Olive Barnett award winner announced

20th May 2009, 9:53am

Benjamin McEwen, graduate management trainee of Lexington Catering, has scooped this year's Olive Barnett award.

McEwen, who is a Springboard Ambassador, commented on his win:  "Winning the Olive Barnett Award spurs me on to do even more in spreading the word about this fantastic industry and reaffirms for me that the career path I have chosen is absolutely the right one. I am wholeheartedly passionate about it!"

The awards ceremony, attended by over 200 key industry figures, marked the end of a final judging weekend which put the eight Olive Barnett Award finalists through their paces to establish a winner and two runners up.

A series of challenging interviews, tasks and presentations ensured that the finalists worked, often as a team, to demonstrate their full range of abilities and allow the judges to assess their performance.

The assessment sessions, one run by LearnPurple, were described by McEwen as "Rigorous! But it was positive stress! We were in effect stripped back to the bone and then built up again to ten times our previous size! It was an unbelievable experience!"

McEwen has won a career development grant, donated by the Savoy Educational Trust, for £1,750 per year, for two years and will also spend one week on the Lausanne Executive Education Summer Programme, provided by the globally respected Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland.

The well deserved winner has a clear idea of how to make the most from his development grants. About to start his first management role, he aims to boost his experience with specific external training courses including coaching and mentoring training.

Next year he intends to start a Certificate in Personnel Practice with the CIPD and also plans to enhance his networking opportunities by taking up membership of certain industry bodies including the Institute of Hospitality.

McEwen recommends entering the Olive Barnett Award: "I had thought perhaps I was too young to have a chance of winning – it wasn't so long ago I was in the classroom! But I won! It just shows you, don't think it's not for you – if you feel strongly about the industry and impassioned by your customer facing role within it – you should enter!"

The award seeks to actively reward excellence in employees below 30 years of age, who work in one of the vital customer facing roles in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries.

The awards ceremony took place on Monday night at the newly refurbished Langham Hotel, London.

Related Articles:

• 25 Feb 2011 - New deadline for 2011 Savoy Gastronomes' Olive Barnett Award
• 19 Jan 2011 - The Savoy Gastronomes' Olive Barnett Award 2011 – call for entries
• 27 Jan 2010 - The Savoy Gastronomes' Olive Barnett Award final extended
• 28 Oct 2009 - Call for entries to Olive Barnett Award 2010
• 22 May 2008 - Langham bar manager wins Olive Barnett Award
• 23 May 2007 - In House Catering's Toby wins Olive Barnett Award

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