Gillian Keegan attended a reception at the Terrace Pavilion in the House of Commons to celebrate the success of Chris Wood, from the Chantry in Southgate, who just completed the 'bar to boardroom' scheme set up by the Stonegate Pub Company.
Chris was invited to the Commons to celebrate their 200th General Manager appointment having successfully completed their award-winning accelerator programme.
Stonegate is the UKs largest held managed pub operator with revenues in excess of £700 million and employing 13,500 people. The company launched the Accelerator programme five years ago, which was designed to fast-track the development of our high performing Deputy Managers to be ready to become industry leading General Managers. The programme helps to identify, support and train hundreds of young people, taking them on a career journey where they can progress from the bar to the boardroom as they develop their knowledge and skills building their career. Home grown talent now represents 28% of their managers, many running businesses with yearly turnovers in excess of £1 million.
Stonegate Chief Executive, Simon Longbottom said: People are at the heart of what we do. We’re delighted to be able to recognise the achievements of our incredibly hard-working accelerators here at the House of Commons. Of course, this is a shining example of how commitment in personal development can change people’s lives, as they fast become the company’s most promising managers and future industry leaders.
Gillian Keegan MP said: It was wonderful to celebrate with Chris in the House of Commons and I was impressed by Stonegate’s accelerator programme. It is great to see businesses invest in their employees to encourage them to succeed by providing the skills development needed. I wish Chris every success moving forward managing the Chantry and I look forward to seeing him again for a drink at the bar.