Valor Hospitality appoints organisational development director

Valor Hospitality has appointed Gary Mitchell as organisational development director. In the newly created role, Mitchell will be responsible for developing leadership programmes to “future proof” the organisation. He will also be responsible for creating new and innovative ways to train and develop existing employees. His appointment comes as Valor was named in the Caterer’s top six ‘Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2023’ in the UK, for the fourth time and second year running, with the company’s HR team also recently winning the 2023 IHG ‘HR Impact Award’. Alongside his appointment, the hotel management company said it has also adopted employee communications platform, Workvivo, as part of its strategic investments into a people-focused culture. Workvivo acts as a central hub for 3,000 of Valor’s UK team members, where they can communicate with each other, celebrate achievements and successes, and access key apps and resources. Workvivo also has an insights dashboard which will allow Valor to track progress on employee engagement. Mitchell said: “Having worked with Valor for the last 10 months, I’m delighted to take on the Organisational Development Director role. Valor has a fabulous culture, and we are proud that this is recognised by the many accolades the business receives. “Along with the implementation of Workvivo, my appointment is another example of Valor investing in the future. I’m seeking new and innovative ways to deliver an exceptional employee experience, prioritising our approach to leadership development, to enable faster career progression and provide for our growth pipeline.” He added: “I’m also pleased to be involved in the new properties we are developing, the luxury Dunluce Lodge in Portrush, Northern Ireland and the first ‘net zero’ Zeal hotel that’s being built here in the UK. The future looks very bright for Valor and I’m excited to be part of it.” Brian McCarthy, managing director of Valor Hospitality Europe, said: “We have a real people-focused culture at Valor, as evidenced by our recent award wins. Our strategic appointment of Gary and launching Workvivo will only strengthen this further. “Launching our Workvivo platform has already made a big difference to the way our team members connect with each other across our different locations. It’s fantastic to see people giving each other shout-outs for things like living our values or going the extra mile for a guest.” He added: “We look forward to seeing the continued progress of our investment in our people and the impact it will have on further improving how engaged and valued everyone feels at Valor Hospitality.”