In this latest edition of Footprint40 we are delighted to be joined by Kate Nicholls OBE, who has been CEO of UKHospitality, representing the broader hospitality sector, since its inception in 2018. As the face and voice of the industry Kate was front and foremost in articulating the importance, value and struggles of the hospitality sector to government and public during the pandemic and forcefully continues to do so today.
You will want to hear her thoughts as the industry confronts such current pressures as the economy, energy crisis and the government’s response, general price inflation, supply chain and labour issues.
Kate was previously CEO and Strategic Affairs Director of the ALMR, the trade body for eating and drinking out of home businesses. She is also Chair of the Tourism Alliance and co-Chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board, representing the needs of the wider tourism sector in discussions with Government and the Mayor of London. She sits on the Government’s Hospitality, Tourism and Food & Drink Sector Councils and has previously Chaired the Mayor of London Night-time Commission as well as a member of the Mayor’s Covid Recovery Forum.
In July 2021, she was appointed as the first Government Disability Ambassador for hospitality, promoting inclusivity. She is Chair of Liverpool ACC, on the board of several industry standards schemes and a trustee of industry charities. Kate initially worked as a researcher in the House of Commons and European Parliament on food, employment and environmental policy before joining Whitbread to work in Strategic Affairs. She has extensive experience as a political and strategic communications consultant and is a graduate of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Kings College London.
