Husband and wife team, Keith and Diane Marsden from The Prince of Wales in Birmingham, have been named as the 2015 Licensees of the Year.
2015 is the 30th Licensee of the Year Award, which this year was sponsored by BT Sport. The award recognises the country’s top performing licensee with a passion for the trade and is known as the industry’s most coveted award, with finalists undergoing a rigorous four-stage process.
Second time lucky
It is second time lucky for this year’s winners, multiple operators, Keith and Diane Marsden, who made it to the semi-finals in 2014. With Keith’s background in advertising and Diane’s former tour guide experience, the couple worked together to create a unique atmosphere at the traditional wet led pub in the heart of Moseley village, which is known for its large beer garden that boasts a cocktail bar, alongside cigar and wine sheds.
The couple, who have worked in the industry for ten years, have run the Spirit Lease pub since 2007 and have a clear plan and strategy that permeates every team member. Keith said of winning: “This is the biggest accolade you can get, and receiving recognition from your peers to say that you are at the top of your game is a bonus.”
Speaking about the winners,Sue Allen, Commercial and Membership Director of the BII, said, “There was an excellent standard of finalists this year, but Keith and Diane really went the extra mile. With innovative ideas, together with their sheer passion for our industry and their huge focus on their people, the couple really stood out from the crowd.”
NITA Award
The announcement was made at the BII Summer Event and Annual Lunch, which took place at the Artillery Garden of the Honourable Artillery Company, on 2 June 2015.
Speaking at the Summer Event, Stephen Glancey, Chief Executive Officer of the C&C Group, the main sponsor of the event, also announced that the BII are bringing back the National Innkeeping Training Awards (the NITAs) this autumn. To mark this, Stephen presented an inaugural NITA award, the Franca Knowles Live your Life Award to Chesca Knowles, daughter of the late Franca Knowles, who sadly passed away in November 2014.
Together with her husband Keith, Franca championed training and people development at Beds & Bars and was the winner of a number of NITA awards. Awarded an MBE in 2008 for her services to skills training, Franca was a huge believer in training innovation and sharing best practice and her famous words “Live your Life” have named this inaugural trophy.
Other awards presented on the day were:
- SABMiller Scholars Programme Award sponsored by SAB Miller – winner Emily Whewall
- Jeremy Allen Award sponsored by Poppleston Allen – winner Mark Thornhill
- Beer Sommelier of the Year Award sponsored by The Institute of Brewing & Distilling – winner Rod Jones
- Fundraiser of the Year sponsored by PubAid – winner Nigel & Sue Anstead
- Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Fuller, Smith & Turner – winner Neringa Markeviciute