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Chairman and chief executive of Westbury Street Holdings (WSH) Alastair Storey recently addressed the food and drink industry at a lecture in his honour at The Savoy.
Having been honoured with the title of the ‘most powerful person in UK hospitality’, knocking Jamie Oliver off the top spot for the first time in two years, Storey was invited to give a presentation on the motivations and strategies that have shaped his 40-year career.
Storey remarked “I love this business” as he took to the stand to address more than 300 industry friends and colleagues, before revealing his resentment at the hospitality industry’s lack of government recognition, despite being the fourth biggest employer in the UK.
The industry stalwart also used his lecture to urge fellow industry leaders to unite towards providing a sustainable supply chain that commands a fair price for quality and traceability, calling for more support for Britain’s farmers, artisans and suppliers.
Speaking after the lecture, Storey commented: “It was a great honour to be invited to present at this year’s Savoy Lecture, and not the least a bit daunting given the prestigious list of names that preceded me in the role. This event is quite literally attended by the who’s who of hospitality and I relished the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about the future of our fantastic industry.
“We have an awesome industry full of entrepreneurs, creativity, talent, energy and most importantly with a great contribution to make to society and the future of Britain.Life is a journey, great achievements start with small steps and I wanted to use my presentation as a way to get people talking about a strategic vision for our industry. Not just one narrow sector but the whole hospitality and tourism industry. Hopefully I achieved that.”
