Joanna Flood
June 7, 2023
News

Acorn Award winners

Three of our rising stars were recognised at The Caterer’s Acorn Awards this week, at a celebration held at Southampton Harbour Hotel.

The awards celebrate 30 of the industry’s most talented stars aged under 30. Head of nutrition, Lizzie Hennig, Operations Manager, Lucy Ager, and FUEL Account Manager, Charlie Search, were among the winners this year for their inspirational contributions to the hospitality industry. This is the second year running where we have had three incredible winners.

 Joining us in 2021, Lizzie has had a monumental start, first leading the launch of Waste Knot into our business, joining industry panel discussions at Food Matters Live and most recently being named a finalist in the Contract Catering Awards. When asked how it felt to be an Acorn winner, Lizzie said: “Pretty amazing and very exciting. It’s a great feeling to be one of the 30 selected for an Acorn Award in 2023 and I can’t wait to hopefully be able to help someone else in our industry receive an acorn award in the future”.  

One to watch, Charlie joined us on the Graduate Programme which was unfortunately cut short when the pandemic hit. Returning to us when restrictions lifted, he joined the FUEL team progressing from events coordinator to account manager in just 12 months.  Charlie said about working in hospitality: “I enjoy interacting with so many different people from such a wide range of diverse backgrounds, all with amazing stories to share”.  

Operations manager Lucy, has enjoyed meteoric growth in her career, after joining us in 2019 as catering manager of the newly built WeWork located in Waterloo, home for 6000 members. She now manages multiple flagship locations in London and shows no sign of slowing down, with an exciting group contract with over five sites being added to her portfolio this year.  

Lucy praises the hospitality industry for being fast-paced and ever-changing: “Creating experiences for our customers and clients and working with an extremely talented team who challenge me to work harder and be the best I can be within my role. The hospitality industry is ever changing and it’s exciting to be part of the journey”.