Our Associates
Our Associates are, quite simply, some of the most experience and successful operators the sector has had the privilege to have had within it.
They are leaders who have made bold decisions, tough calls and all of them, have run successful businesses or operations. Their support and passion for Transition makes Transition unique in the development coaching environment. We are the only development team where your team will be exposed to experienced and successful operators.
With almost two decades of senior management experience - from marketing through to customer and brand director - Andy's CV offers an insight into his hugely successful career within hospitality before he took the leap into starting his own consultancy to enable him to share his love of values, purpose, and behaviours with as wide an audience as possible.
Andy's naturally calm style means he is brilliant at getting that additional, unknown snippet or comment out of our delegates as he takes them through either a BESPOKE programme or MSL Programme.
A real gentleman with a genuine passion for the people he is developing.
Cristina brings a wealth of "people" and business knowledge to Transition.
Her hospitality experience has seen her career catapult from front-of-house in Bella Italia to leading the entire people development & apprenticeship programme for Casual Dining Group (now The Big Table Group).
Cristina has a real passion to develop people and is consistently at the forefront of new L&D solutions. She is an enthusiastic trainer who is able to guide you through any programme with a level of knowledge and inspiration that ensures you take the learning journey with you.
What makes Cristina even more of an asset to Transition is that she really is an operator at heart - she has had those conversations, had those experiences and, successfully faced those challenges. With strategic thinking and sharp commercial awareness, Cristina always achieves maximum return on investment.
Paul's reputation is, quite rightly, a first-class one. He has gone from area manager at Wetherspoon's through to managing director of Punch Taverns, the 2nd largest Pub Co in the UK (at the time).
Paul has witnessed it all and successfully charted his businesses through the ever-changing world of consumer demands and legislative changes. He is an industry 'heavyweight' who adds more than twenty years experience to the Transition team. When he says "I have been there and done that" - he is being exceptionally humble!
In addition to supporting Transition, he volunteers his wealth of experience to a number of organisations within hospitality - including Plan B Mentoring, Only A Pavement Away and LVS Oxford.
Jackie, like so many of our Associates, can truly claim to have gone from the bar to the boadroom. Jackie was one of the first female senior executives at Punch Taverns and was also one of the youngest.
Her first multi-site role was as a retail trainer before she successfully progressed through the BDM channels to become regional operations director and then portfolio director at Punch Taverns. After a move into not-for-profit and the care home sector Jackie led the pub portfolio of NewRiver REIT before the draw of supporting and developing people become too strong and she set up her own development consultancy.
In addition to her own consultancy Jackie has founded and led the Brilliant Women programme to help other senior female executives develop their skills and be the best that they can be and continue on their upward career path.
Jo is a highly successful 'people person' - having been head of people for Tesco where she oversaw the Tesco Family Dining programme and later becoming people and operations director for YO! Sushi.
It was during her time at YO! that Jo took a significant interest in the mental health of her team and their well-being. It was this passion for mental health to be managed and viewed differently by HR teams that saw Jo re-train to become a psychotherapist.
It is Jo's advocacy for ensuring that workplace mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of people priorities for organisations that makes Jo such a valued addition to the Transition team.
When we say the phrase - "built for operators and delivered by operators"- then Mat's name is often in our thoughts. A true operator from head to toe, starting his hospitality career at Sunsail as F&B Manager before quickly working through the ranks of M&B's All Bar One brand then leading the company's hugely successful Castle brand.
After almost two decades with M&B Mat has taken the role of Operations Director of Pho and then Wahaca.
He is ideally suited to talk about the challenges and the opportunities that everyone faces in operations because he has been there and knows how to overcome those challenges and grab those opportunities.
Richard role as Regional MD for Nando's sees his 'day job' to help his team deliver a first-class customer experience and to enable his people to grow in their roles and in themselves.
His knowledge and enthusiasm for leadership insight and behavioural development makes Richard a perfect Associate for Transition.
He offers the perfect blend of real industry knowledge and passion coupled with the wonderful skill of being to coach and develop people at every level. A true asset to our team.