

3 things I would take to a desert island:

My wife

A TV and plenty of movies to watch

Plenty of fine Single Malt/Blended Scotch

Ultimate dinner guest:

Lord Alan Sugar

Dream Fourball to play in:

My Son

My Daughter

Sachin Tendulkar

From Banking Trade Floor support to Law, Property, Non-profit and everything in between I like to think that 25 years in technology have taught me to expect constant change. I have lived all over the world, home schooled children while living on a boat, cabled the first Cross Rail building, Managed Support Desks and done copious certifications but working in Leisure, for BGL, is a whole new challenge and I absolutely love the opportunities that working for a strong and expanding company presents.

3 things I would take to a desert island:

A hammock, a satellite phone and a good book.

Ultimate dinner guest:

Sir David Attenborough.

Dream four ball to caddy for:

Elon Musk
Trevor Noah
Charlotte Dujardin
John Whittaker

Throughout my Management & Marketing degree at The University for the Creative Arts my main passion laid within the design and creative elements of the modules which is what steered me into my marketing career. Leaving university, I had various internships and work placements to gain experience, before landing my first job within the Health & Fitness industry covering national and local advertising for gyms across the UK. I then moved into pharmaceutical marketing creating online and offline marketing plans across various health care areas including Oncology & Respiratory!
I joined BGL in 2016 as the Digital Projects Manager and have progressed into my current role of Marketing Manager, and recently bitten the bullet and started golf lessons!

3 things I would take to a desert island:

All the sun cream I could take
Someone to catch my dinner
More sun cream

Ultimate dinner guest:

Freddie Mercury

Dream Fourball to caddy for:
James Cordon
Beyoncé
Kevin Hart
Leonardo DiCaprio

I must admit, I was never quite sure what I wanted to do as I started on my university career. So, I settled on studying Business Enterprise Development at Portsmouth University (I enjoyed being by the seaside). During my studies I fell in love with Marketing, especially the creative side. As I graduated, I began to pursue a career as a keen, wide-eyed marketer.

I’ve been lucky enough to work across a variety of industries from Telecoms, Tech and HR. Until I finally landed in what I now know as my home: Leisure. Although, I still can’t be trusted with a club in hand, even the crazy golf ones…

Working for both Adventure Leisure and Ninja Leisure, I’m challenged creatively, strategically and sometimes physically every day. I love working in such a fast paced, driven organisation and industry and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.

3 things I would take to a desert island:

As long as its sunny, I’m a-ok with being stuck on a gorgeous beach I’d need a guaranteed escape route – so a fuelled-up speed boat is always my number one!

My second and third items would be a fully stocked bar and some decent speakers with a fully loaded playlist throwback 90’s & 00’s. Plus little rock and country for good measure.

Ultimate dinner guest:

Is it bad that I would rather eat in peace?

Dream Fourball to caddy for:

Seeing as I’m hopeless at golf, It’d have to be 18 holes of crazy golf. That way I’d blame my terrible shots on the obstacles…

Luke Combs
Jack Reacher
Dave Grohl
And me of course!

After years working in a restaurant chain as a General Manager I decided to have a career change and start at the bottom with something new. So, I took a deep breath, and a pay cut (!), and started as a HR Coordinator in a sports organisation where I worked my way up and took on the roles of HR Adviser, HR Business Partner and Employee Relations Manager. Looking back now I am so pleased I was brave enough to take the risk as it definitely paid off. I have been working in HR for over 13 years now and I absolutely love it! What I love most about my role at BGL is that no two days are the same and I never know what type of situation I’m going to be dealing with. Working in a small People Team has so many advantages as I’m able to get involved with a vast breadth of tasks covering the full employee life cycle. I have a passion for raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing and making sure our colleagues are well supported at work to enable them to thrive. I have always lived by the moto work hard, play hard.

3 things I would take to a desert island:

Sun cream
Towel
Sevilla Gin & Tonic

Ultimate dinner guest:

Gordon, Gino and Fred – they seem to come as a trio!

Dream Fourball to caddy for:

Daniel Craig
Vin Diesel
Bruce Willis
Jennifer Lopez

Can you tell I love an action film!