A Career in a Year – What I’ve learned in my first year as an MD

When I reflect on the last twelve months, it strikes me what a crazy year it’s been for my career; I still have to pinch myself when I stop and take time out to remember how things have changed in such a short space of time. 

Two things spring to mind - resilience and self-belief

I have been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and in the past year I think I have probably learnt more than I have in the whole of the rest of my career. 

But two things spring particularly to mind - resilience and self-belief. 

Some of that was down to literally being thrown in at the deep end after taking on the role of MD at Chilango in January last year, but as everyone in the industry will attest to, the pandemic has turned everything on its head. For me, as a new MD, it’s been a baptism of fire. 

I’m not afraid to say that the realisation that ‘the buck stops with me now’ filled me with a mixture of dread and excitement when I started. Was I good enough? What if I fail? 

I began my journey as MD of Chilango twelve months ago, having been promoted from Ops Director to oversee a well-publicised CVA. Anyone that’s had to go through that experience will know it’s incredibly tough on everyone, not least those investors whose expectations had not worked out as they had planned.  

My job was to make sure that I fought as hard as I could to try and save as many people’s jobs as possible, whilst trying to deliver a decent return to investors. Essentially, to turn the business around, untightening the handcuffs that some legacy decisions had put us in. With some members of the Chilango family having been with us for twelve years, they were looking to me to save not only their jobs, but to not let this amazing brand that they had invested their careers in fail. 

We were so grateful when we navigated our way through the CVA, and it really felt like we’d been given a second chance. 

And then COVID-19 struck... 

So, 2020 started in a great place, with a newly focused leadership team and restaurant teams who were relieved and excited about the next chapter in our history. There was a real buzz in the air - Chilango was ready to conquer the world!  

January and February’s performances were encouraging. The thrill and excitement within the business was infectious – we’d got our mojo back. 

And then COVID-19 struck... 

I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to have been firing on all cylinders only to have the gas turned off. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine having to close all our restaurants in one go, not knowing when, or even if, they were going to reopen. The whole of the hospitality industry was in the same boat; the only silver lining was that as an industry we all pulled together to support each other. I genuinely hope that the goodwill shown to each other stays well beyond the pandemic. 

But back to Chilango. Cue weeks of trying to work out how and when we could re-open in the safest possible way.  After several weeks of uncertainty, one of my first calls was to my account manager at Deliveroo who helped me think about testing the water in a couple of locations on delivery. I was nervous as I really did not want to put any of my team at risk and make them feel unsafe in any way at all. So, I spent some time working with my team to work out if this was even possible. 

We knew we needed the sales to help us survive, but we had to do it in a way that felt right for everyone involved. We decided to try opening two of our locations and asked for volunteers to help us test the water. We were inundated with positive responses from the team; their obvious enthusiasm and love for the brand made me immensely proud as did being able to give something back to the key workers who were keeping us all safe throughout the pandemic. Like our fellow businesses, we took each day as it came, learning and adapting. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

It was impossible for a small business like ours with tight margins to cope with a reduction in sales of some 70%, and the inevitable happened – we had to place the company into administration. It was heart-breaking for everyone, but with 130 people’s jobs in my hands I felt like I owed it to every single one of them to do all I could to help the brand survive. 

So, what do you do when the chips are down? Well, you don’t give up; you try and help the administrators to find a new home for the business, and that’s what I set out to do with my very loyal team. We worked around the clock to put together a pack for potential buyers to let them know just what a fantastic business this could be with the right backing. 

After many long meetings with potential buyers, more than ten moved forward with offer packages, with RDCP becoming the eventual owners. That was a moment of great personal pride. I felt that as a team, we’d exceeded all our expectations, convincing a host of people to believe in our vision for the future of this exciting brand, especially in an era of huge uncertainty for the whole industry. I know that Sameer and Iryna are as passionate as I am about the future, and they both share my vision for what I am sure will be a hugely exciting future for Chilango. 

COVID- 19 continues to keep us on our toes

COVID- 19 continues to keep us on our toes as we experience another lockdown but so far, we’re still keeping our heads above water. And it goes without saying that we wouldn’t be here without a dedicated and passionate team who have been by my side at every turn. 

That said, at times being MD can be quite a lonely job, and so I’ve been very grateful to have met some fantastic industry peers who have really given me a lift when I needed it. There are too many to mention individually, but I do want to particularly thank Ann Elliot whose wise words and no-nonsense style have really grounded me when I needed it. She has really helped me connect with some great industry figures and as a new business leader, that’s been invaluable for me.  

As I write this, the hospitality industry has a long journey ahead of it. But the resilience I have seen over the last twelve months shows me that the industry will come back bigger and better than ever. There might be a few scratches and bruises, but also a renewed sense of self-belief. 

And on the anniversary of my first year as MD of Chilango, that’s what I’ll also take from this. A knowledge that actually, I’m pretty resilient. And without self-belief, I’d have given up when the going got tough. I know I’ve still got a lot to learn but this year has probably given me the equivalent of several years of experience.  

It really has been a career in a year.