Deborah Homshaw
Company:
Host Contract Management
Job title:
Operations Director
How did you get into the sector:
Loved cooking, organising parties and studying varying subjects rather than just one and thought catering would be the best way to combine this in a career. I studied to degree level whilst working from pot wash up in varying establishments and then launched upon the industry – I liked the variation of contracts and customers in contracting over the hotel world which also beckoned.
What do you enjoy about your role:
People – undoubtedly our greatest challenge and our greatest strength and I relish the challenges this brings. The more you give the more it pays off; Food – I am passionate about bringing quality and taste to all of our customers; Cash and Profitability – I have an unnerving enjoyment and eye for detail on P&L accounts and making the £s add up.
Career high:
Have I reached it yet – isn’t there always something we can do better? The nature of the business means that every day brings its own challenges and rewards so not sure if I can pick out one example as there are many over the years – recently it has been retaining a fantastic contract in the Midlands, but today it could be seeing the result of a new menu being given the thumbs up by one of our more vulnerable customers. Who knows what’s next and every day brings its own highs.
Career low:
No contest on this one - standing for 9 hours a day in a freezing kitchen boning chickens in one of my first jobs as a trainee. Great training though.
What are your plans for the next year:
To challenge myself, my team and the industry and in doing so create the best ops team in the country.
What was the biggest break of your career:
My first job after graduating – after that it was, and still is, all up to me to prove myself each and every day of my career.
What are you most proud of in your career:
Never lowering my standards, always striving to be better, working tirelessly with the team around me to bring the best out of them and still caring passionately about what I do.
Making a difference to peoples days through food and service and doing that successfully and continuously is certainly something to be proud of.
What advice would you give to people keen to progress in the
industry:
Work hard, stay focused on your goal, believe in yourself, your standards and your team and never give up.
Who inspires you:
Ordinary people who overcome great hardship and never lose focus on finding a better way to live and work – we can all help and learn from others’ experiences.
What do you do in your downtime:
Cook, eat, read, garden and generally enjoy life with my four children whom I am immensely proud of.
What question do you always ask in interviews:
What makes you stand out from the crowd; What makes you different?
Tips that have made you a success:
Caring passionately about what I do and sharing this with others, an eye for detail in all things, challenging people and processes, dogged determination, complete focus on the end result and an unswerving attitude that everything will be fine.