The Institute of Competitive Socialising – the company behind Swingers, the crazy golf club – have announced the appointment of several key hires as they bolster their senior management team ahead of the opening of their West End location in March 2018. Jake Emerson has joined the company as Finance Director and Adrees Ali has joined as Operations Director.
Jake Emerson was previously CFO at Bread Holdings, the company behind Gail’s Bakeries and Bread Factory. Joining in 2011, he oversaw the growth of Gail’s from 8 to 38 bakeries and the expansion of their wholesale bakery business from revenues of £12m to £40m. His previous roles include KPMG, VW Group and Grace Foods.
Adrees Ali joins the team from Brooklyn Bowl, following an eight-year tenure at the bowling and live music destination. As Vice President of Global Operations, he spearheaded their day-to-day operations, transforming the brand from a concept to a highly successful, $40m, multi-venue operation across New York, Las Vegas and London. Adrees has held previous roles at Blue Ribbon Group and the Pinnacle Hospitality Group in New York.
Jake and Adrees will report to Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds, the co-founders and co-MDs of Competitive Socialising.
Matt Grech-Smith, MD of the Institute of Competitive Socialising said: “The ICS is entering an exciting period of fast-paced growth. The expertise and experience in high quality, high volume environments that Jake and Adrees bring to the table will be invaluable as we take our competitively social and fun concepts to a wider audience”.